RiverSource Launches Three Advanced Alpha Strategies Funds

RiverSource Investments, LLC, a subsidiary of Ameriprise Financial, Inc., has introduced RiverSource Advanced Alpha Strategies, a series of three mutual funds designed for more affluent investors.

The RiverSource 120/20 Contrarian Equity Fund employs a contrarian philosophy to help identify undervalued, misunderstood or forgotten stocks, according to a press release. The fund is designed to hold stocks in which the management team has a high conviction and to sell short a variety of instruments such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), potentially reducing industry and sector risks. Proceeds from the short sales may be used to further enhance the fund’s investment in its long positions. The fund’s benchmark is the Russell 3000 Index.

The RiverSource 130/30 U.S. Equity Fund is designed to take full advantage of the management team’s research insights to uncover long opportunities with high anticipated returns and reveal potential poor performers that can be sold short. The fund’s benchmark is the Russell 1000 Index.

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The RiverSource Absolute Return Currency and Income Fund holds positions in a combination of forward currency contracts and fixed income investments. The fund’s goal is to generate positive total returns, regardless of market performance. The portfolio managers enter into long and short forward currency contracts gaining exposure to major currencies based on expected return rankings from a proprietary quantitative model. The team also invests a significant portion of the fund’s assets in short duration bonds, designed, in part, to generate ongoing income.

Previously available only through RiverSource Advice-Built Solutions, the RiverSource Absolute Return Currency and Income Fund is now available through Ameriprise financial advisers and select non-affiliated banks and broker/dealers, the release said.

The funds require a minimum initial investment of $10,000.

More information is available at www.ilovealpha.com.

Nuveen Investments Offers Target-Date Funds

Nuveen Investments, a provider of investment services to institutional and high net worth investors, will now offer target-date funds in a collective trust structure.

The Nuveen PersonalPlan Target Maturity Solutions are offered in a collective trust structure, which means they are pooled investments that can be valued and traded daily and are overseen by a bank or trust company, Nuveen Investments, a provider of investment services to institutional and high net worth investors, will now offer target-date funds in a collective trust structure.

Nuveen PersonalPlan Target Maturity Solutions has funds dated for the years 2010, 2020, 2030, 2040, and 2050.

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Equity investment strategies draw from Nuveen’s managers and include NWQ Large Cap Value, NWQ Small/Mid Cap Value, Tradewinds Global All Cap, Tradewinds International Value, Santa Barbara Stable Growth, Santa Barbara Small/Mid Growth, Symphony Mid Cap Core, and Nuveen HydePark Enhanced 500.

Fixed income strategies include Nuveen Core Plus and Nuveen TIPS.

“This innovative, instant-diversification retirement product is designed to meet rising institutional demand for a flexible, market-sensitive approach in this category,” said Jam Zovein, Managing Director, Nuveen Investments, in the press release. “Historically, many target-date funds fail to give adequate consideration to liabilities and do not deal sufficiently with market risk, longevity risk and inflation risk.”

Wilshire Associates will handle asset allocation and monitor the investments for the target-date funds and AST Capital Trust serves as trustee for the funds, according to the announcement.

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