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Frequently Asked Questions |
Fund Filing and Simfund now share data and functionality through new and existing inter-product links, providing a 360-degree view of every single fund's competitive position.
Current Fund Filing users will benefit tremendously from this tighter integration with Simfund. The search engine will contain more fields from Simfund for better peer group selection. Also, you can anticipate additional data sets, such as assets and net new flows data, from Simfund into Simfund Filing.
The Simfund Filing website has been in the works for more than a year. It is a totally new website with a fresh and easy interface. It integrates itself into the Simfund desktop and presents many new features and data sets.
Simfund Filing has a simplified and functional home page with a new top menu, along with an alternative way of using the product's storehouse of highly organized information through an activity-named dashboard. Typing in either SimfundFiling.com or FundFiling.com will take you to the new home page.
As always, Strategic Insight responds to our clients' requests and is considering other additional enhancements to augment the capabilities of Simfund Filing, which will be included in our 5.0 version.
You will notice an expanding use of peer group analyses (fund or company) in the functionality of both products, extending to inter-product links as well. Many who are registered users of both products are already linking to Simfund Filing from Simfund one fund at a time. Soon the inter-product links will enable Simfund users to create Simfund Filing e-mail alerts for fund changes, newly registered funds, and prospectus or annual report filings by predefined groups of peer funds or companies in a one-step process. You will also be able to easily create relevant peer group analytics from within Simfund Filing. Simfund users will continue to be able to link to Simfund Filing, stay within Simfund Filing, fully utilize it, and then return to Simfund.
The new Prospectus Data Fund Profile is a detailed profile of data extracted directly from the latest EDGAR prospectus document (forms 485BPOS and 497). Current fee and expense data (vs. annual report data offered only once a year) is now available via our Fund Profile. Analyze fee structures, including advisory and sub-advisory fee contracts, supplementing annual report research with the most up-to-date data. Additionally, the profile offers official fund performance benchmark data unavailable elsewhere, adding a whole new dimension to creating and evaluating peer groups.
Simfund Filing 5.0 introduces more than 50 new data points, all extracted directly from the prospectus. This includes fee tables with expense caps, redemption rates and policies, prospectus stated performance benchmarks, portfolio manager details, advisory contractual fees, including contract type, asset and fee breakpoint schedules, performance fee details, multiple sub-advisory contractual fees including contract type, asset and fee breakpoints or percent of advisory fee, and Special Strategy flags. The integration of the prospectus information into Simfund Filing's comprehensive functionality and database will enable valuable analytics, and will expand and simplify the possibilities for research and sales efforts.
If you are a subscriber of Simfund and Simfund Filing, you will have the option to access the new Prospectus Data Fund Profile from within both products. Please keep in mind that the Simfund Filing is updated daily whereas Simfund is updated monthly.
Look for this icon in any of the result screens -  . You can also export the data to Excel.
Yes. The new interface offers Email Alerts for a list of pre-defined portfolios chosen from our new Portfolio Selection in the Prospectus Changes and SEC Filings search screens.
Yes. Using our New Registrations system in tandem with the Prospectus Data Fund Profile, all search results will now distinguish between the launched fund ("clickable" Fund Profile icon) and those awaiting a launch ("unclickable" Fund Profile icon).
Yes. With the integration of the new Special Strategy flags in many of the selection screens, it is now easier to create a relevant peer group related to a special investment strategy. These flags, which are constantly updated, are available in the selection screens of New Registrations, Prospectus Changes and SEC Filings. Special Strategy flags make it simple to find ETFs, Fund of Funds, Index Funds, and Retirement Funds, among so many other flags, and to conduct searches on these Special Strategy funds such as: a focused search on fund changes, locating their latest prospectuses, finding new fund registrations being filed with the SEC, or creating email alerts.
Yes. The new up-coming Simfund 5.0 will integrate more than 50 new data points, all extracted directly from the prospectus. This new data includes fee tables with expense caps, redemption rates and policies, performance benchmarks and portfolio manager details, advisory contractual fees including contract type, asset and fee breakpoint schedules, performance fee details, multiple sub-advisory contractual fees including contract type, asset and fee breakpoints or percent of advisory fee, and Special Strategy flags.
