NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Bahnsen Group (TBG), a wealth management firm with $4.6 billion in assets under management, today announced the launch of the TBG Dividend Focus ETF (NYSE: TBG), a diversified actively managed exchange-traded fund that invests in publicly traded companies that have a long history of growing their dividend.
While dividends are an important ingredient for investment performance, the growth of the dividend is even more important, as companies that consistently grow their dividends provide investors with extra income and the potential for supercharged compounding interest. A company’s ability to grow its dividend consistently over time is also a strong indicator of its financial health.
“It is not nearly enough for a company to simply pay a dividend to shareholders. That dividend should be growing each and every year and far too many investors only pay attention to the dividend and not its growth rate,” said David Bahnsen, founder, managing partner, and chief investment officer of The Bahnsen Group, and portfolio manager of the TBG Dividend Focus ETF. “Dividend growth speaks volumes about the financial well-being and sustainability of a company and we want nothing to do with companies whose dividend is in jeopardy.”
TBG, which does not track any index, generally invests in 25 to 35 small-, mid- and large-cap companies that are primarily U.S.-based. The companies will generally maintain a dividend yield greater than the S&P 500’s average dividend yield with preference for companies that have grown their dividends by more than 5% per year over a five-to-seven year market cycle.
Companies are selected using bottom-up fundamental analysis, which includes criteria such as balance sheet strength, earnings growth, leverage ratios, free cash flows and payout ratios, and the rate at which a company distributes earnings to shareholders. The company’s management team and its track record of strategically allocating company capital is also considered.
Companies in TBG are sold if their dividend declines notably, if the investment thesis for the company crumbles, or if the company’s management fails to maintain or grow its dividend.
“Selectivity is critical in dividend growth investing, as not all dividends are created equal,” Bahnsen added. “We pride ourselves on the rigorous research-based approach to our dividend growth investing philosophy, which centers on meticulously examining a company’s financials and fundamentals. We strongly embrace diligence and homework.”
For more information, please visit www.tbgdividendgrowth.com.
The Bahnsen Group will serve as portfolio manager for the fund under Madison Avenue Financial Solutions LLC as sub-advisor. Empowered Funds dba EA Advisors is Fund Advisor.
About The Bahnsen Group
The Bahnsen Group is a national wealth management firm with $4.6 billion in assets under management and seven U.S. office locations (Newport Beach, California; New York City; Minneapolis; Nashville; Bend, Oregon; Austin, TX; and Phoenix, AZ).
The Bahnsen Group was founded in April 2015 by David L. Bahnsen, who previously spent eight years as a Chairman’s Club Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and seven years as a First Vice President at UBS Financial Services. Mr. Bahnsen was ranked #1 in Southern California (Private Wealth) on the annual Forbes/SHOOK Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list of 2023.
Mr. Bahnsen serves on the Board of Directors for the National Review Institute and is a Founding Trustee for Pacifica Christian High School of Orange County. He is the author of several best-selling books including Crisis of Responsibility: Our Cultural Addiction to Blame and How You Can Cure It (2018), The Case for Dividend Growth: Investing in a Post-Crisis World (2019), and There's No Free Lunch: 250 Economic Truths (2021). His next book Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life is expected to be published in February 2024 by Post Hill Press.
With 60 team members, The Bahnsen Group serves multiple market segments and has a special focus on dividend growth equity investing. They seek to create abundant intellectual capital for their clients and take particular pride in their significant focus on thought leadership and content creation.
HighTower Advisors, LLC is a SEC registered investment advisor. Securities offered through HighTower Securities, LLC member FINRA/SIPC.
Disclaimers
The Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. This and other important information is contained in the prospectus, which may be obtained by following the links Prospectus and SAI or by calling +1.215.882.9983. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
Investments involve risk. Principal loss is possible.
The Fund is actively-managed and is subject to the risk that the strategy may not produce the intended results. The Fund is new and has a limited operating history to evaluate.
ETFs may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value. ETF shares may only be redeemed at NAV by authorized participants in large creation units. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for shares will exist. The trading of shares may incur brokerage.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decision. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size. Small- and Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. The securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies.
The securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole.
This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. We make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein including third-party data sources. The views expressed are as of the publication date and subject to change at any time. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication without express written permission. References to other funds should not to be interpreted as an offer or recommendation of these securities.
The Fund is distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC. The fund’s investment advisor is Empowered Funds, LLC, which is doing business as EA Advisers.
