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Morningstar Advisor Magazine October/November 2009 Issue

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Advance client relations with educational, informative and detailed FINRA reviewed sales ideas. These one-page investment concept hand-outs serve as an effective resource that help facilitate ongoing communication and strong relationships with clients. Partner with a third party resource that investors respect and discover the benefits of Morningstar Advisor Sales Ideas. Educate your clients, save time, focus on client relationships, and enhance marketing efforts.

Traffic Jam
A well-diversified portfolio is based, in part, on the low correlation between its constituent asset classes. If this correlation changes, the portfolio may not be as well diversified as the investor previously thought. This is what happened during the current downturn: Because correlations between many asset classes went up, the diversification benefit was diminished. The image highlights the correlation of nine asset classes with the market for three time periods: before the current downturn, during the current downturn, and for the entire period since January 1980.

September 2009 | Helpful TIPS

Inflation is normally a significant cause of concern for consumers and investors alike. Not only do rising prices put pressure on people's spending habits, but high inflation can also eat into investment returns. Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) may offer a cushion during inflationary periods. They are fixed-income investments whose coupon payments change with the inflation rate: If inflation rises, the interest payment increases, and if inflation drops, the interest payment decreases. The image shows the performance of TIPS for the years since 1989 in which inflation was higher than its long-term average.

October 2009 | X Games

Diversification is perhaps the simplest and most popular investment concept, but in times of severe economic trouble, it may appear to lose its effectiveness. During the recent financial and credit crises, investors saw their portfolios tumble and started to fear that diversification was dead. It is true that a widespread decline in the economy affected most asset classes, but diversification, far from being dead, may still offer protection against extreme losses. The image illustrates the percentage of mutual funds and stocks that lost more than 75% and the percentage of funds and stocks that lost more than the market in 2008.

June 2009 | Keeping It Real

The inflation statistics commonly reported only present the price change in goods that the "average" consumer purchases. Each good or service that comprises the overall measure of inflation has its own growth rate, and many investors spend more on higher inflation items. Therefore, investors should plan for the real cost of meeting their goals. The image illustrates the effect of three types of inflation on an investment of $1,000 in stocks and bonds - overall U.S. inflation, medical care inflation, and college inflation over the past 20 years.

July 2009 | Sleep Aid

The recent market volatility has caused great concern among investors. While a long-term investing strategy may prove successful in keeping portfolios well positioned regardless of what direction the market takes, a conservative asset allocation fund may help soothe anxiety for those investors struggling to fall asleep at night due to major market movements, but still seeking growth of capital. The image illustrates the range of monthly returns over the period 1970 to 2008 for five fund category averages.

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