Bring out the nachos, the Mutual Fund Madness Performance Tournament is here.

The tournament is open to financial and wealth advisors, research managers, due diligence officers and other financial professionals who are engaged in the analysis and selection of mutual funds for their firms and clients. Participation is free.

The publication says that the tournament is run identically to and concurrently with the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, and is designed to introduce participants to a wide assortment of funds from boutique, undiscovered and established managers for the purpose of research, analysis and education. Participants can choose from 64 funds in each of two separate brackets, which are divided between equity and fixed income. Brackets were seeded on January 15 and close on February 22. Registered participants are encouraged to thoroughly research all fund entrants before choosing which will survive a series of head-to-head, one-week, single-elimination match-ups and advance to the "Final Funds" championship round.

Company Press Release

FA Magazine Presents The First Annual Mutual Fund Madness Performance Tournament

SHREWSBURY, N.J., Feb. 7, 2013 -- As reported in the February 4, 2013 edition of The Wall Street Journal, Financial Advisor magazine has officially launched the first-ever Mutual Fund Madness Performance Tournament. The tournament is open to financial and wealth advisors, research managers, due diligence officers and other financial professionals who are engaged in the analysis and selection of mutual funds for their firms and clients. Participation is free.

The tournament is run identically to and concurrently with the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, and is designed to introduce participants to a wide assortment of funds from boutique, undiscovered and established managers for the purpose of research, analysis and education. Participants can choose from 64 funds in each of two separate brackets, which are divided between equity and fixed income. Brackets were seeded on January 15 and close on February 22. Registered participants are encouraged to thoroughly research all fund entrants before choosing which will survive a series of head-to-head, one-week, single-elimination match-ups and advance to the "Final Funds" championship round.

"Mutual Fund Madness fits in perfectly with our mission to assist our readers (advisors and gatekeepers) with innovative strategies and ideas to better serve their clients, through creative use of our print, online and conference offerings," according to David R. Smith, founding publisher of Financial Advisor and Private Wealth magazines.

The recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted the perceived pros and cons of the tournament. Smith agreed with critics, stating, "short-term performance is usually irrelevant, and flies in the face of what most fund companies and advisors want to stress to investors. This tournament reinforces the importance of the selection process�the research and analysis required to make sound long-term investment decisions from a wide variety of choices. The (short-term) competition is a light-hearted attempt to reward advisors and gatekeepers for engaging in the research process. It also rewards participants by exposing them to funds and managers they may have never otherwise considered, and rewards the funds by calling attention to their offerings."

Smith noted that Mutual Fund Madness has already attracted hundreds of advisors and gatekeepers in the opening week, and is the perfect adjunct to the Financial Advisor/Private Wealth Fiduciary Gatekeeper Research Summit, which showcases a variety of managers and strategies before an audience of discerning advisors and gatekeepers each year in Boston.

Financial Advisor and Private Wealth magazine reach print audiences of 100,000 and 30,000 respectively. Their electronic companion publications reach a combined total of over 150,000, and their conference platform (which includes The Retirement Strategies Symposium, The Alternative Investment Strategies Conference, the Fiduciary Gatekeeper Summit and The Exceptional Family Office Conference, along with workshops on Impact Investing and Attracting Elite Wealth) attracts and serves thousands of advisors and gatekeepers annually.

For more information on Mutual Fund Madness, visit www.fa-mutualfundmadness.com. For more information on conferences and events, visit www.fa-mag.com.

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