As Lent Begins, a Faith and Family Values Index is Made Available to Catholics and their Advisors
Contact: Ashley Walker, The Maximus Group, Trinity's Agency of Record, 678-990-9032, awalker@maximusmg.com
FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 6 /Christian Newswire/ -- "We are not owners but rather administrators of the goods we possess", said Pope Benedict XVI in his 2008 message for Lent, which officially begins today, Ash Wednesday. The Pope's provoking reflection for this Lent centers on the principle of almsgiving, which he teaches, when practiced, will help us overcome attachment to worldly goods and will help us respond to the needs of others. He also reminds us that what we have is provided to us "through divine goodness" and is a "means through which the Lord calls each one of us to act as a steward of His providence for our neighbor."
Not many Christians would see that almsgiving is directly related to the investment choices they make. But the Holy Father explicitly makes this connection clear in the Lenten message when he reminds us that "material goods bear a social value, according to the principle of their universal destination." The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that this principle "is an invitation to develop an economic vision inspired by moral values that permit people not to lose sight of the origin or purpose of these goods, so as to bring about a world of fairness and solidarity, in which the creation of wealth can take on a positive function (No.174)."
It is through this very principle and the commitment to investment options based on moral values that Trinity Fiduciary Partners, LLC ("Trinity"), is proud to announce the launch of the Faith and Family Values 100 ("FFV 100") Index on Ash Wednesday.
The FFV 100 is comprised of the 100 largest U.S.-based stocks that meet certain non-financial criteria based on Catholic social justice teachings. The objective of the FFV 100 is to produce investment returns that generally correspond to those of the S&P 500 Index. The top 5 holdings in the FFV 100 are Exxon Mobil, Procter & Gamble, AIG, Citigroup, and Apple.
"We believe the FFV 100 screening approach gives investors of faith a full, accurate, and practical expression of their beliefs. We expect this approach to become the new benchmark for truly Catholic and orthodox Christian investing," said Adam Auten, Chief Investment Officer for Trinity. "Our primary goal was to make sure that our "non-negotiable" criteria were sufficiently broad and strict to give investors of faith confidence that they are avoiding material cooperation with the most egregious injustices committed by corporations. Our second goal was to make sure the screens were flexible enough that the investor could be assured of broad diversification and an expectation of competitive market returns into the future."
Previously, investors had to do the legwork themselves, studying companies on their own and choosing carefully which ones to invest in and which to avoid. Now there is a closely monitored index, faithful to Church teachings, which offers these investors investment opportunities that will not violate their beliefs. Trinity expects the FFV 100 Index will prove that investors and portfolio managers can make moral decisions about where to put their money without sacrificing successful returns.
With this move Trinity is responding to a sharp up-turn of interest in faith-based investing, which has been a growing sector of the financial markets for several years. Morningstar reports that between 2000 and March 2006, assets invested in religious mutual funds grew seven-fold, to nearly $16 billion.
Trinity is assembling an advisory board that will include influential Catholic business leaders, moral theologians, and bishops. The first board member is the Most Reverend Bishop Kevin Vann of the Fort Worth Diocese.
About Trinity Fiduciary Partners, LLC
Trinity Fiduciary Partners, LLC, is a registered investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It provides investment management to individuals, institutions, investment companies, and their advisors. In addition, it specializes in Catholic investing, sponsoring www.investcatholic.com, the Faith & Family Advisors Network, and provides investment management to the Epiphany Catholic mutual fund family.
To review the complete FFV 100 methodology, please visit www.trinityfiduciary.com or call 866-716-0077.
The senior partners at Trinity Fiduciary Partners are available for interviews. Please contact Ashley Walker at The Maximus Group, Trinity's Agency of Record, at 678-990-9032 or email awalker@maximusmg.com.
