Investment performance is not our main goal. Nevertheless, we believe financial rewards often result for companies whose management teams pursue a values-driven approach to business. Therefore, if we maintain our "values first" approach to stock selection we feel we have a reasonable opportunity for satisfactory financial results.  

-Carter LeCraw, CEO

 

	1 year	3 years (annual)	5 years (annual)	Since Inception 4/30/04 (simple)	Since inception 12/31/09 (simple)
American Hero Equity	+6.17	+26.99	+4.44	+77.76	na
American Hero Index	+4.86	na	na	na	+40.30
Wilshire 5000 Equal Weight (main benchmark)	+1.02	+33.71	+2.71	+77.35	+25.92
S&P 500 Total Return	+8.54	+23.42	2.01	+49.63	+32.30

 

Disclosures

1. Figures are shown as percentages (%).
2. An allowance of 1% per annum for fees and/or expenses has been deducted from both models which reflects an estimate of fees charged by American Values Investments. Most financial advisors will charge additional fees. No fees were deducted from the benchmark return figures.
3. The primary benchmark is the Wilshire 5000 Index Equal Weight which contains over 6,500 stocks that trade in the U.S. including issues on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), NASDAQ Stock Market, and the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). It is often referred to as the 'Total Market Index' because it covers a wide variety of publicly traded companies. Performance assumes all dividends are reinvested; you cannot invest directly in the index. We use an "equal weighted" index as a benchmark because once each year we adjust all of our holdings so that each individual stock postiion represents an equal dollar amount (or close to an equal dollar amount) of the portfolio.
4. We believe the Wilshire 5000 Equal Weight index is a reasonable benchmark on which to evaluate the financial effectiveness of our individual equity selections. The S&P 500 Total Return Index is shown to give an idea of how an "equal weighted" strategy might compare to some of the more traditional "cap weighted" indexes.
5. The above figures were computed by a third party, Bridge Portfolio. They reflect the performance of our models which is not necessarily the composite performance of all accounts invested in these models.
6. One, three and five year figures are annual percentage returns. The "since inception" returns are simple, cumulative returns.
7. The figures are not audited and do not represent performance of individual accounts.
8. The performance is based on an investment of $100,000 at inception and includes market appreciation/depreciation and dividends.
9. The American Hero Equity Model is a concentrated (20-30 stocks) selected exclusively from the American Hero Universe, equal weighted representing at least 7 of 10 sectors as defined by Standard & Poor's. The stocks can range from small to large and from value to growth as defined by Morningstar. Any sector represented is at least 50% of the S&P 500 weighting and no more than 200%. No stock represents more than 5% of the model at initial purchase. The model is rebalanced annually. The stocks are selected based on a proprietary investment merit analysis based on 10 -15 fundamental matrices.
10. The American Hero Index Model consists of the total American Hero Company Universe of approximately 112 public companies. To be included in the American Hero Universe a company must score a minimum 380 out of 500 on a proprietary analysis of the company's corporate culture. The analysis focuses on the four key values of Integrity, Humility, Diligence, and Caring.
11. Past performance is no assurance of future results. Investing in equity markets involves risk; you could lose a significant portion or all of your original investment. All recommendations are based on our experience and may or may not have been profitable in the past, now or in the future. These performance figures may not reflect the impact that material economic and market factors might have had on our decision making if we had actually managed clients' accounts.