FPE invests in preferred stocks issued by US firms including foreign non-USD issues. The Fund may include issues from the financial, communications, consumer, government, utilities, energy, materials, industrial and technology sectors but may concentrate at least 25% to the financial sector. Securities are selected by combining a bottom-up individual security analysis and top-down sector analysis focusing on three significant areas: credit fundamentals, relative value, and technical factors like interest rate sensitivity, call features, maturities, and pricing inefficiencies. The fund carries a fair amount of interest rate risk due to its long average duration. FPE may also invest in REITs and up to 40% of the portfolio can be allocated in high-yielding bonds.