Foresters Financial launches First Investors Balanced Income Fund: Convenient choice for investors seeking income and potential for capital appreciation

NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Foresters Financial™ has launched a new Balanced Income Fund (FBIJX), which includes both stocks and bonds, to make it easier for people to diversify their investments within one fund among different asset classes and provide current income potential. The Fund will be managed by Clark D. Wagner, Director of Fixed Income, and Edwin D. Miska, Director of Equities of Foresters Investment Management Company (FIMCO)*, the investment adviser for the First Investors Funds.

The Balanced Income Fund seeks current income as its primary objective and has a secondary objective of capital appreciation. The Fund will hold approximately 20 – 40 percent of its assets in common stocks of large, mid- and small-sized companies with a focus on dividend yield and 60 – 80 percent of its assets in bonds, money market instruments and cash with a focus on investment grade corporate bonds to enhance yield.

Mr. Wagner and Mr. Miska have a long track record of managing the First Investors Total Return Fund (FITRX); Mr. Wagner since 2001 and Mr. Miska since 2002.

Both of these mixed asset allocation funds are comprised of stocks and bonds; however, the new Balanced Income Fund has a higher allocation to fixed income instruments, while the Total Return Fund has a higher allocation to equities.

"We decided to launch this new Fund based on our own research and requests from investors who were asking for such a mixture of investment vehicles," said Bill Lipkus, President and CEO of Foresters Financial Holding Company, Inc. "Also, a fund like this is appealing to individuals who have just started to invest. Because it contains allocations to both fixed income investments and equities, they get built-in diversification which can help limit risk, especially in an uncertain market," Mr. Lipkus added.

One of the Balanced Income Fund's portfolio managers, Mr. Wagner, explained, "If the markets become unsettled, which may happen with the Greek crisis or the expected rise in interest rates later this year, investors may seek diversified investments, such as the new Balanced Income Fund, to minimize their risk. Plus, this Fund's tilt toward bonds gives it more stability against the S&P 500** than a fund that is comprised exclusively of stocks or contains a large amount of stocks," he said.

"Launching the Balanced Income Fund makes perfect sense for Foresters Financial and rounds out our existing set of funds," added Mr. Miska, the Fund's co-manager. "Like the Total Return Fund, it offers investors instant diversification since it's comprised of both stocks and bonds, and its focus on fixed income is a natural complement to the Total Return Fund's focus on equities. Investors now have a choice; they can choose the fund that best suits their financial goals based on their risk tolerance and investing timeline," said Mr. Miska.

While no investment is guaranteed and you can lose money by investing in the Fund, the Balanced Income Fund is intended for investors who:

• Seek current income with potential for capital appreciation
• Want an investment that provides diversification among different asset classes
• Are willing to accept a moderate degree of investment risk
• Have a long-term investment time horizon and are able to ride out market cycles

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* Foresters Investment Management Company, Inc. is the investment adviser to the First Investors family of funds and an affiliate of Foresters Financial Services, Inc. Foresters Financial Services, Inc. is the underwriter and distributor of the First Investors funds.

**The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure the performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of such stocks, which represent all major industries. Indexes are unmanaged and do not reflect the performance of any particular security. You cannot invest directly in an index.

For more information about the First Investors Balanced Income Fund or any other mutual fund from Foresters Financial, you may obtain a free prospectus and summary prospectus by contacting your Representative, calling 800 423 4026 or visiting our website at forestersfinancial.com. You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus and summary prospectus contain this and other information and should be read carefully before you invest or send money. An investment in a mutual fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency.

All investments involve risk, including possible loss of principal. You can lose money by investing in the Fund. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society) and its subsidiaries, including Foresters Investment Management Company, Inc. and Foresters Financial Services, Inc.

The principal risks of investing in the Fund are: allocation risk, credit risk, derivatives risk, dividend risk, exchange-traded funds risk, floating rate loan risk, high yield securities risk, interest rate risk, market risk, mid-size and small-size company risk, prepayment and extension risk, security selection risk.

An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency.

The views expressed herein are based on the information available at the time they were issued and may change based on market or other conditions. Nothing herein should be construed as investment advice or be relied upon to make an investment decision. Investment decisions should be based on an individual's personal goals, time horizon and risk tolerance. Any forward-looking statements made herein are based on assumptions of future events. Actual events are difficult to predict and may differ from those assumed, thus there is no guarantee that forward-looking statements will materialize. All investing involves risk, including the risk that you can lose money. Past performance does not ensure future results.

About Foresters Financial
Foresters Financial Holding Company, Inc. includes a registered broker-dealer, a mutual fund company, a life insurance company and a transfer agent. Foresters Financial Services, Inc., its broker-dealer, helps everyday families reach their financial goals by offering solutions and guidance through its network of nearly 750 financial representatives working in 42 branch offices across the United States. Foresters Investment Management Company, Inc. is the investment adviser to the First Investors family of mutual funds, which had nearly $10 billion in total assets under management as of June 30, 2015. Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company offers a range of insurance and annuity products and maintains an "A" (Excellent) rating by A.M. Best¹. forestersfinancial.com

About Foresters
Foresters is an international financial services provider with more than three million clients and members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. We provide life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their financial goals and make a lasting difference in their lives and communities. Foresters has assets of almost $12 billion, total funds under management of $28 billion and a surplus of $1.9 billion (all figures in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2014) and maintains an "A" (Excellent) rating by A.M. Best¹. foresters.com

Foresters Financial™ and Foresters™ are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries. Foresters Financial Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of Foresters Financial Holding Company, Inc. All securities products are offered through Foresters Financial Services, Inc. Life insurance and annuities are issued by The Independent Order of Foresters and Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company and distributed by Foresters Financial Services Inc. and independent agents.

¹ An "A" (Excellent) rating is assigned to companies that have a strong ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders and have, on balance, excellent balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile when compared to the standards established by A.M. Best Company. A.M. Best assigns ratings from A++ to F, A++ and A+ being superior ratings and A and A- being excellent ratings. In assigning Foresters rating on July 1, 2015, A.M. Best stated that the rating outlook is "stable", which means it is unlikely to change in the near future. See ambest.com for our latest rating.

SOURCE Foresters Financial

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