Sentinel Asset Management is using a recent name debacle to talk about their successes. Tuesday last week, news reports surfaced about a different company whose name also includes the word "Sentinel," seeking to halt client redemptions. The news reports prompted many calls to Vermont-based Sentinel Asset Management by clients who wanted to make sure that it was not the firm being referred to in the reports. Sentinel's CEO Christian W. Thwaites took this opportunity to explain to media and investors alike the recent success his company has had. The company that was the subject of the news reports was Northbrook, Illinois-based Sentinel Management Group.

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Sentinel Asset Management has used the recent news reports of a company with a similar name as an opportunity to trumpet its own successes.

"The performance of our group has been quite outstanding," said Christian W. Thwaites, president and CEO of Sentinel. His comments come amid the front-page headlines generated by Illinois money management firm, Sentinel Management Group, after they sought to halt withdrawals by their clients last week.

Thwaites said the daily news reports of the troubled company have prompted many calls to the Vermont-based Sentinel, which is not related to or affiliated with the Illinois company. "We've had a lot of people call who were sure it wasn't us, but wanted to make sure," he said.

Thwaites said Sentinel Asset Management's $5.5 billion family of mutual funds continues to get high marks from third-party rating agencies such as Morningstar and Lipper. "These rankings and ratings achievements do not come easy and our progress in this area reflects very highly on our portfolio managers who are managing the funds in pursuit of consistent risk-adjusted returns," he said. "Their focus on strong companies, balance sheets and management teams follow precepts and concepts that have been well tested and have proven to succeed over many cycles."

Thwaites said he is incredibly proud of the performance of the Sentinel Funds.

"For some time now we have been saying to the investment community 'view us as a premier investment manager, benchmark us, and show us against some of the best investment managers in the industry,'" he said. "It's a bold statement on our part, but we believe that we can stack up well against industry peers."

Thwaites said that Sentinel has been undergoing a metamorphosis, as the company has focused its efforts on performance, service, distribution and investment management.

"We're moving away from being a product-driven company just offering mutual funds, to being an investment management company," he said. Sentinel unveiled its new brand identity--Sentinel Investments--in June.

Sentinel has been growing steadily through acquisitions, buying Bramwell Capital last year and completing the purchase this year of the Synovus family of mutual funds.

The companies comprising Sentinel Investments have offices in Montpelier, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, and are members of the Vermont-based National Life Group.

Consider a fund's objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information and is available from your financial advisor and online at www.sentinelinvestments.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest. Sentinel Funds are distributed by Sentinel Financial Services Company, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, Vermont 05604. 

Edited by: Erin Kello


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