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Armada's Bulletin Board
Dalbar ranks Armada site in top 25 for 7th consecutive quarter.
The Armada Funds Web site has received high rankings from Dalbar for 2nd Quarter 2004 for both their Consumer and Investment Professional sites. The results are the best ever combined ranking to date for the entire Armada site. The Armada Consumer Site is currently ranked number 10 of 40 sites. This is an increase of 15 positions over the previous quarter. The Armada Investment Professional Site is ranked number 12 of 40, which is an increase of 6 positions over the previous quarter. Armada Funds is proud to have improved the site from being off the charts prior to 3rd quarter 2002 re-launch to these very prominent current positions in the industry.
DALBAR issues a quarterly report on the standing of the insurance and annuity, and mutual fund firms that lead the industry in Web-based technology (Top 25 - 40). The Top sites in each category are evaluated and ranked based on the scope of functionality and their usability. The age, relevance and quality of the content and the reliability of the sites during the entire quarter are also factors in the evaluation. There is a maximum of 100 possible points.
In addition, Armada Funds currently holds a Top 20 ranking with Kasina for 2003 Mutual Fund Web sites. Kasina evaluated the Web sites from U.S. mutual fund companies with over $1 billion in assets under management, a universe of 217 firms, using criteria in five customer-facing categories: Branding, Content, Online Services, Usability, and Web Technology. Kasina consultants distilled 45 finalists from the initial pack, and applied 119 criteria to determine the "Top 20 Web Sites – Mutual Funds" and Armada Funds is part of this elite group. 2003 is the first year that Armada has been reviewed by Kasina. The next Kasina ranking is due to be published in January 2005.
Features of the site
The Armada Funds Web site strives to provide consumers and investment professionals with the information that they need most, in a timely, accessible, and easy-to-use format. Visitors to the site will find daily, monthly and quarterly performance data at their fingertips. They can also access their accounts, research new funds and products, and plan for their future by utilizing the many calculator tools and educational materials available online. The site also includes a complete collection of Armada literature that can be downloaded or ordered online. Current Armada commentaries and news articles are updated frequently.
A new fund focus section provides a central location for featured product information. Users can find everything they may need to know about a particular featured fund in one concise area of the site. Fund profile sheets, article reprints, and Q&As on many funds have proven to be some of the top collateral download requests for this summer.
Armada has recently revamped the entire literature system to improve the user’s experience for locating, ordering and downloading necessary investment materials online. Performance materials, account applications, and fund information continue to be high priority items for download.
Investment professionals will find access to client accounts, market quotes, and news and commentaries specifically for the financial professional. There is a full range of market research calculators and portfolio watch tools for financial planning.
Financial professionals continue to look for partners that can provide them with value-added services. In direct response to this trend, Armada has placed a high priority on providing these tools to their clients. Investment professionals can now find a newly enhanced Armada Sales Center. Current NASD approved sales ideas, presentations and seminars have been added to help professionals grow their business. Additional materials will be added to the new Build Your Business section of the site on a regular monthly basis. Currently the site has over 1,000 investment professional registered to the Armada Funds Web site. Armada keeps these users regularly informed of newly posted business tools and Armada products via email news bulletins.
History
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ARMADA
DALBAR RANKING
BEFORE
NEW SITE LAUNCH
|
|
Quarter / Year |
Total Points
(100 maximum) |
Ranking |
No. Ranking
(out of 25- 40) |
|
Retail
Site –
N/A |
|
Investment Professional
Site |
|
3rd Qtr 2002 |
39 |
N/A |
N/A |
AFTER NEW SITE LAUNCH - October 2002
|
|
Retail
Site –
N/A |
|
1st Qtr 2004 |
64.61 |
Good |
No.
25 |
|
2nd Qtr 2004 |
72.85 |
Very
Good |
No.
10 |
|
Investment Professional
Site |
|
4th Qtr 2002 |
75 |
Very
Good |
No.
11 |
|
1st Qtr 2003 |
77 |
Very
Good |
No.
12 |
|
2nd Qtr 2003 |
77 |
Very
Good |
No.
15 |
|
3rd Qtr 2003 |
69.65 |
Good |
No.
17 |
|
4th Qtr 2003 |
69.11 |
Good |
No.
20 |
|
1st Qtr 2004 |
69.17 |
Good |
No.
18 |
|
2nd Qtr 2004 |
72.79 |
Very
Good |
No.
12 |
Dalbar has included the following commentary about Armada in previous WebMonitor Reports.
2nd Quarter 2004 – Financial Professional site
Armada Funds captures the 12th spot
Armada Funds climbed six spots in the ranking this quarter moving from 18th to 12th. Armada Funds added a new Sales Center to its site this quarter. The Sales Center allows financial professionals to find the information they need, such as sales ideas and literature, more quickly. Armada Funds also added a new Build Your Business section to the site. The new section contains seminars, presentations, and practice management articles. In addition, Armada Funds redesigned the Literature and Forms section on its site. The redesigned section separates available literature and forms into four sections: Performance, Retirement, Products, and Forms & Applications.
1st Quarter 2004 – Financial Professional site
ARMADA FUNDS LANDS IN THE TOP 25
Armada Funds made its first appearance in the Top 25 this quarter, catapulting twenty-three ranks from 48th to 25th. Armada Funds added a new feature called “Retirement Solutions That Make Your Life Easier.” The new feature allows investors to select different life stages such as ‘Just Starting Out’ (Age: 20’s to 30’s), ‘Building Assets’ (Age: 30’s to 40’s), ‘Prime Time Earner’ (Age: 40’s to 50’s), ‘Soon to Retire’ (Age: 50’s 60’s), and ‘Retired’ (Age: Mid-60’s and older). Each stage contains an overview of the risk structure and asset mix that an individual would typically utilize in that stage. Armada Funds also added a new “Fund Focus” section to its Web site that features fund specific fact sheets and portfolio manager Q&A’s. The site also gained Behavior Centric credit for offering links to explanations, a level-setting discussion of online security, and the ability for shareholders to rescind initiated transactions.
Consumer site
Armada Funds added a new Fund Focus section to its financial professional Web site. The new section highlights selected Armada Funds and provides financial professionals with sales ideas and FAQs related to these funds. Armada Funds plans to highlight different funds on a regular basis.
4th Quarter 2003 – Financial Professional site
Armada Funds was also among the firms that added new sales materials to its Web site. The Armada Tax Windfall Sales Kit provides financial professionals with an overview of the most recent tax changes and describes the critical role financial professionals have in helping their clients to maximize the long-term rewards of their windfall. In addition to sales ideas, the sales kit also contains prospecting letters as well as a Q&A section to assist clients who have inherited a windfall.
3rd Quarter 2003 – Financial Professional site
Armada Funds added daily S&P Market Headlines to its homepage designed to keep financial professionals informed of the latest market happenings. In addition, financial professionals can also find quick links to commentaries, editorials, and research tools on the homepage.
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