At the core of every balanced fund is the strife to achieve the equilibrium of steady returns through investing in bonds and growth through a careful stock selection. The management team of the Mackenzie Sentinel Income Fund is mindful of investors’ needs to protect their wealth and generate dependable returns through close following of benchmark indices.

Stable earnings and steady growth with dividends are two major prerequisites for consistent returns among large companies. Martin Anstee, portfolio manager of the Stone & Co. Dividend Growth Fund, looks for companies in Canada and the U.S. that are out of favor but financially strong and delivering at least 10% in total return per year.

In the eyes of the global investor, the Middle East and North Africa region has emerged as an intriguing combination of natural and human resources. As the well-known oil and natural gas reserves secure steady inflows of capital into the region, a young population guarantees the bright outlook for local consumption. Joe Kawkabani explains why Franklin’s MENA Fund is suitable for investors with a long-term outlook.

Investing in Asia is complex for a number of reasons stretching from a vast landscape with many nations and cultures to a mixed pool of economies at a different stage of development. Justin Nightingale, portfolio manager of the Altamira Asia Pacific Fund, focuses companies that have unique competitive advantage and stable growth characteristics.

High dividends are not the only criterion for good dividend-oriented investments. Juliette John, portfolio manager of the Bissett Dividend Income Fund, is utilizing a proprietary screening system in pursuit of sound businesses that are poised for steady, long-term dividend growth at a reasonable price.

Caldwell Canada Fund focuses almost exclusively on a universe of Canadian equities, income trusts, and companies having a minimum market capitalization of $500 million. Fund manager Brendan Caldwell has adopted an investment strategy of stock selection that is strictly based on the chart and the price momentum that the stock has shown over the previous two years.

Mid-cap companies in Canada are generally under-researched and have many attractive inefficiencies that can be exploited by astute value investors. Canada-based JC Clark Focused Opportunities Fund manager Colin Stewart and his 14-member team use a focused long-short strategy to look for investments mainly in the Canadian mid cap arena. They aim to get absolute return on capital, which they believe is best achieved by a long-short approach to investing.