Upgrades

FundQuest launched nine mutual funds as part of its new ActivePassive Funds family, which offers four U.S. equity funds, two U.S. bond funds, and three international funds. The funds are founded on proprietary research conducted by FundQuest that compares the benefits of active and passive portfolio management in 58 major categories or styles of investments. The range of active management in each fund varies from an optimal 36% for large cap to an optimal 95% for emerging markets.

...Fidelity Investments introduced two online college planning tools on its College Planning Web Portal at www.fidelity.com. The 529 Plan Comparison Tool allows investors to conduct a side-by-side review of the features and benefits of 529 college savings plans, while the 529 State Tax Deduction Calculator helps investors determine if there is a significant tax advantage to investing in the 529 college savings plan offered in their state of residence.

...Speaking of college savings, Morningstar announced its fifth annual study of the best and worst 529 college savings plans. The best plans were the Maryland College Investment Plan; the Virginia Education Savings Trust and the Virginia College America plans; Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program; and the Colorado Scholars Choice. Leading the Worts 529 College Savings Plans were Ohio Putnam CollegeAdvantage, and two Mississippi TIAA-CREF programs.

...eMoney Advisor launched Money bytes (www.emoneyadvisor.com), a blog that provides information on industry trends and best practices for advisors, as well as the sharing of ideas that advisors are currently using to grow, scale, and improve their business. Edmond Walters, founder and CEO of eMoney explained that the blog, like many items on the site, is "built by advisors for advisors."