Edge Asset Management Reaches 75th Anniversary Milestone

Principal Equity Income Fund, among the first U.S. mutual funds, launched in 1939

Edge Asset Management: 1939-Present (Graphic: Principal Financial Group)

SEATTLE--()--Edge Asset Management (EDGE) this year celebrates a key milestone: the 75th anniversary of the launch of its first mutual fund. Today EDGE is a leading manager of equity, fixed-income and target-risk asset allocation strategies, with more than $27 billion in Assets Under Management1, a 40 percent increase in the past two years.

Based in Seattle, EDGE’s heritage dates back to 1939 when the company launched what is now the Principal Equity Income Fund (PQIAX), one of the first 50 mutual funds in the United States. The Principal Financial Group® purchased Edge Asset Management (formerly WM Advisors) in 2006 and the firm has become a key component of Principal Global Investors’ boutique investment culture.

“EDGE is known for managing straightforward investment solutions,” said Jill Cuniff, president of Edge Asset Management. “In today’s environment, headlines often grab the attention, resulting in volatile markets. As a research-driven organization, we look beyond those headlines to identify companies we believe can perform on a long-term basis.”

EDGE has a long history of income-oriented investing, which is “very important in today’s environment,” Cuniff said. “We manage money and talk to investors around the world, and there is a common demand for yield and income among individuals, corporations and sovereign wealth funds.” A recent Principal Funds white paper on dividend investing, titled Growing Dividends: The Opportunity in Equity Income Strategies, is available for download here.

In addition to the Principal Equity Income Fund, EDGE also manages:

The team at EDGE is composed of more than 30 professionals, including portfolio managers who average more than 19 years of investment experience. Their investment process is characterized by fundamental research, a long-term time horizon and often contrarian views.

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About Principal Funds
Principal Funds is a leading provider of mutual funds, with $118.5 billion in Assets Under Management.2 Principal Funds brings expertise in global investment management, asset allocation and retirement leadership to financial professionals and investors. Including its target-risk and target-date offerings, Principal Funds is the fifth largest manager of lifecycle funds in the industry.3 The companies that make up Principal Funds are members of the Principal Financial Group®. For more information, visit www.principalfunds.com.

About the Principal Financial Group
The Principal Financial Group® (The Principal®)4 is a global investment management leader offering retirement services, insurance solutions and asset management. The Principal offers businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement, asset management and insurance through its diverse family of financial services companies. Founded in 1879 and a member of the FORTUNE 500®, the Principal Financial Group has $517.9 billion in Assets Under Management5 and serves some 19.4 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

Carefully consider a fund’s objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact your financial professional or visit principalfunds.com for a prospectus, or summary prospectus if available, containing this and other information. Please read it carefully before investing.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
Principal Global Investors and its affiliates are sub-advisors to many of the Principal Funds.
Principal Funds are distributed by Principal Funds Distributor, Inc.

1 As of June 30, 2014.
2 As of June 30, 2014. Includes all share classes of the Principal Funds, Inc. and Principal Variable Contracts Funds, Inc.
3 Strategic Insight Mutual Fund Lifecycle Report Q1 2014.
4 “The Principal Financial Group” and “The Principal” are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.
5 As of June 30, 2014.

Contacts

Principal Financial Group
Jaime Naig, 515-247-0798
naig.jaime@principal.com

Release Summary

Edge Asset Management (EDGE) this year celebrates the 75th anniversary of the launch of its first mutual fund. Today EDGE is a leading manager of equity, fixed-income and target-risk strategies.

Contacts

Principal Financial Group
Jaime Naig, 515-247-0798
naig.jaime@principal.com