OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- FaithShares Trust today launched the first three exchange-traded funds (ETFs) addressing the investment needs of Christian investors. The funds are managed by FaithShares Advisors, LLC. The securities held in each of the funds, FaithShares Catholic Values Fund (FCV), FaithShares Methodist Values Fund (FMV) and FaithShares Christian Values Fund (FOC), are tailored to each denomination's teachings and recommendations for investing. FaithShares Advisors, LLC worked with the FTSE Group, the leading global index provider, and KLD Research & Analytics, a leading provider of environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and indexes, to create a series of custom indexes on which the funds are based. "We created these funds to meet the needs of investors who want to participate in the potential of the stock market, yet be good stewards of their money," said Thompson S. Phillips Jr., President of FaithShares. "As an ETF, each of our funds will include 100 stocks of large, well-known companies but specifically exclude those considered to be 'objectionable industries' by a specific denomination. Our funds are the first Christian ETFs in the market." The FaithShares Funds allow individuals and groups to invest in accordance with the tenets of their faith in one security, while still getting exposure to the broad market. The portfolios will be screened to exclude companies that benefit from gambling, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, weaponry and other activities that are included in each denomination's published criteria. "We did a great deal of research on the covenants of the various denominations in designing these funds," said Garrett Stevens, CEO and portfolio manager. "The Christian Values Fund is the most conservative and we feel it answers the needs of non-denominational church members and other denominations not specifically represented by our other ETFs." On December 15, FaithShares anticipates launching two additional funds specifically aligned with the Baptist (FaithShares Baptist Values Fund - FXB) and Lutheran (FaithShares Lutheran Values Fund - FKL) faiths. Annually, FaithShares Advisors, the management company of FaithShares, will give a minimum of ten percent of its net income to a ministry associated with the respective denominations. The funds will be rebalanced annually and offer complete transparency about their holdings. ETFs offer an inexpensive way to invest in the market. From 2000 to 2006, assets in other faith-based investments have grown seven-fold underscoring the public's interest in investing according to their beliefs. Investors can purchase the funds through their investment advisor or discount broker. About FaithShares Advisors Mr. Phillips and Mr. Stevens together bring over 40 years of investment experience to this endeavor. Mr. Phillips also owns a broker-dealer, T.S. Phillips Investments, Inc., which is comprised of 17 investment consultants and oversees approximately $1 billion in client assets, as well as an RIA, Phillips Capital Advisors. Mr. Phillips and Mr. Stevens have worked closely together for 10 years and in that time have experienced firsthand the frustrations encountered by Christian organizations as they attempt to balance their desire for long-term investment growth with their desire to avoid objectionable industries. They currently provide investment performance analysis services for over $3 billion in investor assets. The daily operations of FaithShares will be conducted primarily by Mr. Stevens, while Mr. Phillips will take on the role of corporate spokesperson. About FTSE Group FTSE Group ("FTSE") is a world-leader in the creation and management of indexes. With offices in Boston, Beijing, London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Madrid, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Shanghai and Tokyo, FTSE works with investors in 77 countries globally. It calculates and manages a comprehensive range of equity, fixed income, real estate and investment strategy indices, on both a standard and custom basis. The company has collaborative arrangements with a number of stock exchanges, trade bodies and asset class specialists around the world. FTSE indexes are used extensively by investors world-wide for investment analysis, performance measurement, asset allocation and portfolio hedging and for creating a wide range of index tracking funds. About KLD Indexes KLD Indexes is a business unit of KLD Research & Analytics, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of RiskMetrics Group, Inc. KLD is a leading provider of environmental, social and governance (ESG) research for institutional investors, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. KLD Indexes develops and licenses benchmark, strategy and custom indexes that investment managers use to integrate ESG criteria into their investment decisions. KLD Indexes are designed to be transparent, representative and investable. Products based on KLD Indexes include Mutual Funds, ETFs, Separately Managed Accounts, Unit Investment Trusts, Variable Annuities, and Structured Products. For more information, go to http://www.kld.com/indexes. Carefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses before investing. This and additional information can be found in the Funds' prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-877-FAITH55 (1.877.324.8455), or by visiting http://www.faithshares.com/. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. This information is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Fund to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. In addition to the normal risks associated with investing, narrowly focused investments typically exhibit higher volatility. Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. FaithShares Funds are distributed by SEI, which is not affiliated with FaithShares Advisors, LLC or any of its affiliates. DATASOURCE: FaithShares Advisors, LLC. CONTACT: Hibre Teklemariam of SunStar for FaithShares Advisors, LLC, +1-703-894-1057, ; or Thompson S. Phillips, Jr., President, , or J. Garrett Stevens, Chief Executive Officer, , both of FaithShares Advisors, LLC, +1-405-778-8377 Web Site: http://www.faithshares.com/

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