about / our approach
Our Approach
To be the premiere, fully integrated platform for faith-informed investors.
To deliver enduring value by identifying & pursuing differentiated opportunities.
To inform & apply a Faith & Family Values® investing consensus.
the trinity approach
“
avoid doing harm
investment decision
actively work for change
promote the common good
We approach every stage of the investment process as an opportunity to generate additional value for our investors: research & diligence, internal operations, cost-effective execution, and ongoing oversight & governance.
This approach seeks to integrate the investment decision within a broader, faith-informed framework that elevates & expands the industry standard for “Catholic values investing.” By systematically applying principles of faithful ownership pre- and post-investment decision, we aim to not only act as responsible stewards of our investors’ capital, but also of our shared values.
faithful ownership
systematically applied
(a)
avoid doing harm
Faith & Family Values
Scorecard®
The core of our approach is the FFV Scorecard®.
Launched in 2006, the FFV Scorecard® is a turnkey set of 21 business involvement screens rooted in Catholic tradition. We apply the screen set to our portfolios as a filter to direct our efforts and our investors’ resources towards productive engagement with the broader marketplace.
The FFV Scorecard® draws from Catholic doctrine, encyclicals, social teaching, the US Conference for Catholic Bishops’ landmark Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines (2021), and other authoritative sources.
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In the Catholic tradition, the most fundamental right is life itself. Each distinct soul is considered sacred from conception until natural death. Putting this reality into action, the FFV Scorecard® includes five screens dedicated to protecting human life by tracking company involvement in activities that threaten this most fundamental right.
These screens include:
Abortion & Abortifacients
Artificial Reproduction
Euthanasia & Physician Assisted Suicide
Human Embryonic Stem Cells & Fetal Tissue
Human Cloning -
The FFV Scorecard® incorporates six screens aimed at reducing addictive materials, harmful habitual behaviors, and arms production from investor portfolios so that their capital may work to enhance the common good of all.
The six screens include:
Cannabis
Civilian Firearms
Controversial Weapons
E-Cigarettes & Related
Gambling
Opioids
Tobacco & Related -
Catholics believe that human dignity results from the image of God that each person bears.
IWP Capital has incorporated the following screens into the FFV Scorecard®:
Adult Entertainment
Contraceptives
Private Prisons
Sex Reassignment Surgeries & Treatments -
As the Catholic Church pursues the good of all persons, one of its main focuses is the preferential option for the poor. As the pastoral letter Economic Justice for All proclaims, “The needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich.”
To that end, the FFV Scorecard® maintains two screens related to economic justice:
Predatory Lending
Third-Party Debt Collection -
St. Francis of Assisi reminds us, “Our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.”
IWP Capital has developed three screens that we believe capture the spirit of the bishops’ guidelines and remain well suited to investment screening. They include:
Coal Mining
Water Privatization
Whaling
(b)
investment decision
Over the long-term, we believe that thoughtful, disciplined, & functionally-defined asset allocation serves as the primary mechanism for delivering superior returns.
Asset Allocation.
Because it is the unintended and unforeseen risks that truly matter, we seek to embed risk controls at every stage of our investment process. While “risk” is often described as a measure of volatility, our long-term outlook leads us to prioritize downside protection and the preservation of purchasing power through historic analysis, systematic compliance checks, and regular feedback.
Risk Management.
Investment Selection.
Our team seeks to generate, develop, & execute on their most compelling ideas. We believe we not only have a responsibility to build, but to build well. To do this, we place investment in people at the core of our strategies.
Our process prioritizes the investment team’s capacity to independently construct portfolios that access differentiated sources of return through sizing, factor & style premia, behavioral trends, and contrarian timing.
Portfolio Construction.
(c)
actively work for change
Post-investment, our approach to governance seeks to ensure that our investors’ ultimate objectives remain in focus well beyond an initial allocation of capital:
Responsive
Governance.
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Governed by 642 rules-based criteria, we vote every proxy and every ballot.
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We believe that direct relationships with management teams is an important source of value for our investors. And, when needed, an important mechanism to exert positive influence on company behavior.
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When able and where appropriate, we seek board seats and active participation in the ongoing operations of portfolio investments. We believe companies & investors mutually benefit when shareholders take responsibility for their role in ongoing governance.
(d)
promote the common good
Constructive Capital.
Enduring Value.
We believe that private markets offer an attractive opportunity for our investors to access differentiated return sources and actively promote the common good.
A multi-asset class approach to private, direct investment in accordance with Faith & Family Values®:
The Trinity FFV® Alternative Income Fund, LP
Private Equity · Real Estate · Real Assets · Alternative Credit