LETTERS

Strong — and on target

I enjoyed reading Michael Fritz’s Page 1 article on Dick Strong (InvestmentNews, June 1). This was the most accurate piece on that company I’ve read (and Dick manages to have a great deal written about him).

I was one of those fund industry-experienced executives who left in frustration with his management style and unwillingness to delegate responsibility. I was the chief financial officer at Twentieth Century Companies (now American Century Investments) for 14 years before taking the plunge in 1995 as the first CFO at Strong Capital Management; I lasted a year and a half before resigning.

You have to work there to appreciate the atmosphere. In addition to the departed executives mentioned in the article, and yours truly, Strong Capital Management Inc. also lost the best vice president of information systems with whom I’ve ever worked, and, including Mary Lisanti, at least half a dozen portfolio managers in the last two years.

The article was well written and informative — and went directly to the essence of the problems facing that company.

Ron Neville

Springfield, Mo.

Allaying fears? No, just providing service

Your May 11 article “Emerging market fund’s call starts more fears than it stops” was really off-base. Yes, a representative of Montgomery Emergency Markets Fund recently telephoned me following some volatile performance. But, no, I was not “wondering” if “this is evidence of lobbying campaigns by emerging markets funds that are hoping to save their products from adviser panic.”

My surprise at the Montgomery representatives’ call was because I am not used to such service, unfortunately. Would that more fund companies were so proactive!

Yes, I explained to her (the very knowledgeable Kerith Rothschild) that I expected emerging market funds to be volatile, and that I wasn’t surprised at the negative numbers. And yes, I didn’t need, let alone expect, the call. But I was glad to have the specific information she gave me.

Kerith has provided exemplary service to me and other advisers. She knows my investment style well enough to know I was not likely to pull assets. That was not the reason for her call — she was simply doing the job a good wholesaler should do: communicating.

I’m sorry that the article made her (and Montgomery) look bad. She, and they, actually deserved a headline that read, “Fund wholesaler actually provides service!”

Curt Weil

Chief investment officer

Weil Capital Management

Palo Alto, Calif.