Deals & People March 22, 2012

Sentinel Changes Portfolio Management Teams

Sentinel Investments has changed the portfolio management teams for four mutual funds.
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Following Elizabeth Bramwell’s retirement, Senior Vice President Betsy Pecor, as well as vice presidents Carole Hersam and Matthew Spitznagle, will take over management of the Sustainable Growth Opportunities Fund (Class A: WAEGX, Class I: CEGIX).

The fund will be renamed the Sustainable Mid Cap Opportunities Fund. The team, led by Pecor, has worked together for more than six years and collectively has more than 46 years of industry experience. The new management team will maintain the fund’s focus on sustainable investing, which includes environmental, social and corporate governance screening as core aspects.

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Jason Doiron, senior vice president, will be added as a portfolio manager to Sentinel’s Balanced (Class A: SEBLX, Class C: SBACX, Class I: SIBLX), Government Securities (Class A: SEGSX, Class C: SCGGX, Class I: SIBWX), and Short Maturity Government Funds (Class A: SSIGX). Doiron is an 11-year industry veteran and risk specialist, overseeing fixed income and derivatives management for Sentinel.

As part of the team overseeing the Balanced Fund, Doiron will continue working closely with Dan Manion, senior vice president, who will become the lead portfolio manager for the fund. Manion is head of the firm’s equity research efforts and manages four of the firm’s funds.

These changes will go into effect March 29, 2012.

Deals & People March 22, 2012

Commonwealth Partners with Fiduciary Benchmarks

Commonwealth Financial Network selected Fiduciary Benchmarks to address ERISA’s 408(b)2 fee disclosure regulations.
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The partnership will provide a technology solution that Commonwealth’s financial advisers can use to disclose all fees, services and fiduciary status to plan sponsors, in accordance with the regulations that become effective July 1, 2012 (see “DoL Issues Final Rule on 401(k) Fee Disclosure”).

“We are incredibly pleased to partner with Commonwealth on this important Department of Labor requirement,” said Tom Kmak, CEO of Fiduciary Benchmarks. “Commonwealth has a clear desire to make sure that not only are all fees completely disclosed to their clients, but also easy to understand.”

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As a strategic partner, Commonwealth will have the opportunity to access other tools through Fiduciary Benchmarks, including the Plan Optimization Service and a new prospecting tool called Plan Profile. These tools provide a holistic operating infrastructure for advisers and plan sponsors to measure and manage workplace benefits programs.

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