Biblically responsible investing firm, Inspire Investing, received a perfect 10/10 score for putting client interests ahead of politically charged shareholder proposals. According to a recent report by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, Inspire Investing’s score earned them an “A” grade compared to the “D” average among funds in the study.
The Committee to Unleash Prosperity recently released Politics Over Pensions: The First Annual Report Card on Investment Fund Managers and Proxy Voting Behavior, examining 4,814 non-ESG branded funds and calculating the percentage of times management firms voted for 50 of the most radical left-leaning shareholder proposals, known as the Fiduciary-Free 50.
“We are truly humbled by receiving a perfect score from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity,” commented Robert Netzly, CEO of Inspire. “We agree with CTUP’s assessment that fund managers’ fiduciary responsibility includes refusing to vote for proposals that could negatively impact a fund’s performance. Using the Inspire Impact Score approach, we have found that avoiding companies that support politically divisive issues can lead to exceptional investment outcomes. The CTUP’s report card shows that even non-ESG branded funds can still be impacted by aggressive leftist tactics that are using the proxy system to gain control over a company’s money and behavior. We are thankful to CTUP for exposing this practice and encouraging a closer look at proxy voting.”
Proxy Vote Ranking Methodology
The proxy vote grades are based on a review of 50 of the most extreme ESG-oriented shareholder proposals (“The Fiduciary-Free 50”) from 2022 and an accompanying points system. Proxy votes are cast and disclosed to the SEC by the individual funds managed by investment companies (commonly referred to as fund families). At each fund managed by the fund family, every supportive vote translated to zero points for the fund family, a vote against was 10 points, and an abstention or split vote was five points. A fund family’s score reflects the sum of points scored compared to the maximum points possible had the firm adhered to their strict fiduciary duty to investors and voted against each of these shareholder proposals. The lower the score, the greater the alignment with ESG activism – and departure from strict adherence to fiduciary duty.
You can learn more about the scoring methodology and read the full report at www.pensionpolitics.com.
About The Committee to Unleash Prosperity
The Committee to Unleash Prosperity seeks to educate policymakers and the public about government policies that have been proven, in practice, to maximize economic growth and equitable prosperity in America and around the world. The Committee’s mission is not partisan or political and works to identify those policies best suited to unleashing prosperity and to educate policymakers on the best practices to achieve equitable prosperity.
Find more information at www.committeetounleashprosperity.com.