American Century's Avantis adds ESG ETFs

American Century's Avantis adds ESG ETFs
The Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity, International Equity and Emerging Markets ETFs join Avantis’ current line of 11 exchange-traded ETFs.
APR 01, 2022

Avantis Investors recently launched three ESG ETFs, the first such options from the American Century-owned firm.

The products are the Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity, International Equity and Emerging Markets ETFs, the company noted in an announcement Wednesday. Those exchange-traded funds, which are listed on NYSE Arca, add to Avantis’s current line of 11 ETFs.

The new ETFs use ESG ratings from Sustainalytics and MSCI and screen out securities in numerous categories, according to the products’ prospectuses. Exclusions apply to companies with more than 5% of their revenues coming from oil and gas, weapons, factory farming, palm oil, tobacco, cannabis, gambling and adult entertainment. That also applies to companies with high carbon emissions intensity or de minimis revenue from thermal coal, as well as those without women on their boards, with low corporate governance scores or with ESG controversies.

Net fees for the new ETFs range from 15 basis points to 33 bps.

“We have priced these strategies in line with our conventional equity ETFs because investors hoping to incorporate their ESG considerations into their investment portfolios should not have to endure higher fees,” Avantis chief investment officer Eduardo Repetto said in the announcement.

The co-managers of the new ETFs are Repetto, senior portfolio managers Mitchell Firestein, Daniel Ong and Ted Randall, and associate portfolio manager Matthew Dubin.

Latest News

Carnegie Investment Counsel sued over valuation suppression
Carnegie Investment Counsel sued over valuation suppression

Retiring RIA seller David Laidlaw alleges the Carnegie valued his stake on $11.7 million EBITA while pitching potential buyers on $21.3 million.

Arch pushes AI portfolio monitoring into pre-investment due diligence
Arch pushes AI portfolio monitoring into pre-investment due diligence

New tool gives RIAs and family offices AI help vetting private market deals, with some users reportedly halving review time.

$4.5M raised on trust alone: SEC alleges affinity fraud in merchant lending
$4.5M raised on trust alone: SEC alleges affinity fraud in merchant lending

Investors got projected returns dressed up as real ones, SEC says

Treasury sets auto-enrollment rules for Trump Accounts, potentially adding 60 million more children
Treasury sets auto-enrollment rules for Trump Accounts, potentially adding 60 million more children

Parents must still act to get the $1,000 federal seed and employer contributions, giving financial advisors a role in the rollout.

FINRA bars former LPL broker for stealing $1.7 million from customers
FINRA bars former LPL broker for stealing $1.7 million from customers

FINRA booted Rudy Anguiano from the industry for “conversion - the intentional and unauthorized taking of another person’s property.”

SPONSORED In the Age of AI, Trust Becomes the Advisor's Greatest Asset

As AI makes financial information more accessible than ever, Lana Hock explains why human judgment, trust, and empathy remain the qualities clients value most in a financial advisor

SPONSORED Direct indexing webinar targets tax-loss harvesting amid market swings

Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains