Jim Roach joins Sphere as Head of Business Development

Boston, MA - Jim Roach, former Senior Vice President of Retirement Strategies at Natixis Investment Managers, has joined fintech company Sphere to help grow the assets under management in its climate-friendly index fund the Sphere 500 Climate Fund (SPFFX) and future products. He brings decades of experience in growing assets in mutual fund products, most recently as SVP for Natixis’ ESG target-date funds and as Head of Sales for Natixis Canada.

Sphere is on a mission to make climate-friendly investing available to everyone. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, one third of global investment dollars are invested in ESG products. In Greg Iacurci's CNBC article he shares that despite the overall rise in ESG investments, that number is below 1% in Defined Contribution plans. Sphere is on a mission to make it easy for employers to offer values-aligned investment products in their retirement savings plans with its index products that they created to check all the boxes that fiduciaries look for in defined contribution investment menus. 

“We are proud to be adding Jim to the Sphere team,” said Alexandra Wright-Gladstein, CEO of Sphere. “He brings years of Defined Contribution experience and decades of mutual fund distribution experience to the team.” 

In 2021, Sphere launched its first product, the Sphere 500 Climate Fund (ticker: SPFFX). Its simple indexed strategy offered at 7 bps invests in the top 500 US companies by market capitalization and excludes fossil fuel companies from that list. SPFFX also votes its shares using the proxy voting service As You Vote offered by non-profit As You Sow in collaboration with Broadridge.

“I am excited to join Sphere to help raise assets and build what I believe is a transformative company in an evolving values-driven investment landscape,” said Roach.  

About Sphere

Sphere is a registered public benefit corporation that is on a mission to get climate-friendly investment options in every 401(k). The company sponsors climate-friendly financial products that are designed for 401(k) plans, allowing retirement plan fiduciaries to maintain their commitment to fiduciary duty without having to compromise on climate. Learn more at www.oursphere.org. For more information reach out to hello@oursphere.org. ‍

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To learn more about investing in the Sphere 500 Climate Fund: www.oursphere.org/fund

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Before investing in the Sphere 500 Climate Fund (“SPFFX”), consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. To obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus which contains this and other information, please visit https://www.oursphere.org/fund, call 844-2-SPHERE, or talk to your financial advisor. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. 

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The Sphere 500 Climate Fund tracks The Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index. The Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index starts with the top 500 US companies by market capitalization and then excludes those companies designated as participants in the fossil fuel industry. The Sphere 500 Fossil-Free Index will not invest in companies whose main lines of business include producing, distributing, or refining fossil fuels, holding reserves of fossil fuels, utilities that are primarily fossil fuel-powered, and producers of equipment for any of the above. However, the fund may invest in companies that use fossil fuel as a part of their business or have used fossil fuels in the past. The performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Index returns do not reflect the effects of fees or expenses. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance, please call 844-2-SPHERE or visit the Fund’s website at https://www.oursphere.org/fund. Index performance is discussed for illustrative purposes only as a benchmark for each strategy’s performance and does not predict or depict performance of that strategy. While index comparisons may be useful to provide a benchmark for a strategy’s performance, it must be noted that investments are not limited to the investments comprising the indices. Each of the strategy benchmark indices are unmanaged and cannot be purchased directly by investors. Past performance does not guarantee future results. No portion of the content should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell shares of the fund in any jurisdiction where the solicitation or offer would be deemed unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The Sphere 500 Climate Fund is distributed by Vigilant Distributors, LLC, member of FINRA and SIPC, which is not affiliated with Sphere or SPFFX.  NOT FDIC INSURED NOT BANK GUARANTEED MAY LOSE VALUE

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Additional Principal Risk Information

In addition to possibly not achieving your investment goals, you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. The following principal risks are applicable to investments in the Fund:  • Sustainability Considerations Risk: Sustainability Criteria such as environmental criteria (e.g., fossil fuel screens) applied to the Index’s construction may limit the number of investment opportunities available to the Fund, and as a result, the Fund may produce more modest gains than funds that are not subject to similar investment considerations. • General or Recent Market Risk. The market value of a security may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than the price originally paid for it, or less than it was worth at an earlier time. • New Fund Risk. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size which could lead to the liquidation of the Fund • Common Stock Risk. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change.• Large Capitalization Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies or valuations could lead investors to migrate to the stocks of small and mid-sized companies. • Mid-Capitalization Risk. Mid-cap companies may be more volatile than, generally trade in lower volumes, are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes, are more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments have limited product lines, markets, financial resources, and management personnel and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to large-capitalization companies. • Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry, or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. • New Index Provider Risk. The Index is new and OurSphere.org has not previously been an index provider.• Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. • Cybersecurity Risk: The Fund is susceptible to operational, information security, and related risks.  • Third Party Data Risk. The composition of the Index and the Fund is dependent on proprietary Third-Party Data. • Tracking Error Risk. The performance of the Fund and the Index may vary for a variety of reasons.  • Operational Risk including human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes.