The Principal Financial Group®, a global investment management leader, recently won four 2013 STAR Awards from the Mutual Fund Education Alliance (MFEA). The awards recognize excellence in mutual fund company communications among small, medium, large and large-plus firms.

The award-winning projects include:

  • Best Plan Participant Program Campaign - Large Category: My Principal Edge Milestones
           

Judge's comment: "A thoroughly integrated campaign, worthy of bonus points."

  • Best Retail Social Media Campaign - Large Category: The Principal Blog
           

Judge's comment: "A wide variety of perspectives provide a lot of insight into the people behind the firm."

  • Best Advisor Mobile App - Large Category: Fund Library iPad Application
           

Judge's comment: "Beautiful and useful tool."

  • Best Advisor Wild Card Communications Campaign - Large Category: Beneath the Surface Program
           

Judge's comment: "In a word - excellent!"

"We are honored to be recognized by MFEA for bringing award-winning thought capital and tools to financial advisors," said Kevin Morris, director of marketing for Principal Funds. "We're especially pleased to receive awards for both traditional and digital marketing efforts in this rapidly evolving industry."

MFEA is a national trade association dedicated to strengthening ways the investment management industry serves investors and advisors. Since 1971, the MFEA has been informing and educating the investing public about how they can use mutual funds to achieve important lifetime goals. MFEA sponsors the STAR Awards to recognize the highest standards of excellence in communications and education efforts among mutual fund companies.

For more news and insights from The Principal®, connect with us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ThePrincipal.

About Principal Funds

Principal Funds is a leading provider of mutual funds, with $102.9 billion in assets under management.1 Principal Funds brings expertise in global investment management, asset allocation and retirement leadership to financial professionals and investors. Including its target-risk and target-date offerings, Principal Funds is the fifth largest manager of lifecycle funds in the industry.2 The companies that make up Principal Funds are members of the Principal Financial Group®. For more information, visit www.principalfunds.com.

About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group® (The Principal®)3 is a global investment management leader offering retirement services, insurance solutions and asset management. The Principal offers businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement, asset management and insurance through its diverse family of financial services companies. Founded in 1879 and a member of the FORTUNE 500®, the Principal Financial Group has $466.2 billion in assets under management4 and serves some 19.0 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

1 As of September 30, 2013. Includes all share classes of the Principal Funds, Inc. and Principal Variable Contracts Funds, Inc.

2 Strategic Insight Mutual Fund Lifecycle Report Q3 2013.

3 "The Principal Financial Group" and "The Principal" are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.

4 As of Sept. 30, 2013.

the Principal Financial Group
Jaime Naig, 515-247-0798
naig.jaime@principal.com