Transamerica Life Canada announced Thursday that has reinforced its guaranteed TOP Managers Portfolios with the addition of two new fund partners and a group of carefully selected mutual funds.

Value specialists Brandes Investment Partners and global powerhouse Franklin Templeton Investments have joined the TOP third-party fund management line-up. The other TOP partners are AIC, AGF, AIM Trimark, CI Funds, Mackenzie, Fidelity Investments and TD Asset Management.

The additions flow from Transamerica’s annual review of the underlying funds. Overall, 10 new funds have been added to the TOP Canadian Managers Portfolio, TOP U.S. Managers Portfolio and TOP Global Managers Portfolio. The additions include Franklin Templeton’s Mutual Beacon Fund, the Brandes Global Equity Fund and the CI Value Trust.

Geraldo Ferreira, vice president, investment product marketing and product development, explains: “TOP Managers Portfolios are constructed from mutual funds that have consistently delivered above-average returns versus their peers.”

Ferreira likens the review process to tuning the engine of a car: “The engines have been boosted with some ‘high octane fuel’ in the form of these new funds and the addition of the expertise of Brandes and Franklin Templeton.”

TOPs Managers Portfolios are 100% equity oriented and prudently diversified by investment style, market cap and money manager. No TOP portfolio has more than 12 funds and no underlying fund has less than 5%, or more than 15%, weight in any portfolio.

Oliver Murray, president and CEO, Brandes Investment Partners, said the new relationship was an excellent fit for both parties: “The Brandes long-term approach to value investing is a natural complement to the steady, long-term nature of Transamerica TOP Manager Portfolios.”

Don Reed, president and CEO, Franklin Templeton Investments, said: “We are delighted to be part of such a strong investment offering and look forward to providing fund management support to the TOP Manager Portfolios.”

TOP Manager Portfolios are protected by three guarantee options from Transamerica to safeguard capital from sliding markets on maturity and death. TOP Manager Portfolios are available to existing Transamerica Investment Portfolio investors and will also be part of imaxxGIF, Transamerica’s new streamlined family of guaranteed investment solutions to be launched shortly.