Additionally, the MyDestination 2035 and 2045 funds of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention were ranked number one in their respective categories for the one-year period ending June 30, according to industry-ranking firm Lipper. The Extended-Duration Bond Fund (GS2 class) finished with number one rankings in the three- and five-year periods ending June 30.
As of June 30, the MyDestination 2035 Fund was ranked 1 of 107 funds in the one-year period and 26 of 76 funds in the three-year period in Lipper's Mixed-Asset Target 2035 category, while the MyDestination 2045 Fund was ranked first among 106 funds in the one-year period and 27 among 75 funds in the three-year period in the Mixed-Asset Target 2045 category. The Extended-Duration Bond Fund (GS2 Class) was ranked 13th among 138 funds in the one-year period, first among 121 funds in the three-year period and first among 115 funds in the five-year period in Lipper's Corporate Debt Funds A Rated category.
In addition to Lipper's number one rankings, 10 out of 13 funds in the GS2 class and 14 out of 21 funds in the GS4 class exceeded their Lipper medians.
(The share classes are defined in each prospectus and relate to eligibility of participants and plan size.)
GuideStone Funds continues to rank higher than many well-known household names in the mutual fund industry.
John R. Jones, chief operating officer of GuideStone Financial Resources and president of GuideStone Funds, said, "These accolades from two respected ratings agencies help demonstrate the quality work that our GuideStone team performs daily. Our investment team, managers and sub-advisers all seek to benefit our participants. These rankings indicate their work is recognized by industry leaders."
To determine fi360 standings, mutual fund and ETF (exchange traded fund) families are by the percentage of individual funds in a family that have a fi360 Fiduciary Score in the top quartile of their peer group. The score evaluates investments on nine different criteria to determine if the investment meets a minimum fiduciary standard of care: regulatory oversight, track record, assets in the investment, stability of the organization, composition consistent with asset class, style consistency, expense ratio/fees relative to peers, risk-adjusted performance relative to peers and performance relative to peers. Additionally, fund families must contain at least five distinct funds with a three-year history to be considered in the report.
Similarly, Lipper's benchmarking and classifications are widely recognized as the industry's standard by asset managers, fund companies and financial intermediaries. Lipper Rankings compare the performance of mutual funds with a universe of funds having similar investment objectives and include both socially screened and unscreened funds. Rankings are subject to change monthly.
For more information on GuideStone Funds, including the prospectus and other funds' individual rankings, visit www.GuideStoneFunds.org. Retirement plan participants who want to determine if any of the funds mentioned are an appropriate component of their portfolio can use GPS: Guided Planning Services by logging into their accounts at MyGuideStone.
Roy Hayhurst is editorial services manager for GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Copyright (c) 2011 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press www.BPNews.net
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