Ariel Investments
Ariel Mutual Funds Wins Best Overall Communications and Seven Other STAR Awards

October 24, 2007

Ariel Mutual Funds won multiple awards at the 2007 Mutual Fund Education Alliance's STAR Awards for Excellence in Shareholder Communications, including the award for Best Overall Communications in the Medium-Sized Category (funds with assets between $3 and $20 billion). The Shareholder Trust and Responsibility (STAR) Awards are recognition of excellence in investor education and communication.

This marks the 6th time in 7 years that Ariel has taken home the Best Overall Communications award.  The other awards that Ariel Mutual Funds took home this year include: Best Investment Kit, Best Annual Report to Investors, Best Online Shareholder Services, Best Retail Homepage, Best Advisor Homepage, Best Retail Website, and Wildcard (for our Special Creative Inserts in our Quarterly Reports)

VIsit the following links to see a complete list of winners from 2007 or to learn more about the MFEA STAR Awards.



Investors should consider carefully the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses before investing. For a current prospectus which contains this and other information about the funds offered by Ariel Investment Trust, call Ariel Distributors, LLC at 800-292-7435. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

 

Morningstar Ratings

Morningstar.com

4/30/08

Ariel Fund and Ariel Appreciation Fund received 2-Star and 3-star Overall Morningstar Ratings™ respectively. 


Ariel Fund


Two-Star Overall Morningstar Rating

Ariel Fund received a two-star Overall Morningstar Rating™ as of 4/30/08 out of 429 Mid-Cap Blend Equity Funds. Ariel Fund was rated one star among 429, one star among 341 and three stars among 158 domestic mid-cap blend funds for the three-, five- and ten-year periods ended 4/30/08, respectively.

Ariel Appreciation Fund

Three-Star Overall Morningstar Rating

Overall Morningstar Rating™ as of 4/30/08 out of 429 Mid-Cap Blend Equity Funds. Ariel Appreciation Fund was rated two stars among 429, two stars among 341 and three stars among 158 domestic mid-cap blend funds for the three-, five- and ten-year periods ended 4/30/08, respectively.



For each fund with at least a three-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating™ based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. These ratings change monthly. The top 10% of funds in an investment category receive five stars, the next 22.5% receive four stars, the next 35% receive three stars, the next 22.5% receive two stars, and the bottom 10% receive one star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and ten-year (if applicable) Morningstar Ratings. Morningstar does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.

© 2008 Morningstar, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.  The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely.  Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. 

Investing in small cap and mid-cap stocks is more risky and more volatile than investing in large cap stocks. Past performance does not guarantee future results. 

Please consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of the funds carefully before investing. Before investing, you should carefully read the funds’ prospectus, which contains this and other information about the funds. Call Ariel Distributors, LLC at 800-292-7435 for a prospectus or visit our web site, arielinvestments.com.

Morningstar Stewardship GradesSM

Morningstar Stewardship GradesSM for funds were relaunched on September 25, 2007, under a revised methodology, which was designed to reward the industry's best stewardship practices. At this time, Morningstar has not yet assigned a Stewardship Grade to Ariel Fund, Ariel Appreciation Fund or Ariel Focus Fund. Morningstar will be adding more Stewardship Grades over the next several months.