Michigan’s Own Utopia Funds Garner National Recognition
And Awards as Top-Performing, Maverick Fund Managers
June 18, 2008 Traverse City, MI – “Rising Star” Mutual Fund Managers Make Investors Money
By Successfully Bucking Trends and Traditions
Traverse City, MI – June 18, 2008 – Being mavericks from Michigan is paying off in spades for Utopia Funds and its shareholders these days, as the fund company’s managers earn national recognition and top honors from the likes of BusinessWeek, Institutional Investor News and their fund manager peers for their forward-looking, values-based global investment approach.
BusinessWeek named the firm’s own Zachary “Zach” Liggett, co-manager of the Utopia Funds, one of the “maverick fund managers” of the future in its recent story “Contrarians to Watch.” Liggett was also recognized as one of the mutual fund industry’s “Top 20 Rising Stars” by Institutional Investor News, which found that his “expertise, dedication and consistency” make him a likely a trendsetter of the future. Liggett was nominated by his peers for the prestigious award and selected by the editors at Institutional Investor News, which showcased him in the magazine. The funds have also received positive coverage from the likes of Dow Jones News, InvestmentNews, TheStreet.com and Smart Money.
“We are truly honored by this groundswell of interest in what we do right here in Traverse City, which is scour the world for some of the best companies sometimes overlooked by others,” says Zachary Liggett, 33, who helped launch all four of the no-load Utopia Funds back in 2005. Liggett said being in Michigan hasn’t hurt him (after all, he’s got a world of technology at his fingertips that allows him to search the globe for great stocks) and may actually have helped. “My favorite kayaking is so close here, I get to recharge without all the noise and distractions of big cities,” Liggett added. Prior to creating Utopia’s four mutual funds, Liggett and Paul H. Sutherland, Chief Investment Officer of the funds and founder of Financial & Investment Management Group, Ltd. (FIM Group), the adviser to the funds, both worked at the firm managing money using the same style investment style for individual investors.
What makes the Utopia Growth Fund (UTGRX), Utopia Core Fund (UTCRX), Utopia Conservative Fund (UTCCX) and the Utopia Yield Income Fund (UTYIX) different? None are constrained by style boxes, market capitalizations, geographic regions or industries, but instead take a global investment approach with varying degrees of risk. “We work hard to identify global themes, like the need for clean water, and then find some of the best companies in the world that are leading the way in innovation,” Sutherland said. “The world is dynamic and we take a very active approach to finding stocks that can thrive in a variety of different investing environments. It helps too, we believe, that we search for funds that help people and avoid those that hurt people,” added Sutherland, who is an acclaimed author of a number of books, including the new AMA Physicians’ Guide to Financial Planning, 12 Steps to a Carefree Retirement (AMA Press) and Financial Strategies for Physicians, and Health, Wealth & Happiness: The Zenvesting Way due out in November 2008.
All three of Utopia Funds’ managers, including Liggett, Sutherland and Suzanne Stepan seek long-term absolute total investor returns through economically responsible investing in a global environment. The fund family also prides itself on making its funds affordable and convenient. Investors can buy shares of any Utopia Fund for as little as $25 per month, if they use an automatic investing plan
To request more information or to speak with Paul Sutherland, Suzanne Stepan, or Zachary Liggett, please contact Jennifer Connelly at (973) 625-1130 or jenn@jcpublicrelations.com.
You can also visit www.utopiafunds.com.
Utopia Funds
At Utopia Funds, the managers’ passion is their clients’ financial future, their own personalized “Utopia” that sound investment management brings to them. Their team’s number one goal is to preserve, grow, and compound their clients’ money in a way they can feel great about. Everyone at Utopia Funds, including the Fund Board, the Advisor, the Fund Managers, Investor Service Representatives, and the Partners believe in doing what is right for their clients.
Their style of actively managed, long-term global investing with focus on absolute total return allows them to provide the opportunity of hundreds of investments, in only four mutual funds. Keeping it simple for shareholders and leaving the hard work up to the managers; the four Utopia Funds are: the Utopia Growth Fund, the Utopia Core Fund, the Utopia Core Conservative Fund, and the Utopia Yield Income Fund.
About FIM Group
Financial & Investment Management Group, Ltd. (FIM Group) is the investment adviser to each of the Utopia Funds. Founded in 1984 by Paul H. Sutherland, FIM Group has been managing global total return portfolios for over 21 years and has offices in Michigan, Hawaii, and Wisconsin. FIM Group is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds’ investment portfolios; including directing the purchase and sale of the Funds’ securities, and arranging all other services necessary for the Funds to operate. FIM Group also offers investment advice to institutions and individual investors.
An investor should consider investment objectives, risk, charges and expenses carefully before investing. Please call toll free: 1.888.886.7423 for a Utopia Funds prospectus that contains this and other information. Read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. An investment in the Funds involves risk, including possible loss of principle. ALPS Distributors, Inc., Distributor for Utopia Funds
Paul Sutherland is a registered representative of ALPS Distributor, Inc.
