San Francisco, May 8, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forward today launched a completely revamped website and officially unveiled a new brand for the firm, anchored in its new tagline, "the new direction of investing." The firm said it undertook the rebranding to highlight its focus on seeking to helping investors build more resilient portfolios based on an updated, actionable vision of the global investing landscape.
"For more than five years now, Forward has focused its energies on developing innovative strategies and new solutions for a changing investment environment. We've also built a culture that encourages talented professionals to question traditional assumptions and think beyond the style box. It was time for us to build a brand identity that expresses our forward-looking approach," said J. Alan Reid, Forward CEO.
Forward worked with Wechsler Ross & Partners, a New York-based marketing consultancy focused on financial services, to develop the brand identity and translate it into digital and print communication systems.
Key elements of the firm's new brand offer constructs and tools designed to help investors navigate global markets, modernize their portfolio construction and access more content on new investment thinking. Some of those elements include:
- A product map that categorizes Forward's diverse array of strategies according to the outcomes we believe are sought by investors, including uncorrelated return, strategic income, global exposure and advanced diversification.
- A new website, forwardinvesting.com, that is designed to showcase new ideas and make information easily accessible. For example, the website makes all information and documents on a fund or strategy accessible from a single page. It also features an interactive fund performance page that allows filtering by capability and class. Forward will continue building out its website to create an enhanced client experience that is tailored to the interests of institutional investors, intermediary clients and individual investors, said Reid.
- fwd thinking, a branded thought leadership effort that educates investors on timely investment issues and strategies via ongoing publications and webcasts.
- A cohesive suite of investment strategy materials designed with advisors' end clients in mind. Color-coded by category, the materials break down how strategies operate, what investors can expect from them, and how they fit into portfolios.
In the past two years alone, Forward has launched six new mutual funds employing long/short strategies in the areas of managed futures, commodities, global technologies, global credit, emerging markets corporate debt, and tactical equity allocation.
The rebranding effort was led by Paul Schaeffer, Forward's managing director for strategy and thought leadership, who made the decision not to change the firm's name other than shortening it from "Forward Management" to "Forward." "Together with our new tagline, 'The new direction of investing,' the name 'Forward' does reflect what our firm is all about--namely, a forward-looking, problem-solving approach that embraces new thinking rather than being tied to old assumptions," he commented. "The world has changed fundamentally, and we believe today's investors can't expect to meet their long-term goals with yesterday's strategies and portfolio construction methods."
Schaeffer said Forward will continue building out all elements of Forward's brand to provide a richly multi-layered, interactive client experience and help investors stay in the forefront of the latest investment thinking. "Branding isn't an event, but an ongoing process that weaves through everything Forward does," he commented.
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 March 31, 2012, we manage more than $5.2 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 and 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.
Alternative strategies typically are subject to increased risk and loss of principal. Consequently, investments such as mutual funds which focus on alternative strategies are not suitable for all investors.
Diversification does not assure profit or protect against risk.
Managed futures is a type of alternative investment. Managed futures accounts can take both long and short positions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts in the global commodity, interest rate, equity and currency markets.
Not FDIC Insured | No Bank Guarantee | May Lose Value
Forward Funds are distributed by Forward Securities, LLC.
Separately Managed Accounts and related investment advisory
services are provided by Forward Management, a federally regulated
Investment Advisor.
ALPS Distributors, Inc. is not affiliated with Kanter & Co. and
Wechsler Ross & Partners.
Alan Reid is a registered representative of Forward Securities,
LLC.
©2012 Forward Management, LLC. All rights reserved.