The United Church Funds (UCF) Beyond Fossil Fuel Funds (BFF) – the Beyond Fossil Fuels Fund and Beyond Fossil Fuels Balanced Fund – celebrated its third anniversary in November 2017. Since its introduction, the Beyond Fossil Fuels Fund outperformed its respective benchmark for one and three years, as of December 31, 2017.
By examining what investors want in a climate-sensitive investment option, and in working with UCF’s investor managers, UCF believes we have created a fund that combines reasonable risk and return expectations. The BFF Funds pursue the elimination of fossil fuel companies, maintain the social screens that are applied to UCF’s portfolios and provide investors with the diversification that they desire.
The Beyond Fossil Fuels Fund is a global equity fund that provides access to developed market and emerging market countries and seeks to eliminate exposure to companies with fossil fuels reserves – oil, gas, or coal. The Fund uses enhanced indexing, which combines positive elements of passive and active management.
The Beyond Fossil Fuels Balanced Fund resembles UCF’s Moderate Balance Fund – a traditional 60% equity/40% fixed income allocation – but replaces UCF’s Total Equity Fund with the Beyond Fossils Fuels Fund. The core fixed income allocation excludes companies that produce or explore for fossil fuels.
While one out of five U.S. dollars under professional management is currently managed in a sustainable or responsible manner, there is a lingering perception that responsible investing involves giving up investment returns in exchange for doing good in the world. This perception is simply not true, and the BFF Funds are a good example that you do not have to sacrifice good returns to support environmental and social responsibility. In fact, research suggests that socially responsible investing can have a positive effect on performance.
Read the full press release and contact us using the form below to learn more about UCF Beyond Fossil Fuels Funds.