Inspire Investing has become the world’s largest provider of biblically responsible ETFs, managing over $4 billion in assets and offering nine ETFs designed for Christians who want their investments to align with their faith. But does Inspire deliver on its promise of competitive returns with genuine biblical screening? This comprehensive review examines Inspire’s complete product lineup, proprietary screening methodology, advisory services, fee structure, recent SEC settlement, and overall suitability for different types of Christian investors.
Company Overview and History
Inspire Investing was founded in August 2015 by Robert Netzly, who serves as President and CEO. Netzly, who previously worked at Wells Fargo Investments from 2008 to 2011, founded Inspire with the vision of making biblically responsible investing (BRI) accessible and affordable through the ETF structure. He is also the author of “Biblically Responsible Investing: On Wall Street As It Is In Heaven,” which outlines the theological and practical case for faith-based investing.
The company’s growth has been remarkable. From its founding in 2015, Inspire has grown to manage $4.275 billion in total assets under management as of January 2026—crossing the $3 billion milestone in September 2024 and growing 11.5% in AUM during 2024 alone. This trajectory has earned Inspire significant recognition: the company ranked #218 in the Financial Times’ “Americas’ Fastest-Growing Companies 2025” list (having appeared on the list three of the last four years, ranking higher than companies like Amazon, Shopify, and DocuSign), and has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for six consecutive years, most recently at #3,783 overall and #247 in financial services.
Inspire is part of the Inspire Impact Group and operates as an employee-owned firm. The company’s mission statement—”to inspire people and mobilize capital to further God’s kingdom on earth”—positions it not merely as a financial services company but as a ministry with a financial services model. This dual identity shapes everything from product design to marketing to corporate culture.
The Inspire Impact Score: How Screening Works
At the heart of Inspire’s investment approach is the proprietary Inspire Impact Score, a numerical rating system that evaluates every company on a scale from -100 to +100. Understanding this methodology is essential for any investor considering Inspire’s products.
The scoring process works in two phases. First, exclusionary screens are applied. Companies receive negative scores—and automatic exclusion—for involvement in abortion (producing or distributing abortifacient drugs, operating or funding abortion facilities, fetal tissue research), pornography and adult entertainment, gambling operations, alcohol production and major distribution, tobacco manufacturing and retail, human rights violations (child labor, forced labor, exploitative practices), cannabis cultivation and distribution, and corporate advocacy for LGBT causes that conflict with traditional biblical teaching on sexual ethics.
Companies that pass the exclusionary screens then receive positive scores based on how they serve customers, communities, their workforce, and society at large. Positive scoring factors include ethical corporate governance, community investment and charitable giving, environmental stewardship, fair labor practices, family-friendly workplace policies, and contributions to human flourishing through their products and services. Companies scoring zero or above are eligible for inclusion in Inspire’s portfolios, with those scoring closest to +100 receiving the strongest consideration.
Inspire provides an online tool called Inspire Insight that allows investors to look up the Impact Score for individual companies and understand how scores are determined. This transparency is a significant advantage—investors can verify that the screening methodology aligns with their own convictions before investing.
It’s important to note, however, that the Impact Score methodology is ultimately subjective—different Christians may disagree about how companies should be evaluated on these criteria. Additionally, as discussed in the SEC settlement section below, Inspire has faced scrutiny about the consistency of its screening application.
Complete ETF Lineup
Inspire currently offers nine ETFs spanning U.S. equity, international equity, fixed income, and multi-asset strategies. Here is a comprehensive overview of each fund.
Inspire 500 ETF (PTL). This is Inspire’s flagship low-cost fund and largest ETF with approximately $646 million in assets. PTL tracks the 500 largest U.S. companies that pass Inspire’s biblical screening, making it the Christian equivalent of an S&P 500 index fund. With an expense ratio of just 0.09%, PTL matches the cost of mainstream index ETFs like SPY. For cost-conscious investors seeking broad U.S. large-cap exposure with faith-based screening, PTL represents the best value in the Christian ETF space. One-year return: 14.36%.
Inspire 100 ETF (BIBL). BIBL concentrates on the 100 large-cap U.S. companies with the highest Inspire Impact Scores, holding approximately $363.6 million in assets with a 0.35% expense ratio. This more concentrated approach means BIBL differs more significantly from conventional benchmarks than PTL. Performance has been impressive: BIBL posted a 29.3% one-year return and 18.6% annualized three-year return. Notably, BIBL has maintained S&P 500-competitive performance despite not holding any “Magnificent Seven” technology stocks—a remarkable achievement during a period when those stocks drove much of the market’s gains.
Inspire International ETF (WWJD). WWJD provides international developed market exposure with approximately $419.6 million in assets and a 0.66% expense ratio. In 2025, WWJD delivered a standout 29.27% return, significantly outperforming the MSCI World Index’s 21.63%. For investors seeking international diversification with biblical screening, WWJD is the largest and most established option available.
Inspire Small/Mid Cap Impact ETF (ISMD). ISMD covers U.S. small and mid-cap companies with approximately $229.9 million in assets and a 0.57% expense ratio. Small-cap performance has been more volatile, with a 2025 return of 4.13% compared to the Russell 2000’s 12.79%. Small-cap BRI funds face a particular challenge: with fewer companies to choose from after screening, maintaining adequate diversification in the smaller-company universe is more difficult than in large-cap.
