New Fund Focuses On Profits, Not Activism

Investors might soon have the option to put their money in a new exchange-traded-fund (ETF) that would exclusively include American companies that have not “emphasized political activism and social agendas at the expense of maximizing shareholder return,” according to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing made Tuesday.

If approved, the God Bless America ETF ($YALL) will be advised by Toroso Investments and sub-advised by Curran Financial Partners, the SEC filing suggests. The ETF is designed to give regular people an investment strategy that they can feel proud of, Curran Financial Partners President Adam Curran told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“We’re a long way away from Wall Street epicenters, and the overwhelming number of conversations we’re having with folks at retirement planning tables include comments by would-be investors that they’re turned off by political and social activism by large brands. I got tired of telling them that investing in some of these names was a necessary evil of investing in the stock market,” the South Carolina-based Curran, told the DCNF.

Curran’s firm’s mission is to “serve hard-working families like the one I grew up in and to bring them a level of care and financial sophistication that the wealthiest individuals in our country receive.”

While Curran was concerned that seemingly so many large corporations have devoted resources to Equity, Sustainability, and Corporate Governance (ESG) agendas that detract from returns and are off-putting to many investors, he said he was pleased to find that it’s a small but vocal minority of large companies doing so, leaving many options on the table for a robust fund.

“There are tons of wonderful businesses that are still focused on returning profits and not delving into the waters of activism,” Curran said.

The God Bless America ETF joins the distinct but related fund $MAGA—Point Bridge’s ETF that invests in companies that support the Republican Party —as an option for ESG-wary investors. $MAGA has “handily outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year,” according to WealthManagement.com.

Toroso Investments, the lead advisor for the ETF has $8.1 billion in assets under management. The God Bless America ETF’s portfolio will include 30-40 companies from a diverse subset of sectors, the filing suggests.