Bob Peck

Sage Advisory Services Ltd. Co. (Sage) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and holding firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. The firm was founded by Robert Smith III and Mark MacQueen in 1996. Sage specializes in domestic and international fixed income, balanced and equity portfolio management for individual and institutional clients.

Part of Invesco Ltd., Van Kampen American Capital, Inc. is a closed-end investment company. The company is based in IL. Van Kampen American Capital was acquired by Morgan Stanley Group, Inc. from Clayton Dubilier & Rice LLC on October 31, 1996 for $745 million.

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.