Big 4 Onefund
Big 4 Onefund (no, I do not make these names up) will seek long-term capital gain by investing in a changing mixture of ETFs, closed-end funds, business development companies, master limited partnerships and REITs. The fund will be managed by Jim Hagedorn, CFA, Founder, President and CEO of Chicago Partners Investment Group, and John Nicholas. The minimum initial investment is $2000. The expense ratio has not yet been set.
Blue Current Global Dividend Fund
Blue Current Global Dividend Fund will seek current income and capital appreciation. The plan is to buy 25-35 “undervalued, high-quality dividend paying equities with a commitment to dividend growth and pay above-market dividend yields.” They reserve the right to do that through ETFs. Hmmm. Henry Jones and Dennis Sabo of Edge Advisers will manage the portfolio. The minimum initial investment is $2,500. The expense ratio has not yet been disclosed.
Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund
Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund will seek total return with less risk than U.S. equity markets by investing in a broadly diversified portfolio of 200 or so stocks, while also writing index call options against the full notional value of the equity portfolio. It will be run by some of the same folks who manage the well-respected Gateway Fund (GATEX). The minimum initial investment is $2500, reduced to $1000 for tax-advantaged accounts and those with an automatic investment plan. The initial expense ratio has not yet been released, though the “A” shares will carry a 5.75% load.
Gold & Silver Index Fund
Gold & Silver Index Fund will seek to replicate the total return of The Gold & Silver Index which itself seeks to track the spot price of gold and silver. The index, owned by the advisor, is 50% gold and 50% silver. It will be managed by Michael Willis of The Willis Group. The minimum initial investment is $1000. They haven’t yet released the fund’s expense ratio.
Index Funds S&P 500 Equal Weight
Index Funds S&P 500 Equal Weight will seek to match the performance of the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index. They’ll rebalance quarterly. Skeptics claim that such funds are a simple bet on mid-cap stocks in the S&P500 since an equal weight index dramatically boosts their presence compared to a market cap weighted one. It will be managed by Michael Willis of The Willis Group. The minimum initial investment is $1000. They haven’t yet released the fund’s expense ratio. The Guggenheim ETF in the same space charges 40 basis points, so this one can’t afford to charge much more.
Lazard Master Alternatives Portfolio
Lazard Master Alternatives Portfolio will seek long-term capital appreciation. The plan is to allocate money to four separately managed strategies: (1) global equity long/short; (2) US equity long/short; (3) Japanese equity long/short and (4) relative value convertible securities. The fund will be managed by Matthew Glaser, Jai Jacob and Stephen Marra of Lazard’s Alternatives and Multi-Asset teams. The minimum initial investment is $2,500 and the opening expense ratio is 2.86%. There’s also a 1% short-term redemption fee.
Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund
Leadsman Capital Strategic Income Fund will pursue a high level of current income by investing in some mix of stocks (common and preferred) and corporate bonds (investment grade and high yield). They anticipate holding 30-60 securities. The fund will be managed by a team from Leadsman Capital LLC. The minimum initial investment is $2500 and the expense ratio has not yet been announced.
Longbow Long/Short Energy Infrastructure Fund
Longbow Long/Short Energy Infrastructure Fund will seek “differentiated, risk-adjusted investment returns with low volatility and low correlation to both the U.S. equity and bond markets through a value-oriented investment strategy, focused on long-term capital appreciation.” Uh-huh. For this they will charge you 3.81%. The plan is to invest, long and short, in the energy infrastructure, utilities and power sectors. Up to 25% of the fund might be in MLPs. They’ll be between 60-100% long and 40-90% short. The fund will be managed by Thomas M. Fitzgerald, III and Steven S. Strassberg of Longbow Capital Partners. The firm manages about a quarter billion in assets. The minimum initial investment is $2500 and the aforementioned e.r. is 3.81% on retail shares.
TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund
TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, through income and capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of emerging markets fixed-income investments. The management team has not yet been named. The minimum initial investment is $2500 and the expense ratio is capped at 1.0%.
