Comprehensive Target-Date Fund Study Released
SAN DIEGO, CA, July 17, 2012 -- BrightScope (www.brightscope.com), a leading provider of independent financial information and investment research, together with Target-Date Analytics (www.ontargetindex.com), the leading independent provider of analysis, theory, and benchmarking of target-date funds, today announced the release of
Popping the Hood V. The newest study in the popular Popping the Hood series provides a detailed analysis of target-date funds (TDFs) and fund families, making it the most comprehensive source of information available in the TDF marketplace.
"This study is absolutely critical for asset managers who are looking to distribute their funds as well as plan sponsors who need to make better decisions on which funds to include on their menus," said Brooks Herman, Head of Research for BrightScope. "Currently, there is no other research report in the market that offers such an in-depth perspective on target-date funds and fund families."
As target-date fund assets continue to grow as a percentage of total Defined Contribution assets, BrightScope and Target-Date Analytics' data and research have become increasingly sought after in the marketplace.
Popping the Hood V is a 200+ page report containing 4 pages of data on each of the fund families, including:
- Organizational and profile information
- Fund family scores, assigned by Target-Date Analytics LLC
- Fund family glidepath based on actual asset allocations
- Performance attribution against the BrightScope OnTarget Index
- Expense ratios, overall and by individual fund vs. peers
- 3-year risk and reward vs. index
- Downside and Upside Capture Ratios
- Total Value Added relative to index vs. peers
"We're pleased to issue the Popping the Hood V study with updated 2011 data on strategy, fees, risk, performance, and company data," said Joseph C. Nagengast, Principal, Target-Date Analytics. "This study is designed to provide valuable insight and analysis of a company's target-date funds compared to its peers."
This comprehensive report includes the latest analysis on 49 fund series, 41 distinct target-date companies, and 420 distinct target-date funds. Each fund family is evaluated in five major categories, resulting in an Overall Score and Ranking: Company/Organization, Strategy, Performance, Risk and Fees.
Popping the Hood V highlights the best target-date fund families, including American Century. Its successful LIVESTRONG Portfolios are again a top rated target-date series in the study.
"We're pleased that the researchers at BrightScope and Target-Date Analytics have once again given our LIVESTRONG Portfolios an A grade," said American Century Investments' Rich Weiss, senior vice president and senior portfolio manager on the LIVESTRONG Portfolios team. "We designed the funds with the goal of reducing volatility and improving risk-adjusted performance, which we believe are important considerations for plan sponsors and advisors when selecting a target-date series."
The stand-alone price for the report is $1,200. For asset managers who want a distribution license, the cost is $20,000. To inquire about a copy, email poppingthehood@brightscope.com, or call 858.677.0241. For more information please visit www.brightscope.com orwww.ontargetindex.com.
About BrightScope
BrightScope is a financial information company that brings transparency to opaque markets through independent research and analysis. Delivered through web-based software, BrightScope data drives better decision-making for individual investors, corporate plan sponsors, asset managers, broker-dealers, and financial advisors. The BrightScope Rating™, developed in partnership with leading independent 401k fiduciaries, reviews more than 200 unique data inputs per plan and calculates a single numerical score which defines plan quality at the company level. In April 2011, the company launched BrightScope Advisor Pages™, the first comprehensive and publicly available directory of financial advisors designed to help consumers discover information and conduct due diligence on wealth management professionals. BrightScope also markets a suite of data analytics software products to Fortune 1000 companies, asset managers, broker-dealers, financial advisors, and other market participants. Public ratings for more than 46,000 retirement plans as well as rating definitions, criteria and methodologies, and information on more than 770,000 financial advisors and 45,000 advisory firms are available for free atwww.brightscope.com.
About Target-Date Analytics
The leading independent source of in depth information about target-date theory, design and analysis, Target-Date Analytics LLC ("TDA") (www.ontargetindex.com), specializes in target-date indexes for reporting clarity and glidepath licensing. TDA created and maintains the BrightScope OnTarget Indexes, the OTI. TDA is the home of "Popping the Hood," a recurring and comprehensive analysis of target-date fund families. TDA also consults plan sponsors, advisors and fund companies on glide path design and allocation, and assists with the creation of custom target-date solutions.
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