Mutual Fund Expert New Features

New Features and Updates that have been added to Steele Expert.
Also listed are handy techniques that might help you speed up your work.

  • NEW Features (See "Menu > Help > New Features" in the Steele Expert program)

    New Fixed-Income Sectors & Super Sectors:
    These new classifications can help investors and investment professionals easily compare and understand the sector exposures of each portfolio. The data is especially useful for comparing two investments that may be in the same category.

    Expense Ratios and 12b-1 fees are now provided with three decimal places for greater accuracy when comparing fund costs.

    To be able to see all the new report/graph changes, you should create a new Notebook, which will automatically contain all new objects and settings, and then copy your own reports into it. (Menu > File > New notebook). When we make improvements and additions to the standard reports, graphs and settings, this is currently the best method to view and take advantage of them. See "Copying a Page or a Folder" in the program's help system for copying any reports you have created into a new notebook.
     

    Added comprehensive "Risk-Return Comparison Analysis" landscape report (Pro Plus): It allows the easy comparison of risk and return of multiple funds and benchmarks at the same time.

    Graph Options: Easily change the automatic benchmark for Performance, Growth and Risk/Return graphs

    Risk/Return Graphs: 1) Now the user can graph any risk measure in the database: Standard Deviation, Downside Deviation, Upside Deviation, Semi-standard Deviation, Loss Deviation, Volatility, Beta. 2) The user can also select any rolling time period: 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20-years. 3) Beta Risk/Return graphs and improved reports have been added.

    Personal edition: Annualized Standard Deviation and monthly data for graphs for the last 10 years have been added.

    New: Post-Modern Portfolio Theory statistics columns for 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 years, and "Risk Analysis" report added to the Pro Plus edition. They include Sortino Ratio, Information Ratio, Upside/Downside Capture Ratios, Tracking Error, Batting Average, Relative Risk, Percent Of Positive Months, Downside Deviation, Upside Deviation, Semi-standard Deviation, Loss Deviation, Skewness, Kurtosis. Read in "Menu > Help > User's Guide > Data Definitions > Risk and Statistics > Modern & Post-Modern Portfolio Theory" about how to utilize these statistics to construct safer, more profitable portfolios.

    New: Equity Style Complete Breakdown columns, graphs, and "Equity Style Analysis" report added to the Pro Plus edition.

    Category changes: Replaced Long/Short with Long/Short Equity. Added: Managed Futures, Multialternative, Volatility, Trading-Leveraged Commodities, Trading-Inverse Commodities, Trading-Leveraged Debt, Trading-Inverse Debt, Trading-Leveraged Equity, Trading-Inverse Equity, Trading-Miscellaneous. For their definitions see "Menu > Help > User's Guide > Data Definitions > Investment Category".

    New Equity & Fixed-Income Sectors & Super Sectors:
    The new sector structure allows more intelligent sector analysis and diversification when constructing portfolios. The Personal edition includes the new Top 10 Sectors, while the Professional and Pro Plus editions now also include the complete equity and fixed-income sector and super sector breakdowns, allowing those to be automatically calculated by user-created portfolios. All new fields are available for all operations including ranking, filtering, graphing, exporting, etc. See "Equity Sectors" and "Fixed-Income Sectors".

    Top 10 Countries breakdown and graph is now included for all funds in the professional editions as well.

    New reports & graphs: The Fund Allocation Analysis & Portfolio Allocation Analysis reports have been added and several other reports have been updated. Graphs for Equity & Fixed-Income Sectors and Super Sectors have been added. The graphing options have also been upgraded.

    Automatic Updating of installed program and database files: Now, if there is an update to the software or data after the initial publication of an issue, Steele Expert will notify you and will download, install and restart the program. This way you are ensured to have the latest version of the Steele software and data that is installed on your computer.

