Mackenzie Financial Corp. today announced the launch of Mackenzie Universal Global Property Income Fund and Mackenzie Universal Global Infrastructure Fund, two new innovative global funds.

Both funds aim to provide investors with monthly income of 5% a year and growth potential through participation in promising asset classes that traditionally have been difficult for individual investors to access.

“The launch of these funds reflects the growing number of investors seeking income, growth and global diversification. These new funds meet all three objectives, providing steady monthly income and a stake in the growth of global property and infrastructure markets,” said David Feather, president of Mackenzie Financial Services Inc.

Mackenzie Universal Global Property Income Fund offers a combination of current income, hedged currency and potential growth through investment in a diversified portfolio of global property securities.

Detailed knowledge of local property markets is crucial when investing in foreign property, since different regions and cities have different real estate cycles. Fund manager Nancy Holland, Global Head of Property at ABN AMRO Asset Management, has 24 years of experience in the global property arena. Holland and her team, which includes analysts based in Chicago, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Sydney, oversee more than $8 billion in assets, including the well-followed Universal World Real Estate Class.

While both Universal World Real Estate Class and Universal Global Property Income Fund are well suited for investors seeking growth and diversification from global real estate securities, Universal Global Property Income Fund is specifically designed for investors who require monthly income. To qualify for inclusion in the Universal Global Property Income Fund, prospective companies should have a sustainable dividend payout of 4% or greater at the time of initial investment. The fund is also currency hedged to protect the income characteristics of the fund.

Mackenzie Universal Global Infrastructure Fund focuses on investments in strategic infrastructure assets around the globe, including stable assets in developed markets as well as high-growth infrastructure sectors in emerging markets.

Robust growth in emerging economies such as China and India has fuelled demand for infrastructure such as transportation, electricity, water, roads, airports and communications. In developed countries such as Canada and the United States, massive investments in new infrastructure facilities are being made. Governments worldwide are now spending $1 trillion a year building everything from roads to hospitals to nuclear power plants. Increasingly, private investors and pension plans are participating in these ventures. Previously it was difficult for an individual investor to take part, but Universal Global Infrastructure Fund provides an easy and efficient way for investors to benefit from this rapidly growing sector.

“Over the past few years, many institutional investors have dramatically increased their investment in infrastructure, as this asset class provides the stable returns and inflation-sensitive growth needed to provide income for investors in the years ahead,” said Feather. “Universal Global Infrastructure Fund makes it easy for individual investors planning for their retirement to benefit from these same advantages.”

The fund is managed by Mark Grammer and Dan Bastasic, two leading investment managers with nearly 30 years of combined investment experience. Grammer’s extensive knowledge of international infrastructure companies is a perfect complement to Bastasic’s expertise in North American utility equities and the fixed income aspects of infrastructure, including the vehicles used to finance many of these infrastructure projects.

Both Universal Global Property Income Fund and Universal Global Infrastructure Fund are available in T-Series units that distribute tax-efficient monthly income of 8% annually. This gives investors the option of choosing the income stream that best suits their financial planning requirements: Series A units, which pay monthly income of 5% a year, or T-Series units, which pay monthly income of 8% a year.

Both funds are also available in Canadian or U.S. dollar versions.