Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index

The first climate-friendly index made for 401(k)s.

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500

For the first time, divesting from fossil fuels is easy, accessible, and competitive.

Sphere helps the advisor community deliver on the demands of customers and plan participants by providing a climate-friendly and cost-effective US core equity investment option. A number of family offices and institutions have already exited the fossil fuel industry, often citing worrying economic factors and a need to protect long-term value as a driving force for decisions, including the Rockefeller Foundation, the New York State Pension Fund, and the Harvard Endowment.

This solution allows advisors and employers to demonstrate their commitment to fiduciary duty with a high-quality product at reasonable fees while satisfying a deeply personal desire of clients, without having to choose between the two. The Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index tracks the Top 500 US companies by market capitalization and excludes fossil fuel companies to avoid stranded asset risk. The fund votes shares for the planet, not for the status quo.

The Sphere 500 Climate Fund tracks this index
About the fund

The top 500 minus fossil fuels

The Sphere 500 index has the top 500 US companies by market capitalization, minus 93 companies. The independent non-profit As You Sow creates the list of fossil fuel and other companies that are excluded.

Learn more about the fund

500 largest US companies

Removed 52 fossil fuel companies

Removed 41 deforestation, tobacco, civilian firearm, military weapon, 
and private prison companies

407 / 500

Holdings

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conscience

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Removing fossil fuel companies has increased earnings.

Hypothetical growth of $10,000

Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index (SPFFXI)

SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY ETF)

As of ___

Removing fossil fuels has improved returns.

Trend

Hypothetical growth of $10,000.

Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index (SPFFXI)
S&P 500
1Y3Y5Y10YAll
3M1Y3Y5Y10YALL

As of

06/30/2022

Cumulative Returns
SPFFXI
S&P 500

1 year

26.4%

24.6%

3 years

29.6%

33.2%

5 years

106.6%

101.6%

10 years

246.8%

235.2%

All

462.3%

431.2%

Annualized Returns
SPFFXI
S&P 500

1 year

26.4%

24.6%

3 years

9.0%

110.0%

5 years

15.6%

15.1%

10 years

13.2%

12.9%

All

14.2%

13.7%

Annualized Volatility
SPFFXI
S&P 500

1 year

15.9%

14.7%

3 years

18.4%

17.6%

5 years

18.6%

18.1%

10 years

15.7%

15.3%

All

15.0%

14.6%

Correlation to the S&P 500
SPFFXI

1 year

.993

3 years

.995

5 years

.994

10 years

.995

All

.990

As of

6/30/2024

Constituents

Amount distributed to each stock.

Apple

AAPL

Microsoft

AAPL

Amazon.com

AAPL

Tesla

AAPL

Alphabet Class "C"

GOOG

Alphabet A

GOOGL

UnitedHealth Group

AAPL

Johnson & Johnson

AAPL

JP Morgan Chase & Co.

AAPL

Procter & Gamble

AAPL

As of

09/30/2022

Portfolio Holdings are subject to change and should not be considered investment advice.

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Index methodology

The Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index starts with the largest 500 U.S. companies by market capitalization and excludes companies defined by As You Sow, an unaffiliated non-profit, as being in the fossil fuel industry or engaged in deforestation activities, firearms manufacturing or gun sales, operating private prisons, or manufacturing tobacco products.  This index has climate-focused social goals and excludes those industries that are in decline over long-term timelines.

Fossil fuel companies are defined as those whose main lines of business are to produce, distribute, or refine fossil fuels, hold reserves of fossil fuels, utilities that are primarily fossil fuel-powered, and producers of equipment for any of the above.

Quick facts

Weighting

Free Float Market Cap

No. of constituents

Max 500

Rebalancing frequency

Quarterly

Calculation hours

9:30am to 4:30pm ET

Currency

USD

Inception date

Aug 9, 2021

Backtesting start date

Jun 17, 2011

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You have been redirected to the Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index page. Some of the materials are not suitable for all investors. Please note that the Index page may be subject to rules and regulations that may differ significantly from those to which the Fund page is subject and may not be appropriate for use by residents in all jurisdictions. Your access to and use of the index page will be subject to the applicable terms of use posted on the page.  Please take note that the disclosures, privacy policy, and terms of use may vary between pages.

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All Constituents

RISKS AND DISCLOSURE
Before investing in the Sphere 500 Climate Fund (“SPFFX”), carefully consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses.  To obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus which contains this and other information, please visit https://oursphere.org/fund or talk to your financial advisor. Read it carefully before investing.

As with all investments, there are risks involved with investing in SPFFX. Climate Investing Consideration Risk-Considerations related to climate risk, such as environmental criteria (e.g., fossil fuel screens), applied to the Index’s construction may limit the number of investment opportunities available to the Fund, and as a result, at times, the Fund may underperform funds that are not subject to similar investment restrictions. For example, the Index may exclude certain securities due to climate-focused considerations when other investment considerations would suggest that investing in such securities would be advantageous. The Fund may also underperform funds that invest in the energy and utilities sectors, particularly in times of rising oil, gas and energy prices. Other risks include, but are not limited to general market risk, small fund risk, large cap risk, common stock risk, sector risk, industry concentration risk, passive investment risk, index calculation risk, limited operating history risk, cybersecurity risk, tracking error risk, operation risk, and third-party data risks as it relates to the composition of the Index. For a detailed explanation of the risks associated with SPFFX and the underlying Index, please read the prospectus.

The Sphere 500 Climate Fund tracks the Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index (SPFFXI). The Index is constructed beginning with the largest 500 U.S. companies that trade on regulated U.S. exchanges by market capitalization.  The index administrator, BITA GmbH, then eliminates companies from this investable universe using data obtained from As You Sow, an unaffiliated non-profit organization that promotes environmental responsibility through shareholder advocacy.  As You Sow eliminates companies from the Index based primarily on their risk profile of being exposed to the fossil fuel industry and secondarily, by other exclusionary screens, including companies engaged in deforestation activities, civilian and military firearms manufacturing and related guns/arms sales, prison and border security operations, and tobacco and e-cigarette manufacturing.  The elimination of these companies from the Index is intended to foster and support the climate-focused, social investing goals of the Fund. The fund may invest in companies that use fossil fuels as a part of their business or have used fossil fuels in the past. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Index returns do not reflect the effects of fees or expenses. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted above. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. For performance information current to the most recent month-end, please call toll-free 844-2-SPHERE.

Index performance is discussed for illustrative purposes only as a benchmark for each strategy’s performance and does not predict or depict performance of that strategy.  While index comparisons may be useful to provide a benchmark for a strategy’s performance, it must be noted that investments are not limited to the investments comprising the indices.  Each of the strategy benchmark indices are unmanaged and cannot be purchased directly by investors. Past performance does not guarantee future results. No portion of the content should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell shares of the fund in any jurisdiction where the solicitation or offer would be deemed unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The Sphere 500 Climate Fund is distributed by Ultimus Fund Distributors, LLC, member of FINRA and SIPC, which is not affiliated with Sphere or SPFFX. NOT FDIC INSURED NOT BANK GUARANTEED. MAY LOSE VALUE.

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