It offers knowledge. In today's seemingly frenzied marketplace of information, mutual funds must be the trusted sources of information and knowledge for our shareholders. What it all comes down to is trust. As Matt will tell you in a few minutes, the success our industry has enjoyed over the years is tied directly to the confidence the investing public has placed in us. Confidence can be defined as faith or trust in a person or thing.
Faith is a belief in the truth or trustworthiness of something.
The dictionary defines trust as a firm reliance on the character, ability, or integrity of something. Over the years, we have proven the character of our industry by being open, honest, clear and concise with our shareholders about the risks and rewards of their investments. The industry, through the Institute, conducts an aggressive investor awareness campaign to help our shareholders establish realistic expectations about mutual fund performance and to focus on long-term investment goals. We have demonstrated the ability of the men and women of our industry to provide value to our shareholders by offering new investment opportunities to meet their increasingly specialized demands. We also have a history of offering products to meet their retirement savings needs.