Ave Maria Mutual Funds

Photo (Courtesy) http://christianinvestmentforum.org/members-directory/ave-maria-funds

From William Donovan, former About.com Guide

Minimum Investment:

$1,000

Sales Charge:

No-load

Fund Managers:

George Schwartz, founded Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc. in 1980 and is the portfolio manager of the Ave Maria Catholic Values Fund.

Gregory R. Heilman, is the co-manager of the Ave Maria Catholic Values Fund and is responsible for equity research functions for Schwartz Investment Counsel.

Richard Platte, Jr. has been the lead manager of the Ave Maria Rising Dividend Fund since May of 2005.

Timothy Schwartz has been the lead manager of the Ave Maria Opportunity Fund since May of 2006.

Background:

Managers of the Ave Maria Mutual Funds say they participate in “morally responsible” investing. The family’s first fund, the Ave Maria Catholic Values Fund, was started in 2001 after Dominoes Pizza owner Tom Monaghan, a devout Catholic, asked his money manager George Schwartz to create a Catholic mutual fund.

“He wanted me to screen out companies related to abortion,” says Schwartz. “We decided to put together a Catholic advisory board and the Catholic advisory board determined that we should also screen out a few other things that the Catholic Church is against, such as pornography, contributing to Planned Parenthood and offering non-marital partner benefits to employees. We screen out companies in those four categories.”

The advisory board includes high-profile figures such as CNBC commentator Lawrence Kudlow, former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, and political activist Phyllis Schlafly.

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