AdvisorCentral Alliance with Financial Research Corporation Gives Advisors Access to FRC Data.Business Editors BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 2003 Alliance Furthers AdvisorCentral's Momentum as a Business-Building Portal Providing Indispensable Market Intelligence AdvisorCentral, a core-business building portal for financial advisors and broker-dealers, today announced a new level of service for registered users through a strategic alliance with Financial Research Corporation (FRC FRC abbr. functional residual capacity FRC see functional residual capacity. ). Via the alliance, FRC will make its investment management industry research available to financial advisors for the first time. Registered users of AdvisorCentral will have access to the latest product news, industry trends, and leading-edge investment industry information from the site. "We are excited that FRC has selected AdvisorCentral's registered users as the first access point for financial advisors to view its coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. data and analysis," said AdvisorCentral President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Harold R. (Harry) Groom. "Our relationship extends AdvisorCentral's value as a site providing indispensable information, commentary, research and workplace resources. AdvisorCentral users now have a greater depth of decision support information at their fingertips--increasing the value of advisory services advisory services advisory services provided to the public, in their capacity as owners and managers of animals, are an important part of veterinary science. They may be provided by government bureaux, by commercial companies who deal in pharmaceuticals or animals or animal they can provide, and strengthening their competitive advantage." With access to the FRC data, AdvisorCentral users will gain new insights into investors' needs and behaviors, as well as changes in the mutual fund industry landscape. With this additional level of information, advisors will be able to provide guidance about fund selections and purchases with more knowledge and confidence. All decision-support information provided by FRC will be objective and fund neutral. "The opportunity for FRC to be associated with AdvisorCentral as their preferred provider of market intelligence is very significant for us, and our early alliance marks the first step in a much deeper relationship with AdvisorCentral and the advisor community," said T. Neil Bathon, President and Founder, FRC. "Eventually, we hope to establish interactive dialogues with financial advisors through the site, extending the industry's understanding of the role of intermediaries in delivering fund companies' products. This will benefit advisors and mutual fund companies alike." Launched in November 2001, AdvisorCentral aggregates account information from 47 fund companies and receives two million queries per month from registered users. By the end of 2003, AdvisorCentral expects to have 65,000 registered users. These include independent financial advisors as well as advisors affiliated with major broker-dealers, who have been mass enrolling their professionals on the site. About AdvisorCentral AdvisorCentral (advisorcentral.com) serves as a core business-building portal for financial advisors and broker-dealers--providing indispensable information, commentary, research, and workplace resources. AdvisorCentral is also a major marketing resource for participating mutual fund companies. Leveraging industry-standard technologies for ease of use, AdvisorCentral provides advisors with consolidated views of their clients' holdings across all participating fund companies and receives nearly two million monthly queries. While features may vary by investment company, AdvisorCentral offers a range of additional capabilities such as the ability to make purchases, exchanges and redemptions; view detailed historical transactions; calculate contingent deferred sales charges Contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) The formal name for the load of a back-end load fund. contingent deferred sales charge A mutual fund redemption fee that is reduced or eliminated for specified holding periods. ; and directly link to participating funds' Web sites. AdvisorCentral is jointly owned by Fidelity Investments Fidelity Investments is a group of privately held companies in the financial services industry. It is made up by two independent but closely cooperating companies, Fidelity Management and Research Corporation (FMR Co. (R), Franklin(R) Templeton(R) Investors Services, Inc., Putnam Investments Putnam Investments was founded in 1937 by George Putnam. At the same time, he founded its first mutual fund offering, The George Putnam Fund of Boston.[1] Putnam has offices in London and Tokyo, and its headquarters is located in Boston, Massachusetts. and PFPC PFPC Professional Financial Planning Course (Canadian Securities Institute) Inc., a member of the PNC Financial Services PNC Financial Services (NYSE: PNC) is a U.S.-based financial services corporation, with assets of $92.0 billion. PNC operations include a regional banking franchise operating primarily in eight states and the District of Columbia, specialized financial businesses serving Group, Inc., and its service is free to advisors. About Financial Research Corporation (FRC) Now in its 16th year, Financial Research Corporation (FRC) is a full-service product and distribution research firm with unmatched expertise in the financial services industry. FRC's foremost benefit is identifying actionable recommendations that directly support clients' business goals. Through three different levels of support (Market Analytics, Enhanced Analytics, Direct Access), FRC identifies strategic opportunities, improves distribution effectiveness and increases profitability across its eight subject matter expert areas--mutual funds, variable annuities Variable annuities Investment contracts whose issuer pays a periodic amount linked to the investment performance of an underlying portfolio. , managed accounts, college savings, retirement markets, sub-advisory services, alternative products, and offshore products. Based in Boston, FRC is at the forefront of assisting its clients to comprehend and respond to the rapid changes occurring in the manufacture and distribution of investment products by delivering highly focused, customized solutions that strengthen competitive advantage and maximize growth. For more information, visit the FRC Web site at www.frcnet.com. FRC is a BISYS company (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : BSG BSG Battlestar Galactica BSG Broadband Stakeholder Group (UK) BSG British Society of Gastroenterology (London, UK) BSG Business Systems Group BSG Business Solutions Group BSG Basigin ). |
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