What is Integrity?

Integrity, derived from the Latin “integritas,” represents wholeness and completeness.  In the context of virtue, integrity represents an undivided will that seeks to do the right thing in all contexts.

We chose to name our firm Integrity Quantitative Advisors because we endeavor to unify the ideas of academic integrity with respect to our investment principles and moral integrity with respect to our Catholic identity.  Our mission, then, is to deliver the best ideas in academic finance to Catholic investors in such a way that does not compromise on moral integrity and offers a platform for evangelization. 

Here is how we think about these two core themes.

Academic Integrity with respect to investment principles 

Many investment managers, Catholic and secular alike, continue to deploy investment strategies that do not hold up to academic scrutiny.  Academia has provided decades of research critiquing the efficacy of fundamental active management (i.e. stock picking) and the hidden costs of pure indexing (passive investing).

Aristotle & St. Thomas Aquinas would be pleased to discover that the best approach lies somewhere in the middle: a flexible systematic investment process that takes measured tilts towards higher expected returns.   

Moral integrity with respect to our Catholic Identity

We believe that Catholics should integrate their faith and the moral teaching of the Church in every part of their lives including how they invest their material wealth. We should endeavor to uphold the basic right to life and human dignity when investing. We screen out companies that undermine those fundamental rights, and we engage with companies that show promise for improvement.