Inspire Corporate Bond ETF (IBD). IBD offers investment-grade corporate bond exposure with a 0.43% expense ratio and approximately $453.6 million in assets. The fund’s 2025 return of 7.69% tracked closely with the Bloomberg Corporate Bond Index’s 7.77%, confirming that faith-based bond screening produces returns comparable to conventional fixed income benchmarks.
Inspire Fidelis Multi Factor ETF (FDLS). This small-cap multi-factor fund applies quantitative factor investing (value, momentum, quality) alongside biblical screening. FDLS earned a 5-star Morningstar rating for its 3-year period and delivered a strong 22.47% return in 2025, making it one of Inspire’s best-performing funds.
Inspire Tactical Balanced ETF (RISN). RISN is actively managed, tactically shifting between U.S. stocks and bonds based on market conditions. With a 0.84% expense ratio—Inspire’s highest—RISN appeals to investors who want a single-fund solution with active risk management alongside biblical screening.
Inspire Growth ETF (GLRY). A growth-oriented fund that returned 16.50% in 2025, GLRY focuses on high-growth U.S. companies that score well on biblical alignment.
Inspire Advisors: Advisory Services
Beyond its ETF products, Inspire operates Inspire Advisors, a registered investment advisor (RIA) regulated by the SEC. Inspire Advisors provides personalized portfolio management for investors who want professional guidance in constructing and maintaining a biblically responsible investment portfolio.
Advisory fees range from 0.50% to 2.00% of assets under management annually, with declining rates for larger account balances. The average client balance is approximately $271,289. Inspire Advisors was recently ranked among America’s Top RIAs for 2025 by Financial Advisor Magazine.
For investors who prefer a hands-off approach, Inspire Advisors offers managed portfolios constructed from Inspire’s own ETFs and other screened investments. For those comfortable managing their own investments, Inspire’s ETFs can be purchased through any standard brokerage account without using advisory services—and without paying the additional advisory fee.
The advisory service makes the most sense for investors with substantial portfolios who want customized asset allocation, tax-loss harvesting, retirement planning integration, and ongoing portfolio monitoring—all through a biblical lens. For investors simply seeking low-cost Christian market exposure, purchasing PTL or other Inspire ETFs directly through a brokerage is the more cost-effective approach.
The 2024 SEC Settlement: What Happened
In September 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Inspire Investing with violations of the antifraud provisions of both the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Inspire agreed to pay a $300,000 penalty and retain an independent compliance consultant.
The SEC’s findings centered on Inspire’s screening methodology. According to the settlement, from 2019 through March 2024, Inspire represented that it used a data-driven methodology to evaluate companies for biblical alignment but actually relied primarily on manual research processes. The SEC found that Inspire did not typically perform individual company research for eligibility evaluation and lacked written policies and procedures for company evaluation during this period.
What this means for investors: the settlement revealed a gap between Inspire’s marketed methodology and its actual practices during that period. Inspire neither admitted nor denied the findings but agreed to improve its compliance infrastructure and disclosures. The settlement does not mean Inspire’s screening was ineffective or that its funds held inappropriate companies—but it does mean the process for ensuring compliance was less rigorous than represented to investors.
Since the settlement, Inspire has hired an independent compliance consultant and committed to strengthening its screening procedures and documentation. Investors considering Inspire should monitor whether these improvements result in more consistent and transparent screening going forward. The incident serves as a useful reminder that all faith-based investment claims should be evaluated critically, not taken at face value.
Who Should Consider Inspire
Inspire is well-suited for: cost-conscious Christian investors seeking the lowest-fee biblical ETF options (PTL at 0.09% is unmatched), investors who want a complete ETF lineup covering all major asset classes with consistent screening methodology, evangelical Christians whose values align with Inspire’s specific screening categories (including screens on corporate LGBT advocacy), investors building do-it-yourself portfolios through standard brokerage accounts, and those who value the transparency of the Inspire Impact Score system.
Inspire may not be ideal for: Catholic investors who need screening specifically aligned with Catholic moral teaching (consider Ave Maria Funds or Global X’s CATH ETF instead), investors who prioritize the strictest possible biblical screening (Timothy Plan applies broader criteria), those seeking actively managed strategies with strong track records (consider Eventide’s Gilead Fund), investors uncomfortable with the SEC settlement and wanting providers with longer compliance track records, and those needing 403(b) retirement plan access (consider GuideStone).
The Bottom Line
Inspire Investing has established itself as the dominant force in Christian ETFs through competitive pricing, a comprehensive product lineup, and strong marketing. The Inspire 500 ETF (PTL) at 0.09% is arguably the single best value in faith-based investing, providing broad U.S. large-cap exposure with biblical screening at a cost that matches mainstream index funds. The broader ETF lineup provides tools for constructing a complete, diversified, biblically-screened portfolio.
The 2024 SEC settlement is a legitimate concern that warrants monitoring, but it hasn’t undermined Inspire’s fundamental product offering. For evangelical investors seeking low-cost, transparent, biblically responsible investing through ETFs, Inspire remains the leading option in the market.
As with any investment decision, Inspire’s products should be evaluated within the context of your complete financial picture—including your budget, debt situation, giving practices, and overall stewardship goals. No single investment product, however well-screened, substitutes for a comprehensive, prayerful approach to managing the resources God has entrusted to you.