AIM Trimark Investments today announces that it is launching three funds and a tax-efficient flexible distribution series, called T-FLEX, to address the changing needs of Canadian investors.

Trimark Canadian Plus Dividend Class and Trimark Global Dividend Class allow investors to benefit from the steady dividends and long-term growth potential provided by some of the best companies worldwide.

AIM Trimark’s approach to dividend investing is to focus on total returns and managing downside risk by looking at the overall strength of a company in addition to its dividend sustainability, rather than simply chasing the highest dividend yields available.

Trimark Canadian Plus Dividend Class is led by Don Simpson and co-managed by Rory Ronan, with Lauree Wheatley as analyst. Simpson is also lead manager of the highly ranked Trimark Diversified Income Class, with Ronan as co-manager. The two have worked together for several years as members of the Trimark Canadian equity team.

Bruce Harrop serves as lead manager of Trimark Global Dividend Class. Among noteworthy achievements in Harrop’s 20-plus year career, Trimark Global Balanced Fund, under his co-management, has won the Canadian Investment Award’s Best Global Balanced and Asset Allocation Fund of the Year for the past three years running.

“The launch of these funds reflects the increasing importance among investors for conservative growth, steady cash flow and tax-efficient investment offerings,” said Patrick Farmer, AIM Trimark’s chief investment officer, in a news release.

New tax-efficient flexible distribution series

T-FLEX considers the distinct financial planning needs of investors who are nearing or entering retirement by allowing them to tailor their cash flow stream to meet their changing needs. This innovative solution provides investors with the choice of three target annual distribution levels of 4%, 6% and 8% to generate a steady tax-efficient monthly cash flow from their investment.

T-FLEX is currently available on Trimark Canadian Plus Dividend Class and Trimark Global Dividend Class. Investors can switch between different T-FLEX series, and from one T-FLEX series of a fund to any other fund within the AIM Trimark Corporate Class structure, without any immediate tax implications.

New focused Canadian equity fund

Trimark Canadian Focus Class offers investors a clearly defined Canadian equity offering that limits its exposure to foreign investments to a maximum of 10% of its non-cash assets. Currently, some Canadian equity funds have the flexibility to invest up to 49% of their assets in foreign securities, which can pose a potential challenge to managing asset allocations within a portfolio.

“In light of the elimination of the foreign property rule and modifications to fund category definitions, investors want the flexibility to choose a focused Canadian equity fund,” Farmer said. “A well-defined mandate makes it easier to control asset allocations.”

The fund is overseen by Heather Hunter, the renowned lead manager of the $4 billion Trimark Select Canadian Growth Fund. She is supported by analysts Erin Greenfield and Mark Uptigrove. In her more than 30-year career in the industry, Hunter has built a solid reputation managing Canadian equity mandates and providing investors with consistent results over the long term.