How the Winners Were Chosen

Prima Capital Director of Research Nathan Behan and his team of analysts–Pat Flynn and Rush Harvey, Large Cap; Matt Zimmer, Mid Cap and Fixed Income; and Clark Whitten, Small Cap and International–use PrimaGuide data on the separately managed account universe, along with their quantitative and qualitative assessments, to select a short list of SMAs that are candidates for the annual awards.

As a first pass, the SMAs need to have $200 million or more in assets; the lead manager must have three years or more in that post; the product should be widely available; and it needs an above average score in four of the following five PrimaGuide criteria–

Performance: long-term, consistent outperformance against benchmarks and on a risk-adjusted basis;

Tax efficiency: attention to turnover, holding period, year-end tax harvesting;