Even the best performers can hit a slump, and top mutual fund managers are no exception, according to recent research from Baird and Morningstar. The firms conducted a study of 370 funds that outperformed their benchmarks and experienced less volatility than the market benchmark during the 10-year period ending Dec. 31, 2010. The research showed that eighty-five percent of the funds underperformed their respective style benchmarks by at least 1 percent in annualized terms over a three-year period during the decade; a quarter underperformed by at least 5 percent. Baird says that investors who bolt from such funds during dry spells run the risk of missing out on the above-average performance, which can only be obtained by staying the course with the manager over the full 10 years.
Double Entendre
The Register, the monthly publication of the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants, got readers' attention with the cover of its March 2011 issue. The deck of the cover reads “Strategies for Scoring Inside the 20,” with a photo of a woman sporting a number 20 football jersey. Get it? The story's a profile of Maribeth Kuzmeski, the founder of Red Zone Marketing. — DG