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Press ReleasesIW Financial Launches the IWF Catholic Values Index and the IWF Conservative Christian Values IndexFirm targets underserved faith-based institutional and high net worth investor community Parametric Portfolio Associates licenses indexes PORTLAND, Maine, January 15, 2008 — IW Financial has created two new investment indexes designed to address the needs of the faith-based investment community, it was announced today. The IWF Conservative Christian Values Index is the first index designed to capture broad market investment returns without compromising the values important to conservative Christians. The IWF Catholic Values Index is a benchmark proxy for the broad market comprised of companies that closely match the values defined in the Catholic Bishop's Guidelines. The selection of the 150 companies that make up each index is based on IW Financial's proprietary research and analytical technology. James Gleghorn, national membership director at Kingdom Advisors, a network of Christian financial advisors with more than 1,300 members, said, "Our members are looking for new investment options that reflect the core values of their clients. The Conservative Values Index meets a clearly defined need and will be welcomed by our community of advisors." The criteria used for the Conservative Christian Values Index include a company's good global human rights profile and its commitment to maintaining a generally positive workplace, among others. Companies were excluded based on their involvement in gambling, pornography, tobacco, alcohol, stem cell research, and abortion. The IWF Catholic Values Index is designed to give Catholic investors the ability to participate market returns in a passively managed vehicle without compromising their values. The selection of index components is based on research from IW Financial and excludes companies involved in pornography, contraception, military weapons, racial or gender discrimination, and abortion. An early licensor of the indexes is Parametric Portfolio Associates, a subsidiary of Eaton Vance that will be utilizing the indexes to create tax-managed separate accounts for faith-based investors. "We are excited about enhancing our ability to provide tax managed and other separately managed accounts to faith-based investors," said Kurt Galley, Vice President - National Accounts, at Parametric. "The new indexes from IW Financial help us to efficiently create portfolios that are aligned with the values of these investors." "Our indexes are designed to provide the basis for developing innovative investment strategies for the faith-based community," said Craig Muska, Director, at IW Financial. "As Kingdom Advisors has noted, there are few good investment solutions available to meet the needs of these investors. Our indexes offer a unique market opportunity to asset management firms, product sponsors and advisors who want to address this large and growing segment. We are pleased that Parametric is demonstrating a commitment to serving this group with sophisticated tax-managed portfolios." The IW Financial indexes are calculated by Standard & Poor's. They are market capitalization weighted, and include approximately 150 companies traded on U.S. exchanges. Each is comprised of 10 sectors within the broad market, with the constituents selected to reflect the proportional contribution of that sector to the market as a whole. Large-cap companies make up 50 percent of each index; small and mid-cap companies comprise the remaining 50 percent. The indexes are rebalanced on a quarterly basis.About IW Financial With its unique combination of investment industry expertise, unbiased research, and technology solutions, IW Financial helps industry professionals capitalize on growing investor demand by incorporating ESG factors into investment platforms, products, and portfolios, adding value to the money management process while strengthening client relationships. For more information on IW Financial visit www.iwfinancial.com. About Parametric Portfolio Associates For more information on Parametric Portfolio Associates visit www.parametricportfolio.com. About Kingdom Advisors For more information on Kingdom Advisors visit www.kingdomadvisors.org. ###
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©2008 IW Financial - All rights reserved.
IW Financial software is protected by U.S. software patent number 7,003,503.
Other patent applications are pending.