Products March 4, 2008

Morningstar Announces Tool for Adviser Web Sites

Morningstar has unveiled Morningstar Site Builder, a Web-based platform consisting of Morningstar’s financial adviser tools, content, and reports that investment firms can add to their existing adviser Web sites.
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Site Builder includes Morningstar investment research, portfolio analysis tools, and sales and educational materials to augment firms’ online Web properties, Morningstar said. Site Builder can be integrated into an existing Web site’s framework to encompass a firm’s brand identity, design elements, and style sheets, according to an announcement.

Firms can select from these reports and presentations for their sites:

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  • Hypothetical Illustrator,
  • Portfolio Analysis,
  • Portfolio Comparison,
  • Fund Comparison,
  • Stock Intersection,
  • Investment Detail Reports,
  • Fund Profile Pages,
  • Fund Cost Comparison,
  • Share Class Cost Comparison,
  • Fund Screener,
  • Find Similar Funds,
  • Retirement and College Savings Calculator,
  • Retirement Income Illustrator, and
  • Ibbotson Presentations and Sales Ideas.

“Investment companies acknowledge that the Web is playing an increasingly important role in wholesaling activities and in delivering useful product information to financial advisers,’ said Chris Boruff, president of Morningstar’s adviser business, in the news release. “A strong online presence is an essential part of a fund company’s marketing, education, and service strategy to help advisers and, in turn, end-investors. With that, it’s critical for firms to differentiate themselves and provide more dynamic content to engage advisers.’

Products March 3, 2008

Fiserv Target-Date Funds Include Claymore ETFs

Claymore Securities, Inc. has announced that eight of its exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are included as underlying investments in the Fiserv Trust Target Date Blueprint Funds.
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The Claymore ETFs have been selected as underlying investments within the collective investment fund structure of the Target Date Blueprint Funds, which are bank collective investment funds managed by Fiserv Trust Company, the company said.

The Target Date Blueprint Funds may invest in Claymore ETFs, other ETFs, and mutual funds in order to seek to optimize the asset allocation for individuals’ varying retirement dates between 2010 and 2050. Unlike other target date funds that typically depend on four major asset classes (cash, fixed income, U.S. equity, and foreign developed equity), the Target Date Blueprint Funds currently use 11 asset classes, providing exposure to low correlation assets, which can potentially reduce expected volatility, Claymore said, in an announcement.

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The Claymore ETFs currently included as underlying investments in the Target Date Blueprint Funds are:

  • Claymore/Ocean Tomo Patent ETF,
  • Claymore/Great Companies Large-Cap Growth Index ETF,
  • Claymore/Ocean Tomo Growth Index ETF,
  • Claymore/Zacks Yield Hog ETF,
  • Claymore/Zacks Mid Cap Core ETF,
  • Claymore/Sabrient Stealth ETF,
  • Claymore/Robeco Developed International Equity ETF, and
  • Claymore/BNY BRIC ETF.

“This open architecture structure using both passive and active management styles creates portfolios that more closely resemble those found in a typical defined benefit plan,” said Mark Tucker, Managing Director, Claymore Securities, in the announcement.

More about Fiserv’s Blueprint Funds is at www.blueprintfunds.com.

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