    Added new fields to the Professional & Pro Plus editions:

    Oldest Share Class (Y/N): It identifies whether this is the oldest share class for a mutual fund. This allows users to evaluate a series of multi-class funds by looking at one representative share class for each unique portfolio. You can add this condition to your filter to ensure that it only contains unique mutual fund portfolios. If several classes of the same fund were started at the same time, only one of them is designated as the oldest share class.

    Oldest Share Class Security ID: The Security ID of the oldest share class for each mutual fund. This allows users to evaluate a series of multi-class funds by identifying all the share classes that are represented by the same unique portfolio.

    Investment Category changes: Added Aggressive Allocation, China Region and Market Neutral categories. Removed Muni Single State Short category. You should review any filters that contain categories as they may be affected by these changes.

    The user interface has been revamped.

    The "Quick Filter" feature has been added as a toolbar button (lightning bolt) and to the Filters drop-down list. It allows you to click first on any cell value in the database (spreadsheet) display, and then click on the "Quick Filter" button to instantly filter the database by that value.

    Now you can rapidly select many columns to display or hide on the "Database Options" dialog box by using the Spacebar key.


    Morningstar Market Indexes were added to provide better performance benchmarking.

    Upgraded Growth Graph Options for Hypothetical Illustrations:
    1) They can now use an additional user-supplied annual rate of return applied to the investment each interval (yearly, quarterly, monthly). This rate can represent additional investing based not on a fixed amount, but an amount based on a rate such as the rate of inflation. It can also be negative to represent management fees of an advisor or the erosion of a forecast inflation rate. The annual rate will be converted to quarterly or monthly based on the selected interval.

    2) Growth graphs can now be displayed on a Relative basis against any other benchmark, fund or portfolio in the database.

    To see the Graph Options dialog box, simply double-click on a stand-alone graph. (If a graph is placed on a report, enter "Design Mode" first so you can modify the objects on the report, including report graphs).



    New data added (and improved reports):
    - Equity & Bond Style Boxes (See Style Boxes in the program's Help)
    - Share Class (for easier filtering distinction among share classes)
    - Since inception Average & Total Return (Pro Plus)
    - Portfolio Date (See General Portfolio Information)
    - Number of holdings in each fund portfolio
    - Top-10 Holdings Percent
    - Exact most Senior Manager Starting Date

    Filtering Fund Characteristics (Y/N): ( See Fund Characteristics)
    - True No-Load
    - Systematic Withdrawal Plan
    - Fund of Funds
    - Index Fund
    - Enhanced Index Fund
    - Socially Responsible Fund
    - Life Cycle Fund
    - Hedge Fund
    - Institutional Only
    - Master-Feeder
    - HOLDR

    To be able to see all the new report/graph changes, you should create a new Notebook, which will automatically contain all new objects and settings, and then copy your own reports into it. When we make improvements and additions to the standard reports, graphs and settings, this is currently the best method to take advantage of them. See "Menu | Help | Pages | Copying a Page or a Folder" in the program's Help system for details.

    The Variable Annuities database has been very extensively upgraded with many new fields added. Some user filters may need to be rebuilt due to the extensive field additions and changes.

    New equity & fixed-income sectors, additional portfolio data for selected indexes, increased decimal places in various fields such as Yield/Turnover, minimum load no longer supported.

    Set any report or graph for Quick Access: Designate a page to go to when F7 is pressed, or when a row is double-clicked in table (database) view.  See "New Features" in the program's Help system for details.

    Updated Up/Down/Full Cycle reports & graphs.
     

    New Categories: Precious Metals was renamed to Equity Precious Metals. Added Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Equity Energy and Industrials.  Added six Commodities categories: Broad Basket, Energy, Precious Metals, Agriculture, Industrial Metals and Miscellaneous.  For descriptions click in Steele Expert "Menu | Help | User's Guide | Data Definitions | Investment Category".  If you use categories in your filters, you may need to reassign some of them.

    Now you can place any .gif, .jpg, and .bmp image file on single page reports. In Steele Expert see "Menu | Help | New Features" or "Menu | Help | User's Guide | Menu Commands | Pages | Insert Object | Image (Logo)..."

