American Independence Announces New Management Team for its Large Cap Value Strategy

NEW YORK, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- American Independence Financial Services, LLC (American Independence), an independent investment manager based in New York, announced today that effective June 29, 2012 Richard "Rick" Baird would become principal portfolio manager for its Large Cap Value strategy, including the American Independence Stock Fund.

"The American Independence Stock Fund has produced impressive long term performance and our approach has made it one of the few large cap funds in the United States to have outperformed the S&P 500 Index for 12 of the past 13 years­.  Three different teams of managers have achieved the American Independence record over this time period.  We have had the great fortune to combine aptitude and achievement when we have made each change, and are confident that Rick and his team will continue the Fund's traditional record of best-in-class performance," said John Pileggi, Managing Partner of American Independence, and a member of the Fund's Board of Trustees for each of those 13 years.  "Several major firms have included the Large Cap Value strategy on their platforms, and have come to trust American Independence to select the finest talent, which we believe Rick and his team represent."

Mr. Baird has a long and distinguished history of managing value mandates, and will be joined at American Independence by Chris Jacobs, as Assistant Portfolio Manager, along with Dave Hansen, CEO of Yellowstone Partners, LLC ("Yellowstone"). Mr. Hansen will continue management of over $600 million for Yellowstone, which is a registered investment advisory firm headquartered in Idaho Falls, ID.

Rick Baird has managed equity and fixed-income portfolios for high net-worth clients and mutual funds for over 25 years, including the value allocation of the Yellowstone Global All Cap Equity Strategy since 2009 and the Value Equity Strategy since 2011. Rick's background includes Senior Vice President of Zions Bank and Chief Investment Officer of the investment division of Western National Trust Company, the 6-state subsidiary of Zions. Earlier in his career, he was Vice President at Seafirst Bank in Seattle, where he chaired the Equity Strategy Committee; he also served as Vice President at First Security Investment Management where he managed fixed-income portfolios for foundations and the firm's funds. Rick managed the Achievement Municipal Bond Fund and was also manager of the Aquila Tax Free Fund for Utah. He founded Wind River Advisors LLC, an investment firm acquired by Yellowstone in 2009. Rick is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, as well as a past officer of the CFA Society of Salt Lake.

Chris Jacobs joined Yellowstone in the summer of 2010, and his responsibilities include utilizing sophisticated equity trading platforms while assisting in the management of multiple investment strategies. Chris also supports Rick Baird with equity research and analysis. Chris holds an undergraduate degree in business management with an emphasis in finance from Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is presently enrolled in the Masters of Banking and Financial Services Management program from Boston University. Shortly after 9/11, Chris joined the US Army Reserves. Having served in Afghanistan, Chris is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.

In addition to his role at American Independence, Dave Hansen is President and CEO of Yellowstone, and is responsible for the direction, future vision and leadership of this dynamic company. Dave has an extensive background of business management, portfolio asset management and equity analysis and has historically provided unique insights that create, build and manage wealth for clients. 

The American Independence Stock Fund seeks to generate alpha through intensive fundamental research and opportunistic trading of portfolio holdings. It invests in fundamentally stable companies that generate strong sustainable free cash flows and those that trade at what the manager believes are discounted valuations.

About American Independence Financial Services, LLC
American Independence is an investment advisory firm registered with the SEC providing professional, actively managed investment advisory services to 16 American Independence Funds, including the NestEgg Target Date Funds, as well as separately managed accounts, aggregating $1.4 billion in assets under management. The firm is comprised of industry leaders with over 25 years of average industry tenure. To learn more about American Independence, visit www.americanindependence.com or call (646) 747-3477.

INQUIRIES:
American Independence Financial Services, LLC
Eric Rubin, President
Tel. 646-747-3477
[email protected]

Important Disclosures
Investing in the Funds involves risk. Equity securities are more volatile and carry more risk than other forms of investments. The Funds may invest in small and mid-cap securities that are more volatile than large cap stocks.

For more complete information on the American Independence Funds, you can obtain a prospectus containing complete information for the funds by calling 866-410-2006, or by visiting www.aifunds.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. You should consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before you invest or send money. Information about these and other important subjects is in the Fund's prospectus or summary prospectus.

Performance data quoted represents past performance.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.  Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted.   To obtain performance information current to the most recent month-end, please call 866.410.2006 or visit www.aifunds.com.

The S&P 500 Index has been widely regarded as the best single gauge of the large cap U.S. equities market since the index was first published in 1957.  The index is not available for purchase.

Alpha is a measure of performance on a risk adjusted basis.

American Independence Financial Services, LLC is a limited liability company.

Shares of the American Independence Funds are distributed by Matrix Capital Group, Inc., which is not affiliated with American Independence Financial Services, LLC.

Not FDIC Insured - May Lose Value - No Bank Guarantee

SOURCE American Independence