Oppenheimer Readies Target-Date Funds

OppenheimerFunds is gearing up to launch a series of target-date funds called Transition Funds.

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OppenheimerFunds is gearing up to launch a series of target-date funds called Transition Funds. Jessica Greany, an Oppenheimer spokeswoman, said the funds are in the filing process with the Securities and Exchange Commission. She declined to comment further. Target-date funds are popular in 401(k) plans because they remove the need for a participant to allocate the assets himself. According to the filing, the funds have four maturity dates: 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2030. It also shows the underlying investments consist of proprietary funds of funds. Those funds include the Oppenheimer Capital Appreciation Fund, the Main Street Fund, the Value Fund, the Mid-Cap Fund, the Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Value Fund, the Global Fund, the International Growth Fund, the International Value Fund, the Core Bond Fund and the Real Asset Fund. The underlying investments for each Transition Fund vary depending on the maturity date.

The filing shows that the funds will be managed by Rudi Schadt, v. p. and director of research in product design and risk management, Jerry Webman, chief economist, and Kurt Wolfgruber, executive v.p. of the management team. The minimum initial investment is $1,000 and after that $50. In retirement plans offered by Oppenheimer one can start with half that ($500).