    Upgraded the Portfolio environment dialog and Portfolios management.
    Upgraded the Filter environment dialog and Filters management.
    Variable Annuities: Added Category Averages to the database and to all graphs, added Star Ratings, and 1-Year ABCDE Ratings, and updated the VA reports to include the Star Rating.

    Share portfolios, filters, fund groups, user notes with others. See "Menu/Help/Portfolio/How to share portfolios", etc.

    Steele Expert now sets up a dedicated user data folder where all user-created data reside. Its default name is "Steele Expert" and it is located under "My Documents" in Windows XP or "Documents" in Vista. All user-created files are now found there.

    (You can see it in Steele Expert by clicking "Menu/Pages/Global Options/Settings/Change the User Data Folder". If you change the user data folder, all your notebooks will be closed and you will have to open a notebook again or create a new one by clicking "Menu/File/New notebook / Select Database...".)

    See also the new procedure for Transferring your data to Another Computer.

    The Open & Save As dialog boxes default to the user data folder.

    Several Categories have been renamed/changed/added. You may need to review any filters that use Categories. See Investment Categories in the Help in Steele Expert.

    An upgraded User's Guide in pdf format can be found in the "Support" section.

    New File menu command to save Portfolios, Filters, Tagged Pools, and Global Options without having to wait until you exit the program. That way your data can be saved at any time, in case there is a Windows system crash.

    The "New Notebook" dialog box remembers the last folder and database name used.

    The Copy command (Ctrl-C) will now copy the current cell in Database view, if no records are tagged. If there are tagged records, they will be copied instead. To paste in another application such as Excel, use the Paste command (Ctrl-V).

    All color settings for all graphs, reports, tables and the user interface can now use any of the millions of colors available under Windows for full creative control in customizing graphs and reports.

    Changed the quick "Find" function to be able to easily search the most commonly searched columns in Database views such as Name, Symbol, etc.

    Changed the full "Find" function to also display a search column drop-down list for more intuitive and flexible searches.  It is accessible by pressing Ctrl-F or clicking on the magnifying glass button in the middle of the toolbar.

    The Variable Annuities database now includes a view sorted by Company/Product/Fund to facilitate finding sub accounts.

    Added new toolbar buttons to quickly switch among Report viewing modes: Page Width, Full Page, and 100%.
    Added the capability to use half font sizes, e.g., 8.5 instead of just 8, 9, 10, etc. and improved the font selection dialog boxes.
    Added message that the program will not run under Windows 95/98/Me/NT: The program needs Windows 2000, XP, or Vista.
    New softer colors used as defaults in the application and added for use in program settings, graphs and reports.
     

  • Create and e-mail PDF files of Steele Expert reports and graphs: Click here.
     
  • Original data for Steele Expert databases now provided by Morningstar, Inc.

    With the 6/30/07 databases, original base data is now provided by Morningstar, Inc., the leading source of investment data, as a result of its recent acquisition of Standard & Poor's mutual fund data business in the U.S. and internationally.  The following improvements have been implemented:

    - New Investment Objectives, Category and Benchmarks from Morningstar, Inc. for all mutual funds: New Investment Objectives and Categories which incorporate the management style of each fund as dynamically determined by Morningstar. This addition enables users to zero in and analyze exactly the group of funds they are interested in based on an additional layer of management direction information. Also included is the Average for each Objective and Category for comparisons.

    As the new Objective and Category columns have different contents from previous versions, existing users will have to examine the new objectives and categories for the funds they are interested in and refresh their evaluations. Because of this difference, any filtering condition in a filter created with a database prior to June 30, 2007 may not behave as expected and should be edited so the user can select a new Objective or Category.

    Several of the reports have been updated to reflect these changes. To be able to access all the new reports and graphs, you should create a new Notebook, which will automatically contain all new objects, and then copy your own reports into it. Then, you can also modify your own reports to include the new changes. When we make improvements and additions to the standard reports and graphs, this is the method to take advantage of them. See "Copying a Page or a Folder"
    in the Steele Expert program Help (Menu/Help/New Features).

