Morningstar Advisor - June/July 2011 - (Page 6)

Contributors MorningstarAdvisor Editor-in-Chief Jerry Kerns Managing Editor Ryun Patterson Editor-at-Large Don Phillips Contributing Editors Dan Culloton, Paul Justice, Haywood Kelly Contributors Josh Charlson, Courtney Goethals Dobrow, David Falkof, Philip Guziec, Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Laura Lutton, Warren Miller, Jeffrey Ptak, Carl Richards, Kate Stalter, Timothy Strauts, Mike Taggert, RJ Towner, Christina West Data Editors Preethi Parmar, Alina Tarlea Proofreader Jennifer Gierat Art Director Teofila Arellano Associate Art Director Alexander Skoirchet Production Designer Summer Bornman Illustrator Gavin Potenza Photographer John Johnston Publisher Leslie Banks Christina West, David Falkof, Laura Lutton, and Josh Charlson Even an experienced fund analyst gets frustrated trying to research 529 plans. “I’m a 529 investor myself,” Laura Lutton says. “The transparency around the plans is lousy. It can be difficult to garner even simple performance information.” So Lutton was excited whe she and a team of analysts started a project to revamp Morningstar’s 529 research. The team, which also included Christina West, David Falkof, and Josh Charlson, created categories, interviewed state administrators, and issued new analyst ratings on more than 50 plans—all to make researching 529 plans easier for investors. The fruits of their labor are on display in this issue’s Spotlight section (Page 36). Director of Advertising Sales Mary Uribe Regional Sales Directors Dan Atkinson, Tony Lignelli, Kristina Niemi, Stuart Roge Morningstar, Inc. Chairman and CEO Joe Mansueto President, Equity Research Group Catherine Odelbo Vice President, Financial Communications Business Mike Barad Managing Director, Design David Williams How to Reach Morningstar Advisor Subscriber Services and Circulation magazine_custserv@morningstar.com Editorial and Letters to the Editor magazine_editor@morningstar.com Advertising magazine_adrates@morningstar.com Rate card available at http://advisor.morningstar.com/products/advisormagazine.asp Reprints and Licensing magazine_licensing@morningstar.com How to Reach Morningstar Customer Service +1 312 384-4000 Advisor Product Sales +1 877 586-5405 Data Questions +1 312 696-6600 Morningstar Advisor is published bimonthly by Morningstar, Inc., 22 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602. An annual subscription for delivery in the U.S. is $60. All exhibit data in this magazine is provided by Morningstar and Ibbotson Associates unless otherwise noted. Courtney Goethals Dobrow Morningstar mutual fund analyst Courtney Goethals Dobrow chose the manager of Marshall Mid Cap Value MRVEX for this issue’s Undiscovered Manager profile (Page 62) specifically because the fund isn’t flashy. “It has a smallish asset base and a profile and track record that avoids extremes,” Goethals Dobrow says. “Even manager Matt Fahey says his fund has ‘no sizzle.’ He’s right, but that’s a good thing.” Gavin Potenza When working on the cover and Spotlight sections of this issue, illustrator Gavin Potenza saw a story within the stories. “I was really trying to focus on the idea of maturation, and how these 529 savings plans are all growing up, but aren’t quite there yet,” he says. Potenza works from the Pencil Factory in Brooklyn, N.Y., and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, Money, SmartMoney, and other publications. © 2011 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is intended solely for informational purposes; (2) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (3) may not be copied or distributed; (4) is not warranted to be accurate, complete, or timely; and (5) does not constitute investment advice of any kind. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. “Morningstar” and the Morningstar logo are registered marks of Morningstar, Inc. Disclosure: Morningstar licenses its indexes to certain providers, including Blackrock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., First Trust, and Deutsche Bank, for use in exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes. These ETFs and ETNs are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, or sold by Morningstar. Morningstar does not make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in ETFs and ETNs that are based on Morningstar indexes. 6 Morningstar Advisor June/July 2011 http://advisor.morningstar.com/products/advisormagazine.asp

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Morningstar Advisor - June/July 2011

Morningstar Advisor - June/July 2011
Contents
Contributors
Letter From the Editor
Questions for the Secret Society
Are 529 Plans a Useful Tool for Clients’ College-Savings Goals?
Taking the Lead
How to Sell Covered Calls
The College-Savings Challenge
Time to Play Defense?
Four Picks for the Present
Investment Briefs
Careful What You Wish For
Caution in Utilities After Japan Crisis
Blossoms and Thorns in the 529 Garden
Lower Fees, Competitive Returns Help More 529s Make the Grade
Morningstar Grades 529 Plans
529 Risks Include the Political
Researching 529 Plans Made Easy
How Closed-End Funds Are Born
Boutique Within a Bank
The Inefficient Pricing of Moats
More Steak Than Sizzle
Mutual Fund Analyst Picks
50 Most Popular ETFs
Undervalued Stocks With Wide Moats
The Dangers of Demonizing

Morningstar Advisor - June/July 2011