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Morningstar Report Gives Top Ratings to Manning & Napier Target Date Funds
When Morningstar released its Target Date Fund Family Reports for the quarter ending June 30th, the announcement included great news for The Contractors Plan and Manning & Napier, a major fund company utilized by The Contractors Plan for over 13 years.
The first piece of good news is that Morningstar included Manning & Napier’s target-date funds in its review for the first time. Only 25 target date fund families are reviewed. The second and more important piece of good news is that Morningstar gave Manning & Napier’s Target-Date series of funds a “Top” rating. This is particularly important given the economic environment we’ve seen over the past few years.
According to those in the industry, Morningstar does an intensive and thorough analysis of the funds it rates. While returns are certainly a part of the formula used to rate the funds, Morningstar also looks at factors such as the underlying investment philosophy, the people who are managing the funds, and how the funds have performed over a full market cycle rather than just a few years. In the review, Morningstar states: “. . . over the firm’s long history they’ve demonstrated a strong record, and their investment personnel are some of the longest-tenured in the business. The underlying Pro-Blend funds all receive Morningstar Analyst Ratings of Gold, and the target-date series now earns a top rating as well.”
Please follow the link below to view the June 30, 2012 Morningstar analyst report. Keep in mind the article covers the Target Date’s Mutual Funds which are publicly traded rather than the Collective Investment Trusts which are available through The Contractors Plan.
Please click on the link below to view the article and all corresponding disclaimers.