DALLAS — At a dinner March 31 hosted by The Wall Street Journal and Investment News, GuideStone Funds for the fourth year in a row received a prestigious Lipper Award. This year, for the second consecutive year, the Extended-Duration Bond Fund was recognized as the Best Fund Over 3 Years and the Best Fund Over 5 Years in the Corporate Debt A-Rated Funds Category. This marks the fifth and sixth Lipper trophies for GuideStone Funds in the past four years.
In 2012, GuideStone Funds was honored as the Best Overall Small Fund Family in the U.S., ranking No. 1 out of 182 fund families with up to $40 billion in assets. In 2013, the MyDestination 2025 Fund was ranked No. 1 out of 92 Mixed-Asset Target Date 2025 funds.
“For the second year in a row we are pleased to award GuideStone Extended-Duration Bond Fund as the top Corporate Debt A-Rated fund over both the three and five year time periods,” said Jeff Tjornehoj, Head of Lipper Americas Research. “Their ability to capture the same awards in consecutive years reflects a strong commitment to investing excellence.”
“Engineering a repeat performance is difficult,” said John R. Jones, who serves as President of GuideStone Funds and Chief Operating Officer of GuideStone Financial Resources. “To have the Extended-Duration Bond Fund recognized by Lipper two years in a row is a fitting testament to our investment approach and the outstanding team that puts it into practice.”
GuideStone Funds, including the Extended-Duration Bond Fund, are available to investors directly by visiting GuideStoneFunds.com, or through financial advisor platforms. They are also available to participants in GuideStone’s employer-sponsored retirement accounts. In 2013, messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention authorized GuideStone to make available its award-winning mutual fund family to like-minded investors.
“This award bears testimony to the diligent work of the GuideStone Funds team and the investment sub-advisors who work on behalf of our investors and participants,” said Ron Dugan, Chief Strategic Investment Officer at GuideStone Financial Resources. “We are humbled by the award and see it as reflective of the work we undertake each and every day on behalf of our participants.”
GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins said the Lipper recognition is well-timed as GuideStone seeks to meet the increasing demand for investment products that align with Christian principles.