Adam Curran shares his background growing up in a household focused on money and his journey to starting his own financial planning firm. He introduces the God Bless America ETF, which aims to provide conservative investors with an investment option that aligns with their values. He explains the screening process for selecting companies based on their political and social activism. Curran also discusses the weighting and selection of holdings within the ETF and the challenges of marketing the fund. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on business and returns for shareholders. Adam Curran discusses his firm Retire Y'all and the God Bless America ETF. He shares his inspiration behind creating Retire Y'all and the importance of investing in the American Dream. Curran emphasizes the need for financial education and building a community of investors. He also discusses the role of technology in investing and shares his vision for the future of Retire Y'all.
About Adam Curran and YALL
Adam Curran's background growing up in a household focused on money and his journey to starting his own financial planning firm
Investment Strategy and Approach
The God Bless America ETF aims to provide conservative investors with an investment option that aligns with their values
The screening process for selecting companies based on their political and social activism
Portfolio Construction and Implementation
The weighting and selection of holdings within the ETF and the challenges of marketing the fund Retire Y'all is a firm focused on helping people achieve their retirement goals.
The God Bless America ETF is an investment fund that supports American companies.
Investing in the American Dream is a key aspect of Retire Y'all's philosophy.
Financial education and building a community of investors are important for success in investing.
Technology plays a significant role in making investing more accessible and efficient.
Retire Y'all aims to continue growing and providing valuable resources for investors.
00:00 Background and Early Influences
05:00 The Inspiration Behind Retire Y'all
10:00 The God Bless America ETF
15:00 Investing in the American Dream
20:00 The Importance of Financial Education
25:00 Building a Community of Investors
30:00 The Role of Technology in Investing
35:00 The Future of Retire Y'all
40:00 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Deeper Dive: Insights from the Full Conversation
Beyond the headline strategy, the full conversation between Brad and Adam Curran covered several additional themes worth highlighting for advisors and investors.
On Process and Philosophy
They were investing in companies that I'm looking at going, this company is not in line with my values whatsoever. So we created the fund. I lived down here in Charleston. So we say y'all in the New York Times, anointed y'all the most inclusive of all pronouns. So I wanted to be inclusive because we're all about diversity, equity and inclusion around here. So we gave it the ticker y'all and why the heck not call it the God bless America ETF.
Today we have on Adam Carran, he is the founder of the God Bless America ETF, Ticker y'all, Y-A-L-L is a fund that focuses on US equities, however, has a filter and screen to eliminate those that are involved in political agendas and activism. He believes that businesses should be focused on doing business, rather than getting involved in public conversation around politics, and so he wants to only invest in those companies that he believes aligns with his core values of businesses staying involved in only business and focusing on the task at hand, which is delivering shareholder value.
Market Context and Positioning
There was some like biblical responsible funds, but the conservative funds were like just a bunch of crusty industrials and oil and gas companies. And I was like, well, all the growth from the markets have been coming out of the tech sector. We can't just put everyone's money and oil and gas and tell them to hang in there. They'll go up sooner or later. And then even some of the biblically responsible funds and funds that were a little bit more, I don't know, call them anti-woke.
I'm Brad Roth, Chief Investment Officer of Thor Financial Technologies, and portfolio manager of THLV, the Thor Low Volatility ETF. Behind the Ticker, uncovers the inner workings of the ETF industry. We will interview portfolio managers and ETF service providers to dive deep into their work lives and their businesses. We will learn the inner workings of their strategies and what drives them as they continue to grow their company. Many of these individuals are entrepreneurs, and will have unique and compelling insights to share as much goes on behind the Ticker.
I never had a cup of coffee and put all my money in shockful of nuts and would open up the newspaper every week and see that stock drop lower and lower and lower. And watched half of my wealth disappear, investing in a crappy coffee stock. So, I made a commitment at that point. I said, I'm never, ever, ever making an investment without doing a little research on my own and just started tracking the capital markets. And I was hooked like so many of us in this industry.
Notable Insights
"The biggest challenge I have quite frankly is finding quality tech names."
"The whole point of that company is to gather data, of course, make vehicles that drive with electric."
Key Takeaways
- He introduces the God Bless America ETF, which aims to provide conservative investors with an investment option that aligns with their values.
- He emphasizes the importance of focusing on business and returns for shareholders.
- Curran emphasizes the need for financial education and building a community of investors.
- Investing in the American Dream is a key aspect of Retire Y'all's philosophy.
- Retire Y'all aims to continue growing and providing valuable resources for investors.
What This Means for Advisors
For financial advisors evaluating options for client portfolios, this conversation with Adam Curran highlights important considerations around active management. Understanding the strategy behind each fund—not just the ticker—helps advisors make more informed allocation decisions and better communicate the rationale to clients.
The themes of active management and growth investing discussed in this episode are particularly relevant in the current market environment, where advisors are increasingly looking for differentiated solutions that go beyond traditional benchmarks.
Listen to the Full Episode
This article is based on an episode of Behind the Ticker, hosted by Brad Roth, Founder and CIO of THOR Financial Technologies. For the full conversation with Adam Curran, including additional nuances and details, listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube.