Best of the Best

1. LC Growth- Growth Fund of America and Janus 40 for more aggressive investors

2. LC Value- MFS Value

3. LC Blend- Davis NY Venture

4. MC- Calamos Growth

5. SC- Columbia Acorn and Acorn USA

5. Intern. Fidelity Advisor Diverisifed INternational, paired with MFS International New Discovery

6. Tactical- Calamos Growth and Income and Blackrock Health Sciences

That should get the conversational juices flowing.

Ok, I'll go first.

Columbia Acorn Fund: LACAX

Also available in B and c shares

50k minimum intial investment

Small Growth

I like this fund because of it's excellent management. The fund was managed by Ralph Wanger since it's inception in 1970 thru 2003.  Even though Ralph retired in 2003, he remains an advisor to the fund. Current lead manager Charles McQuaid has been with the fund for 26 years and co manager since 1995. He owns the track record , which is excellent. McQuaid employs a  proven investment process, which is to by small growth companies down stream from high tech. That is, companies that aren't high tech but benefit from the newest technology. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Fund is up about 9% YTD with excellent numbers across the board. The Acorn fund management team exemplifies the people process end of the professional money mangement equation.  This fund is a must have for most growth portfolios.

[quote=blarmston]

1. LC Growth- Growth Fund of America and Janus 40 for more aggressive investors

2. LC Value- MFS Value

3. LC Blend- Davis NY Venture

4. MC- Calamos Growth

5. SC- Columbia Acorn and Acorn USA

5. Intern. Fidelity Advisor Diverisifed INternational, paired with MFS International New Discovery

6. Tactical- Calamos Growth and Income and Blackrock Health Sciences

That should get the conversational juices flowing.

[/quote]

Man, you're fast! Thanks for the great post.

Dimensional Funds all of them except fixed income.

1.Employee owned.

2.Strategies outperform their benchmarks after fees, decade after decade not just for a year or two. 

3.Leading Financial Economists on the Board. Several are Nobel Prize winners  William Sharpe,Harry Markowitz,Eugene F. Fama,Kennith R. French,Robert Merton, and almost all are Professors at either Stanford, Dartmouth,Harvard,University of Chicago,Yale. If you have your MBA you studied there text books!  

4. There clients are the biggest corporations in the world and several States retirement pension plans, To many  non U.S. country's for clients to list. This is where the majority of the U.S Corporations keep there pension money. Once a client they never leave!

It would not surprise me if the U.S. government were to invest the publics SS# in the markets that they would use DFA.  

AEGFX, DODFX, GFAFX, HACAX, BERWX, OBEGX, HABDX, LSBRX, MVALX, MUHLX, TAVFX, MSUSX & VGHCX.

Pretty much covers the classes and even throws in a couple of sectors.  For the most part, these are proven, consistent performers and are all open.  They are not all style-pure, but the bottom line is performance, baby!!!

I also like the Columbia Acorn fund, but the doggone minimum is a bit rich for many of my clients, considering it would geerally be one of 10-12 funds in an allocation...

The Bruce Fund and Mairs and Power Growth would be good if I could get them in my program

How about Hartford Capital Appreciation (ITHAX)?  I know the expenses are a little bit high, but its about net performance, right?  19% average return over the last 9 years ain’t too shabby. 

Check out the standard deviation in ITHAX, it is very high.

Hartford Capital Appreciation is closed!

[quote=indytwo]Hartford Capital Appreciation is closed![/quote]

Not true!  $1000 minimum buy.  Check with Hartford if you don't believe me.

What do you all use for the small cap space… Lets say on the blend side… I use the Acorn funds but am looking to use other options for smaller accounts…

Acorn - agood choice. Check out Jennison - Dryden also.

Love cap. income builder for safety - great story....awesome 3 -5 -10 yr. track only one down year in 10 (-2.8% in 98') If you want to "sell" a fund, EZ story... client gets good average return & I sleep at night. Also Nat'l resources (Jenn Dry, ML) MFS Utility, many international & Global plays....you know....for yield.

You guys should check out Blackrock’s Health Sciences fund- good performance, global reach, may be a great alpha play for the next decade…

Blarm,

I have exchanged Blackrock's Aurora (not the same manager anymore - no longer comfy with this once phenomenal fund) for the very Health sci. or natty resource you speak of, where it's a good fit.

SHSCX- BlackRock Health Sciences Class C.

MOney- I guess we can throw them a bone on this one eh?? This is a tactical ploy we have been using to generate alpha and take advantage of deomographic and valuation plays. We only use this fund for a small percentage of clients accounts ( 10% or less) to generate some extra pop.

Only use American funds.  Be just like Edward Jones. 

I like the J.P. Morgan Mid Cap Value (JAMCX).  It's closed now though, unless it's in a fee based account or mutual fund wrap.

Also, Van Kampen Comstock is another one of my favorites along with Fidelity Diversified International and the Morgan Stanley Equally Weighted S&P500 (VADAX)

Anyone use Highland Floating Rate Preferred?  I have done a bit of it.Another big holding of mine has been IVY Nat Resources

One alternative to Acorn is Oppenheimers Small & Midcap Value fund

QVSCX

Not as sweet a story as Acorn, but the 3 & 5 year handily outperforms Acorn (not to mention the indexes).

Stok

balanced funds/equity income funds (van kampen equity income fund and capital income builder of american



international templeton growth

JonesIR,

Howza about a switch and tell us which NON preferred families products you recommend  (hint this is a trick question)

Hartford launched new Capital Appreciation Fund II on 29-04-2005.

Franklin Income Fund, First Eagle Global (closed), Van Kampen Equity

Income, American Funds Balanced. (yes, I like balanced funds)

[quote=compliancejerk]

JonesIR,

Howza about a switch and tell us which NON preferred families products you recommend  (hint this is a trick question)

[/quote]

I'll answer your question for you. I like Calamos Growth, Davis NY Venture, I have done some ING Russia but am moving clients out of it. MFS total Return and Int Diversification and I like some of the Nuveen Bond Funds. Hope that helps....

Frumhere

IVY Nat Resources is a solid a fund. I like it alot and so do clients once they have it. Do you use any other Ivy Funds and how did you get started with that fund family if I can ask. I was an old WR Advisor that moved on, but I still use Ivy sometimes.

calamos is a solid fund family. look at calamos growth and income

Past Performance Is Not Indicative of Future Results.

This whole string is a waste of time! 

[quote=Lance Legstrong]

Past Performance Is

Not Indicative of Future Results.

This whole string is a waste of time!

[quote=Lance Legstrong]Past Performance Is Not Indicative of Future Results.

This whole string is a waste of time![/quote]

Bullsh*t.

I can show you plenty of managers that have continued on a consistent basis to outperform their benchmark.  We can start with Bill Miller, Ron Muhlemkamp and Marty Whitman.

I detest that statement because it is NOT universally correct.  Sure, some managers just get lucky, and some don't do worth a sh*t, but there are plenty that consistently beat the benchmarks, and it is reasonable to assume that there is a good probability that those managers did not suddenly take a stupid pill and will continue to do relatively well for their shareholders.

[quote=Indyone][quote=Lance Legstrong]Past Performance Is Not Indicative of Future Results.

This whole string is a waste of time![/quote]

Bullsh*t.

I can show you plenty of managers that have continued on a consistent basis to outperform their benchmark.  We can start with Bill Miller, Ron Muhlemkamp and Marty Whitman.

I detest that statement because it is NOT universally correct.  Sure, some managers just get lucky, and some don't do worth a sh*t, but there are plenty that consistently beat the benchmarks, and it is reasonable to assume that there is a good probability that those managers did not suddenly take a stupid pill and will continue to do relatively well for their shareholders.

[/quote]

I couldn't agree with you more, Indyone!!!

[quote=Lance Legstrong]

Past Performance Is Not Indicative of Future Results.

This whole string is a waste of time! 

[/quote]

Thanks for sharing.  Now go back to your corner.....

MFA

MFA???  I thought you “ran portfolios??”  MFA is hardly top performer (I used MFA selects myself, and it looked good on a Morningstar report anyway)

Past performance is no guarantee of future results, but it is the best indication of future results.

Hell, no one can even guarantee the sun will come up in the morning!

Stok

[quote=stokwiz]Past performance is no guarantee of future results, but it is the best indication of future results.

Hell, no one can even guarantee the sun will come up in the morning!

Stok[/quote]

That's a fair statement...and a lot more accurate than saying that past performance is not indicative of future results...there's a big difference there.

Still like Fidelity Advisor Leveraged Company Stock Fund.

Also buying John Hancock Classic Value for the LCV allocations.

Selling Washington Mutual. I've owned this fund since the eighties but enough is enough. My rule; give'em enough rope to make something or hang themselves. 3 years of under performance is more than enough rope. Time to move on.