A major differentiator for the Julius Baer Global Equity Fund lies in its stock-selection approach which varies across sectors and regions. A uniform, “one size fits all”, strategy would be too confining, as would adhering to a strict growth or a value discipline, according to the manager Brett Gallagher. He needs the flexibility to analyze what’s important to the market at a given time and an organization able to quickly process that information.

Diversified Mid-Cap Growth Fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets in securities of medium sized companies. Portfolio manager Clifford Fox seeks to generate better returns by identifying companies with positive earnings momentum before the market. The manager believes in the power of positive momentum and positive surprise.

Security Select 25 is a concentrated growth fund, but it isn’t interested in just any type of growth. Valuation is a crucial part of its philosophy as well as the competitive advantage of the underlying companies and their ability to improve pre-tax returns on invested capital. With a longer time horizon, the fund invests only in its best ideas and gives them enough time to produce results.

The Brazos Micro Cap Fund digs into the micro-cap arena looking for companies with potential for rapid growth in earnings and revenue under reliable management. The key to this strategy is spotting opportunities before the market does and, hopefully, enjoying the ride from market cap in the range of $100 to $600 million to $1 billion.

Investing abroad requires an understanding of companies, countries and economic cycles. Using quantitative metrics, the Principal Investors Diversified International Fund finds companies at the early stage of earnings growth and not yet on investors’ radar. The fund spreads its bets across 25 countries. A team of global researchers discover small and large companies in the developed and emerging markets.

It will be a rare chance for an individual investor to get allocation of a hot IPO. A fund for an investor with a bigger buying power and a commitment to ferret out a young company is the next best way to participate in the success of growth companies. The IPO Plus Fund aims to invest in companies when they go public, track them in the aftermarket and seek out dynamic companies with organic growth ahead of them.

At HGK fund managers separate the drivers of economic performance from the reported accounting performance. Portfolio manager Michael Pendergast analyzes operating cash flow before he selects companies to add to his portfolio. Fundamental and bottom-up analysis underline the stock selection process of the HGK Equity Value Fund.

The Security Large Cap Value Fund aims at long-term growth of capital, investing the majority of its assets in large-cap companies with total market value of $10 billion and above. The management thinks about investment opportunities over a three- to five-year time horizon. They try to make fewer but better decisions based on the concept of owning businesses rather than stocks.

The great thing about growth stocks is that they can tremendously outperform the market for a period of time. The problem is that this window of opportunity, when the earnings grow recognized and appreciated by the market, is usually rather brief. That’s why the American Century Heritage Fund stresses the effectiveness of monitoring and identifying the areas of the market where fundamental acceleration and relative strength in pricing occur together.

Despite its name, Cohen & Steers Dividend Value is not a traditional value fund. Its differentiated approach enables it to invest in areas typically avoided by value managers, such as biotech or technology. The key aspects of the fund’s strategy are the focus on dividend growth, the long-term outlook, and the emphasis on high quality vs. valuation.