With the new Simfund Filing website, you are one click from sharing valuable and critical data between Simfund desktop and Simfund Filing website. For the first time ever, a 360-degree view of every single fund is available with ease and up-to-date data. Many new analytics can be realized using the Simfund round trip Connect:
- From within Simfund desktop, you can export and/or create an email alert for any newly registered funds defined by your peer group analysis.
- From within Simfund desktop, you can export and/or create an email alert for any fund changes from over 50 specific categories defined by your peer group analysis.
- From within Simfund desktop, you can read the latest prospectus and/or annual report for any of your funds' peer group.
- From within Simfund Filing website, it is now easy to create a relevant peer group related to a special investment strategy as you did in Simfund with the integration of Simfund Special Strategy flags in all the selection screens of Simfund Filing.
This upgrade is mandatory to all users. We anticipate that Simfund Filing 5.0 will be available the week of May 14th and we will be contacting users to facilitate training where needed. The associated re-pricing, taking into consideration both frequency of use and number of users, will take effect June 1st, and will be modest. Client's subscriptions that have already been renewed this year, but have not been invoiced, will be charged at previous pricing rates on a pro rata monthly basis for usage prior to June 1st. If you need further details regarding new pricing, please contact Hanna Bayoud at hgbayoud@sionline.com or call our main support number (212) 944-2749.
Yes. You will need to have a user id for the Simfund Filing website to be able to use the features integrated in Simfund desktop (mainly Simfund Connect).
If your firm has an existing Simfund Filing contract, then you can access the website annually from $750 to $1,200 depending on your firm's new Simfund Filing contract. If your firm does not have an existing contract then the subscription would be $2,500 annually. Please contact Hanna Bayoud at hgbayoud@sionline.com or call our main support number (212) 944-2749.
We will be scheduling frequent training sessions. You can sign up online or contact Maria Hykin at mhykin@sionline.com or (212) 944-2749. The training sessions will cover all the new features, as well as all the functionalities.
We strongly suggest that if you are a Simfund user and want the latest critical data available, you should subscribe to Simfund Filing 5.0. We have spent a year analyzing various reports generated from Simfund and discovered the following:
- Many data points in Simfund are not updated as often as they could be and the only source that can ensure the latest available information is through Simfund Filing 5.0.
- If your main objective in Simfund is peer group analytics, you need a 360-degree view of every single fund. Simfund Filing (and hence the new branding name), gives you this view. Any Simfund user without these links does not have a complete picture and is at a disadvantage when providing analytics.
- Some decisions based on Simfund desktop analytics have proven to be misleading because of the lack of access to the SEC EDGAR data extracted, updated and documented continuously.
Here is a list of data points that can change during the course of a single month when Simfund is already updated:
| Category of
Change |
# of
Changes
April-07 |
| Accounting Council |
7 |
| Administrator |
54 |
| Advisor Replacement |
19 |
| Advisory Schedule |
4 |
| Auditor |
8 |
| CDSC Schedule |
48 |
| Class Name |
5 |
| Class Reorganization |
19 |
| Custodian |
144 |
| Dealer
Compensation/Concession |
202 |
| Distributor |
6 |
| Front-End Sales Charge
Waivers |
41 |
| Fund Name |
7 |
| Fund Reorganization |
29 |
| Fund/Class Closing to All/Certain
Existing Investors |
44 |
| Fund/Class Closing to All/Certain New
Investors |
81 |
| Legal Counsel |
2 |
| Liquidation |
12 |
| Minimum Investment |
12 |
| Objective |
5 |
| Performance Benchmark Index |
15 |
| Portfolio Manager |
94 |
| Redemption Exemptions |
70 |
| Redemption Fee |
1 |
| Strategy |
101 |
| Sub-advisor Addition |
2 |
| Sub-advisor Drop-out (within
multiple) |
1 |
| Sub-advisor Replacement |
2 |
| Sub-advisory Fee Waiver |
1 |
| Sub-advisory Schedule |
3 |
| Total / Other Expense Cap |
32 |
| Transfer Agent |
31 |
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