AVANTIS INVESTORS LAUNCHES ITS FIRST RESPONSIBLE ETFS

KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As it nears its third anniversary, Avantis Investors^®, a $10 billion* investment offering from global asset manager American Century Investments^®, today announced the further expansion of its investment capabilities with the launch of its first three environmental, social and governance (ESG) exchange traded funds (ETFs): Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity ETF (AVSU); Avantis Responsible International Equity ETF (AVSD); and Avantis Responsible Emerging Markets Equity ETF (AVSE). The three Responsible ETFs apply the financial science-based approach used across all of Avantis' investment strategies together with ESG considerations to create well diversified portfolios that can help investors achieve their investment goals. Each fund, listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE Arca, Inc.), relies on a proprietary systematic investment approach that combines the latest in financial science with common sense investment principles.

The Responsible U.S. Equity ETF and the Responsible International Equity ETF launched March 17, while the Responsible Emerging Markets ETF listed today.

"We are excited to provide three new broadly diversified, tax-efficient ETFs to allow investors to make sustainable investments – socially and environmentally conscious investments," said Eduardo Repetto, Avantis Chief Investment Officer. "We have priced these strategies in line with our conventional equity ETFs because we think that investors hoping to incorporate their ESG considerations into their investment portfolios should not have to endure higher fees."

The ETFs will be co-managed by Repetto and Senior Portfolio Managers Matthew Dubin, Mitchell Firestein, Daniel Ong, CFA, and Ted Randall.

Following is information on the new ETFs:

The new funds join Avantis Investors' lineup of 11 ETFs, most of which have corresponding mutual funds: Avantis Core Fixed Income; Avantis Core Municipal Fixed Income; Avantis Emerging Markets Equity; Avantis International Equity; Avantis International Small Cap Value; Avantis Short-Term  Fixed Income; Avantis U.S. Equity; Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value; Avantis International Large Cap Value ETF; Avantis Real Estate ETF; and Avantis U.S. Large Cap Value ETF .

Avantis Investors, established to help clients achieve their investment goals through a persistent focus on providing well-diversified investment solutions that fit seamlessly into asset allocations and combine the potential for added value with the reliability of indexing, is led by Repetto and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Keating, CFA, CPA.

 About American Century Investments
American Century Investments is a leading global asset manager focused on delivering investment results and building long-term client relationships while supporting breakthrough medical research. Founded in 1958, American Century Investments' 1,400 employees serve financial professionals, institutions, corporations and individual investors from offices in New York; London; Frankfurt; Hong Kong; Sydney; Mountain View, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo. Jonathan S. Thomas is president and chief executive officer, and Victor Zhang serves as chief investment officer. Delivering investment results to clients enables American Century Investments to distribute over 40 percent of its dividends to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a 500-person, non-profit basic biomedical research organization. The Institute owns more than 40 percent of American Century Investments and has received dividend payments of $1.8 billion since 2000. For more information about American Century Investments, visit www.americancentury.com.

*Assets under supervision as of 2/9/2022

You should consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before you invest. The fund's prospectus or summary prospectus, which can be obtained by visiting www.AvantisInvestors.com or calling 1-833-9AVANTIS, contains this and other information about the fund, and should be read carefully before investing. Investments are subject to market risk.

Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) are bought and sold through exchange trading at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the fund. Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.

AVSU, AVSD and AVSE only: The portfolio management team limits its investable universe of companies by screening out those that raise concerns based on the team's evaluation of multiple environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) metrics. The portfolio managers utilize ESG data from third party sources, as well as proprietary evaluations, to decide what securities should be excluded due to ESG concerns. Because the portfolio managers screen securities based on ESG characteristics, the fund may exclude the securities of certain issuers or industry sectors for other than financial reasons and, as a result, the fund may perform differently or maintain a different risk profile than the market generally or compared to funds that do not use similar ESG-based screens. Investing based on ESG considerations may also prioritize long term rather than short term returns. Due to the lack of regulation and uniform reporting standards with respect to ESG characteristics of issuers, ESG data may be inconsistent or inaccurate across sources. In addition, all relevant ESG data considered by the team may not be available for an issuer.

AVSU, AVSD and AVSE only: Historically, small cap stocks have been more volatile than the stock of larger, more-established companies. Smaller companies may have limited resources, product lines and markets, and their securities may trade less frequently and in more limited volumes than the securities of larger companies.

AVSD and AVSE only: International investing involves special risks, such as political instability and currency fluctuations.

AVSE only: International investing involves special risks, such as political instability and currency fluctuations. Investing in emerging markets may accentuate these risks.

These funds are actively managed ETFs that do not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index. To determine whether to buy or sell a security, the portfolio managers consider, among other things, various fund requirements and standards, along with economic conditions, alternative investments, interest rates and various credit metrics. If the portfolio manager considerations are inaccurate or misapplied, the fund's performance may suffer.

Investment return and principal value of security investments will fluctuate. The value at the time of redemption may be more or less than the original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as tax advice. Please consult your tax advisor for more detailed information or for advice regarding your individual situation.

• IRS Circular 230 Disclosure: American Century Companies, Inc. and its affiliates do not provide tax advice. Accordingly, any discussion of U.S. tax matters contained herein (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, in connection with the promotion, marketing or recommendation by anyone unaffiliated with American Century Companies, Inc. of any of the matters addressed herein or for the purpose of avoiding U.S. tax-related penalties.

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs): Foreside Fund Services, LLC, Distributor, not affiliated with American Century Investment Services, Inc.

Mutual Funds: American Century Investments Services, Inc., Distributor

©2022 American Century Proprietary Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact:          Laura Kouri
                        (816) 516-7729
                        Media Line
                        (816) 340-7033                      

SOURCE American Century Investments