    - New Indexes: There is now a new, more extensive set of indexes for use as benchmarks for comparisons. “TR” indicates that an index is “Total Return” and includes the reinvestment of dividends, while “PR” indicates that it is only a price index and excludes the reinvestment of dividends.

    - Improved fund names: More descriptive, longer fund names make finding funds easier.

    - Manager Years: The manager tenure is now also expressed in years for easier filtering.

    - Broad Asset Category & Geographic Area columns have now been added to facilitate grouping, filtering and comparing funds.

    - Improved Portfolio breakdown
    now addresses domestic versus foreign asset allocations.

    - A.M. Best Ratings are now included in the Variable Annuities database for rating the financial strength of insurance companies.

    - Thousands more Variable Annuity sub accounts.

    A convenient way to view the definition of a column (e.g., Star Rating), while you are in the “Database” view is to click in any cell of the particular column you are interested in (to make it the current column) then press the “F1” key or click on the question mark icon on the toolbar.  This will pop up the definition of that column from the Help system.
     
  • The Frequently Asked Questions area has been renovated 
    We have added the answers to many more of your most commonly asked questions (FAQs).  Even veteran users of Steele software have reportedly learned new things by reviewing this updated section.
     
  • Web addresses of mutual funds
    Link to the Web site of almost any fund with a single click. There (in many cases) you can get additional and very detailed information from the funds themselves, application forms to open regular and IRA accounts, and other services. Steele Mutual Fund Expert includes a comprehensive database of the Web sites of most funds.
  • Filters Drop-down list
    Filter the database instantly with a new, convenient drop-down list containing all filters (built-in as well as user-defined), tagged-fund pools, and portfolios.
  • Data on the fly
    See the underlying data on any graph data point by simply placing the mouse pointer on it. Works on both standalone graphs and graphs on reports.
  • Direct connection to our Internet site
    Accessible under the Help menu for downloading data and program updates, news, customer and technical support, and, of course, getting your feedback.
  • Individual Graph Color Settings
    You can customize each individual graph’s colors and patterns by overriding the global settings. You can take advantage of both black & white LaserJets and color InkJets at the same time.
  • Column Auto-sizing
    To auto-size a database view column to the length of the longest text it contains double-click on its right border.
  • Logarithmic graphs
  • Resizing the Page List
    To get more screen real estate and view better your reports you may toggle the Page List on/off with the Show/Hide Page List button on the tool bar.
  • Copy Pages using the Control key
    You can make a copy of a page inside a Notebook by holding the Ctrl key down and dragging the page to a different location in the Page List.
  • The Category Ranking column
    You can get a quick look at the last 5-year overall performance consistency of a fund relatively to its investment category group with the Category Ranking graph column.
  • Copy and Paste Unlimited Data, Graphs and Reports into other programs
    You can copy your favorite graphs and reports from the Expert into your spreadsheet or word processor. Simply choose Edit…Copy, then switch to the other application and choose Edit…Paste Special. Choose the Enhanced Metafile format and select OK.
  • Use the Notes Column
    Make notes on the mutual funds that you are following, even create your own ranking system.
  • Add Images to your reports (like your company logo)
    You can put a logo or other bit map on a Full-Page report. Just enter Design Mode, then select Pages / Insert Object / Image and choose a bit map file. The Expert will scale the bit map to fit in the rectangle. Only BMP files are supported (these are the files created by the Paint program in Windows).
  • Use filters with the "Winners" Wizard
    The "Winners" Wizard dialog box now enables you to specify a filter at the same time. Use this feature to find, for example, all the top funds that are also no-load.
  • Run Filters Automatically
    You can execute filters automatically each time you open a notebook by clicking on "auto run" in the Filter dialog box.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please send them to:
Support@SteeleSystems.com
Copyright © 2011 Steele Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.