STATE STREET RESEARCH OFFERS MULTI-FUND RETIREMENT PLATFORM
BOSTON, MA, February 6, 2001-State Street Research is now offering external
mutual funds on its retirement platforms to complement proprietary fund
offerings and to provide investment professionals and plan sponsors with a
greater range of investment choices.
Twenty-two mutual funds from other investment companies including Janus,
Fidelity Investments, American Century and OppenheimerFunds, Inc (see
attached list) are now available in addition to State Street Research's own
family of 21 funds. Financial professionals now have the convenience of
diversifying their clients' portfolios across a wide range of mutual fund
choices and investment objectives including key niche areas such as emerging
markets and specific sectors. These outside funds will be available to
401(k) Plans with $1.5 million or more in assets.
"The addition of these fund families to our retirement platform enhances our
existing fund offerings and enables us to be a more competitive player in
the retirement product marketplace," said Kevin Wilkins, Executive Vice
President, Head of Retail Marketing and Client Services Group. "We believe
that supplementing our diverse line of mutual funds with outside fund
offerings makes us more attractive to plan sponsors and financial
professionals looking for a more diverse range of investment providers."
State Street Research & Management Company, with a money management history
dating back to 1924, is one of the nation's first investment management
organizations. The Boston-based company is a subsidiary of MetLife, one of
the world's largest financial services companies. As of December 31, 2000,
State Street Research managed $53 billion in assets, of which $34 billion
represented institutional clients and $19 billion represented mutual fund
and variable annuity portfolios. The firm manages money for 11 of the 15
largest U.S. corporate pension plans, public employee pension plans, union
programs, individually managed accounts for affluent investors, and mutual
funds for over 530,000 shareholder accounts. The firm's Web site address is
www.ssrfunds.com.
# # #
Note to editors: We are required to include the following information with
our news release: A prospectus for any of the State Street Research Funds is available through
your financial professional or by calling 1-87-SSR-FUNDS (1-877-8637). The
prospectus(es) contain(s) more complete information, including sales charges
and expenses. Please read the prospectus(es) carefully before investing.
