As a team, they can’t be beat

The William Blair Small Cap Growth Fund (WBSNX) has turned in the top returns in its class so far this year, and it’s all because co-managers Mike Balkin and Karl Brewer decided to “get the band back together.” The $539 million fund is up about 35 percent in 2009, well ahead of the market and its benchmark for small-company stocks, the Russell 2000. Its returns beat all other small-cap funds year-to-date, said fund research firm Morningstar. Balkin said the fund managed that by staying true to its convictions, remaining patient and courageously boosting its bets on favorite stocks late last year, when the market was saying all hope was lost. “It’s as if the market was priced for the Great…

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