Formerly known as Twentieth Century Mutual Funds, American Century Investments is an investment firm which is privately held. The company serves a variety of groups and individuals such as corporations, individual investors, institutions, and numerous investment professionals. The company philosophy is that the investor’s best interests are their top priority and this belief has fueled their commitment to service excellence where each of their clients is concerned.
The history of American Century Investments
American Century Investments was founded in 1958 in Kansas City, Missouri by James E. Stowers, Jr. and now has over 1,300 employees working in offices in several cities around the world, namely:
- Hong Kong
- Kansas City, MO
- Mountain View, CA
- New York City, NY
- London, England
Today the company offers numerous investment disciplines, all of which are actively managed through a broad assortment of products including commingled trusts, institutional separate accounts, sub-advisory accounts, and of course mutual funds. The company was named the “Best Large Mutual Fund Company” in the US in 2009 (Lipper).
On an interesting side note, due to their battles with cancer, in 1994 Jim and Virginia Stowers established the Stowers Institute for Medical Research dedicating nearly $2 billion (their personal fortune) in order to endow the organization. Roughly 40% of the profits that American Century Investments earns go to the support of further research for cancer, dementia, and diabetes.
Investment products offered
American Century Investments offers a wide variety of investment products for all types of investors. There are 6 primary categories of investment products that they offer such as:
Asset Allocation Portfolios – features professional investment management of single yet broadly diversified funds
Bond and Stock options – a variety of bonds, stocks, and other investment securities that features a do-it-yourself style of portfolio
CD’s and Money Market funds – enables you to diversify your portfolio, generate more income, and preserve your capital
College Savings Plans – numerous investment options for your future college grad that features spending flexibility and tax benefits
Mutual Funds – a great option for the balancing and diversification your portfolio using professionally managed bonds, money market funds, and stocks
Retirement Investments – numerous options for individuals and businesses
Due to the focus of this article, we are going to discuss mutual funds. If you are interested in any of the other investment instruments listed above, you can always visit an American Century Investments office.
Mutual funds offered
American Century Investments offers 83 different funds in the following categories:
- 18 Asset Allocation funds – Morningstar Asset class funds including Livestrong, One Choice Portfolio, and Strategic Allocation funds
- 21 Bond funds – short-term, intermediate, and long-term bond funds of all types
- 5 Money Market funds – includes California Tax-Free, Capital Preservation, Premium Money Market, Prime Money Market, and Tax-Free Money Market
- 39 Stock funds – large and small blend funds as well as small cap, mid-cap, and large cap funds are the primary funds in this group, although there are foreign investments and precious metals funds available