San Francisco, Oct. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forward (Forward Management, LLC) has announced that its Forward International Dividend Fund (FIDMX) will now be available on two Morgan Stanley Wealth Management research platforms, Select UMA and TRAK. The fund has been available at Morgan Stanley via their brokerage and advisory platforms and it is also available at Merrill Lynch, UBS, Wells Fargo, LPL, Schwab, Fidelity and other third-party platforms.
"Financial professionals continue to recognize the importance of global diversification, but have also become increasingly discerning in the selection of specific strategies for getting exposure to foreign markets," said Forward CEO Alan Reid. "Forward International Dividend Fund's total return strategy is based on a dividend growth approach and rooted in deep research. We believe it has clear advantages for advisors focused on their clients' needs for diversified international exposure and income."
Forward International Dividend Fund targets stable growth and income from high-quality overseas companies using a proprietary Dividend Signal Strategy, which is based on the idea that a history of paying dividends can signal the long-term growth potential of a company. The fund invests in securities of companies with dividend characteristics that produce the best long-term results, including relatively high, though not necessarily the highest, dividend yield and a sustainable dividend payout ratio that demonstrates both a commitment to paying dividends and also reinvesting in the company. This disciplined investment approach is used to identify securities that share these characteristics across market capitalizations, sectors and regions, including both developed and emerging markets, resulting in a truly diversified global portfolio.
Forward Dividend Signal Strategy's portfolio managers David Ruff, Bruce Brewington and Randall Coleman each have more than 20 years of portfolio management experience and together they have used the Dividend Signal Strategy in their portfolios since 1999. The team recently added a new portfolio manager, Eric Sagmeister, who brings more than 18 years of experience in international investing. In addition to the Forward International Dividend Fund, the team also manages global and emerging market strategies.
About Forward
The world has changed, leading investors to seek new strategies
that better fit an evolving global climate. Forward's investment
solutions are built around the outcomes we believe investors need
to be pursuing - non-correlated return, investment income, global
exposure and diversification. With a propensity for unbounded
thinking, we focus especially on developing innovative alternative
strategies that may help investors build all-weather portfolios. An
independent, privately held firm founded in 1998, Forward (Forward
Management, LLC) is the advisor to the Forward Funds. As of June
30, 2013, we manage more than $5.7 billion in a diverse product set
offered to individual investors, financial advisors and
institutions. More information on Forward can be found at www.forwardinvesting.com.
You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges
and expenses of the Forward Funds carefully before investing. A
prospectus with this and other information may be obtained by
calling (800) 999-6809 or by downloading one from www.forwardinvesting.com.
It should be read carefully before investing.
RISKS
There are risks involved with investing, including loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results, share prices will fluctuate and you may have a gain or loss when you redeem shares.
Borrowing for investment purposes creates leverage, which can increase the risk and volatility of a fund.
Derivative instruments involve risks different from those associated with investing directly in securities and may cause, among other things, increased volatility and transaction costs or a fund to lose more than the amount invested.
Foreign securities, especially emerging or frontier markets, will involve additional risks including exchange rate fluctuations, social and political instability, less liquidity, greater volatility and less regulation.
There is no guarantee the companies in our portfolio will continue to pay dividends.
Diversification does not assure profit or protect against risk.
Alan Reid is a registered representative of Forward Securities, LLC.
David Ruff and Eric Sagmeister are registered representatives of ALPS Distributors, Inc.
Forward Funds are distributed by Forward Securities, LLC.
Not FDIC Insured | No Bank Guarantee | May Lose Value
©2013 Forward Management, LLC. All rights reserved.