IMS

Fees on the firm's open-end and exchange-traded funds are a weakness, contributing negatively to the rating and creating a larger performance hurdle on funds. On average, IMS charges fees on its funds that are in the most expensive quintile of similarly distributed funds. With the current market environment of fee compression, this is cause for concern, as investors may flock over time to alternate asset managers to get a better deal. IMS strategies have failed to have lengthy success. In particular, the firm's five-year success ratio demonstrates that only 0% have both survived and beaten their respective category median. A low success ratio indicates poor performance and raises questions about a firm’s discipline around investment strategy and product development. On average, IMS's longest-tenured portfolio managers have accrued 27 years of tenure. This level of manager experience should give investors confidence in the group's ability to handle differing market conditions.