Bob Reynolds wants to create a mutual fund that includes a guarantee. In an interview with
InvestmentNews' Jessica Toonkel Marquez, the
Putnam Investments president and CEO
revealed that he plans to launch just such a fund in Q1 2009. He's also interested in creating a non-guaranteed retirement income mutual fund that combines absolute returns with puts and calls.
"It's not a guarantee," Reynolds reportedly said. "But a guarantee in any shape or form depends on the economic viability of the wrapper."
So who might wrap (i.e. insure) such new Putnam products? Reynolds told the pub that he hasn't chosen an insurer yet, but expect Putnam sister company and retirement plan provider
Great-West Life and Annuity (both part of the
Power Financial family) to have an advantage over the other options; earlier this year Putnam switched much of its new defined contribution retirement plan business to a new platform powered by Great-West. 
Edited by:
Neil Anderson, Managing Editor
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