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U.S. Blended Equity Fund
Objective
The U.S. Blended Equity Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital and to equal or exceed the rate of inflation over time. There is no guarantee that these objectives will be met.
Strategy The U.S. Blended Equity fund is actively managed. This means that it attempts to outperform its benchmark, the Wilshire 5000 Index. The Wilshire 5000 Index is representative of the total US stock market, including publicly traded companies of all sizes. The net return will be the result of general market performance, plus or minus the managers' ability to outperform the market, less investment and administration fees. Assets are allocated among several active managers who diversify their stock selections using different approaches, including, but not limited to: - Value-based investing, which seeks to identify stocks that are selling at a price believed to be lower than fair value and which may enjoy capital appreciation when they begin to sell at a higher value
- Growth-oriented investing, which seeks to identify stocks with strong future earnings growth
- Investing across the spectrum of company sizes, from large, well established companies, to smaller companies that usually have less market recognition
Opportunities Historically, over long periods of time, the U.S. equity (stock) market has tended to provide higher returns than other investments, such as bonds or money market instruments. While there is no guarantee that this will be the case in the future, investment theory suggests that higher returns over the long term are a key reason investors would select an option like this one. Because this fund is actively managed, the portfolio managers makes conscious decisions about which stocks to include due to their favorable prospects and which to exclude due to unfavorable prospects. These decisions are made in an attempt to produce even higher returns than the broad equity market produces. Because this fund engages a variety of managers with contrasting investing styles, when one is performing less well there is the possibility that another will be performing better. This usually results in a smoother investment experience than a fund which concentrates its investments in a single style. In addition, because this fund purchases stocks from a full range of companies from large to small, it has more choices from which to access good investments.
Risks All investments risk the loss of capital. Since this fund is invested entirely in stocks, the chance of losing a percentage of your original investment is much higher than with some other investment options. The stock market can be volatile. Although, over long periods of time, investors may enjoy higher returns than they experience in some other options, they can also lose more money. Sharp and unpredictable changes in value, either positive or negative, can be especially acute over shorter periods of time. The active decisions that the portfolio managers make with respect to which stocks to include and which to exclude may not turn out as expected and may detract from total fund return rather than enhancing it. On a short-term (year-to-year) basis this fund's return may vary meaningfully from its benchmark. If you are not comfortable with any of these risks, we suggest you choose another option.
Fund Performance
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TOTAL RETURN AS OF MARCH 12, 2010
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US Blended Equity Fund
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$13.49 |
0.05% |
4.62% |
54.92% |
-3.58% |
2.72% |
3.00% |
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*The inception date is February 1, 2000.
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Money Manager(s)
MMBB contracts with external managers to execute the stated strategy for this fund. Recently the roster for this investment option included: | Blackrock Financial Management, Inc. | Trust Company of the West | | Invesco Ltd. | Wellington Management | | Omega Advisors | Westfield Capital Management Company |
Annual expenses
As of December 31, 2009 annual expenses totaled 1.14%. The total investment return shown includes expenses.
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