Copeland Risk Managed Dividend Growth Fund Crosses $100 Million in AUM

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., Nov. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Copeland Capital Management is pleased to announce that the Copeland Risk Managed Dividend Growth Fund (CDGRX) has passed the $100 Million mark in assets under management.  This is Copeland's first mutual fund offering.  Prior to the launch of the Fund, Copeland exclusively managed institutional and retail separate accounts. 

"We launched the Fund eleven months ago with $100,000 in assets and no selling agreements," said Chuck Barrett, Director of Sales & Marketing for Copeland.  "Today our Fund is available on many major platforms and has over $100 Million in assets.  While we are pleased with these results, we continue to see significant demand for our product in the marketplace, and expect that this is just the first of many milestones we will achieve as the Fund grows."

The Copeland Risk Managed Dividend Growth Fund (CDGRX) invests in companies across all capitalization ranges that have consistently increased their dividend payments for at least five consecutive years.  The Fund combines Copeland's expertise in Dividend Growth Investing with quantitative sector signals provided by a partner firm.  The quantitative signals determine the sector allocations for the Fund with the goal of avoiding sectors that are forecast to decline. The Fund then reallocates assets only to sectors that the signals forecast to appreciate. In market environments that cause many sectors to become negatively ranked, the Fund has the ability to raise cash.  The Fund tracks the strategy and performance of the Copeland Risk Managed Dividend Growth Index, listed as CDGR on NASDAQ.  The CDGR Index went to 100% cash in such difficult periods as 2008 and 2002. While past performance is no guarantee of future results, from April 2000 to September 2011 the CDGR Index generated double digit annualized returns while the S&P 500 had a negative return for that same time period.

"Investors can't afford to suffer the pain of environments like 2008 again," said Copeland's CEO Eric Brown.  "We manage a series of more traditional Dividend Growth Strategies that outperformed their respective benchmarks in 2008 but still had negative returns.  The message we heard loud and clear from clients as a result of that experience is that they want relative returns in up markets but demand capital preservation and absolute returns in down markets. For this reason, we launched our Risk Managed Dividend Growth Fund." 

"We have been pleased with how well the Fund has been received in both the retail and institutional channels," added Barrett.  "We believe, and it appears the marketplace agrees, that we offer solutions for clients who are challenged with today's highly volatile, low return, and high risk market environment."

The Copeland Risk Managed Dividend Growth Fund's goals are to:

1. Deliver upside participation in equity markets in order to grow principal
2. Provide a growing income stream
3. Offer a level of downside protection by having the ability to exit weak sectors and to go to cash

Copeland plans to partner with a select number of additional firms in 2012 in order to make the Fund available on more platforms.

This is an actively managed dynamic portfolio. There is no guarantee that any investment will achieve its objectives, generate positive returns, or avoid losses. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. 

About Copeland Capital Management
Copeland Capital Management specializes in Dividend Growth Investing. We offer Dividend focused strategies across all capitalization ranges in both traditional and tactical strategies. Copeland Capital Management is a 100% employee owned investment management firm with offices in Conshohocken, PA and Wellesley, MA.  Please contact Chuck Barrett, Director of Sales & Marketing for more information at (484) 351-3665 or [email protected].  Websites:  www.copelandcapital.com; www.copelandfund.com

   Review Code 2478-NLD-11/17/2011

Prospectus Disclosure - There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objectives, generate positive returns, or avoid losses.  Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Copeland Risk Managed Dividend Growth Fund. This and other important information about the Fund is contained in the prospectus, which can be obtained by calling 1-888-9-COPELAND or visiting www.COPELANDFUND.com. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing. The Copeland Risk Managed Dividend Growth Fund is distributed by Northern Lights Distributors, LLC member FINRA.  Copeland Capital Management, LLC is not affiliated with Northern Lights Distributors, LLC.

Risk Disclosures - Mutual funds involve risk including possible loss of principal.  There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.

The Fund may invest in publicly traded Master Limited Partnerships (MLP). Holders of MLP units have limited control and voting rights on matters affecting the partnership. In addition, there are certain tax risks associated with an investment in MLP units and conflicts of interest exist between common unit holders and the general partner, including those arising from incentive distribution payments. The Fund may invest in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT).  A REIT's performance depends on the types and locations of the rental properties it owns and on how well it manages those properties. Real estate values rise and fall in response to a variety of factors, including local, regional and national economic conditions, interest rates and tax considerations. The adviser's judgments about the return tracking characteristics of securities may prove incorrect and may not produce the desired results.

The Fund may invest in small and medium capitalization companies and the value of these company securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general. A higher portfolio turnover will result in higher transactional and brokerage costs. The Fund's performance may be more sensitive to any single economic, business, political or regulatory occurrence than the value of shares of a diversified investment company because as a non-diversified fund, the Fund may invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers.

The Fund will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the CDGR Index because the returns generated by the Fund's securities will be reduced by transaction costs. In addition, the Fund will incur expenses, such as management fees, not incurred by the CDGR Index.

The CDGR Index performance is the result of the back tested methodology to be employed in the Risk Managed Dividend Growth Strategy, and is not based on the performance of live managed accounts.  The Index inception date is April 1, 2000 and commenced daily calculation and dissemination by NASDAQ OMX with a base value of 1,000.00 on October 21, 2010.  Investments are restricted to those sectors ranked positively by our quantitative model and to dividend growers who have raised their dividend for at least five consecutive years. Managed account performance would be reduced by transaction costs and expenses such as management fees which are not incurred by CDGR.  The Index is sponsored by the strategy's investment adviser and is controlled by the strategy's portfolio manager and its affiliates. You cannot invest directly in an Index. Unmanaged index returns do not reflect any fees, expenses or sales charges.

NASDAQ OMX Disclosure - The Risk Managed Dividend Growth Index is the exclusive property of Copeland Capital Management, LLC ("Copeland"). Copeland has contracted with The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (collectively, with its subsidiaries and affiliates, "NASDAQ OMX") to calculate and maintain the Risk Managed Dividend Growth Index. NASDAQ OMX shall have no liability for any errors or omissions in calculating the Risk Managed Dividend Growth Index.

S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity & industry group representation.  It is a market value weighted Index with each stock's weight in the Index proportionate to its market value.  Standard and Poor's is the owner of the trademark service marks and copyrights of the S&P 500 Index.  You cannot invest directly in an Index. Unmanaged index returns do not reflect any fees, expenses or sales charges.

SOURCE Copeland Capital Management