Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, Principal Funds is the mutual fund distributor for the Principal Financial Group (ticker: PFG) and boasts more than 130 years of experience in the investing space. The firm manages a diverse family of funds for individual and institutional investors, offering more than 50 types of mutual funds that range from equity, fixed income, currency, real estate to alternative strategies as well as several types of exchange-traded funds.
Principal offers a full range of retirement investing products from traditional, Roth and rollover individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, to 401(k) plans. The Midwest-based firm is also one of the largest providers of lifecycle funds. Its funds, such as strategic asset management portfolios, or SAMs, are intended to provide a broad asset allocation with a single investment. Some of its retirement solutions include a suite of Principal LifeTime Funds, which are designed to manage a particular target retirement date.
In 2017, Principal launched more than a score of new investment options, including seven ETFs.