Investment Product and Service Launches

To help financial advisers stand out from competitors in today’s competitive retirement plan marketplace, Securian Financial is adding unitized model portfolios to its suite of 401(k) investment solutions.

Securian Financial’s program, offered in conjunction with Mid Atlantic Trust Company, integrates custom investment models with Securian’s recordkeeping services, resulting in a platform featuring valued services for advisers’ clients. There is no asset minimum, making this typically large client service available to plans of all sizes.

“Unitized model portfolios are for professionals interested in taking target-date funds [TDFs] to the next level by building customized risk-based solutions for participant usage,” says Kent Peterson, a retirement solutions vice president with Securian Financial. “They provide a value proposition and competitive differentiator to retirement plan specialist advisers who focus on investments as part of their practice. Wealth management firms that, in addition to working with individual investors, offer retirement plan consulting to small businesses find unitized model portfolios particularly appealing and highly efficient.”

American Century Expands ETF Suite

American Century Investments has announced  another expansion of its suite of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). In particular, the American Century Quality Diversified International ETF (QINT), the American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF (QGRO) and the American Century Diversified Municipal Bond ETF (TAXF) are now available to clients and investors and are listed on the NYSE ARCA. STOXX is a registered trademark of STOXX Ltd.

“We are building a lineup of ETFs that apply our unique insights to solve common investment problems and help investors achieve their goals,” says Edward Rosenberg, senior vice president and head of ETFs for American Century Investments. “We are excited to launch these additional funds.”

The American Century Quality Diversified International ETF and the American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF utilize American Century Investments’ Intelligent Beta methodology, which systematizes many of the same attributes that fundamental research and security selection seek to identify, but in a rules-based, indexed approach.

The American Century Quality Diversified International ETF is a foreign large blend fund that seeks to enhance core international exposure. Its rules-based approach analyzes each stock’s quality, growth and value characteristics to select individual securities. It also dynamically adjusts exposures in an effort to take advantage of prevailing market conditions.

The American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF is a large-cap growth fund that seeks to enhance the core growth component of investor portfolios. The fund features a rules-based approach to identify stocks that feature a combination of quality and growth. The methodology distinguishes between stable growth and pure growth companies, dynamically allocating to each category and adjusting sector exposures, depending on the market environment.

Both funds will be managed by senior vice president and portfolio manager Peruvemba Satish and ETF portfolio manager Rene Casis. Satish leads American Century Investments’ global analytics team and joined the firm in 2014. Casis joined American Century Investments in early 2018 after serving in ETF portfolio management roles with BlackRock, Barclays Global Investors (BGI) and 55 Institutional.

The third fund, American Century Diversified Municipal Bond ETF, is an actively managed municipal bond fund that combines investments in thoroughly researched high yield and investment grade municipal bonds. Designed for investors seeking current income, the fund dynamically adjusts investment grade and high yield exposures based on prevailing market conditions. Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager Steven Permut and Vice President and Portfolio Managers Joe Gotelli and Alan Kruss are managing the fund. The firm’s municipal team averages 24 years of industry experience coupled with an average tenure of 21 years with the firm.