Sustainable & Responsible
Meet your Financial Goals
AND Reflect your Philosophies
Our passion is to deliver highly customized, personal financial planning to all our clients. We believe one critical aspect of that work is to develop an investment plan that not only meets your financial goals, but also reflects your core social, environmental, or spiritual philosophies.
Do you want to avoid investing in tobacco or gambling companies? Do you want to invest in companies that include women in board and leadership positions? Do you want to avoid companies that make pesticides harmful to bees? Do you want to invest in renewable energy companies? These are just a few of the criteria we can apply when devising your investment plan. Let us examine your portfolio to see how closely your current investments line up with your values.
Of course, investors with societal and environmental concerns pursue the same goals as all investors: generating income or growth in their investments and/or preserving capital for future needs. It’s why we apply the same financial analysis to sustainable and responsible investments as we do to others. We can recommend a variety of investment vehicles that can accommodate your personal values, as well as your investment objectives.
The world of sustainable and responsible investing (SRI) has evolved dramatically in the past twenty years. Originally termed “socially responsible investing,” SRI generally referred to avoiding investment in companies that profit from products or activities that are “undesirable” in the eyes of an investor based on their moral or ethical values. Tobacco, weapons, alcohol, gambling, and nuclear power are examples.
Investing while carefully considering environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) is a more fully integrated approach to selecting investments than simply screening out entire industries. This takes investment selection a step further in looking at best practices in corporate behavior such as efficient use of resources, fair treatment of employees, and high standards for corporate governance. Investing in companies that score well on ESG factors is also considered a way to help mitigate potential financial risk from a company facing regulatory fines or tarnished public perception from negative business practices.
Impact investing refers to investing capital with the intent to create a positive impact on society. This is primarily used by institutional investors (charitable foundations and endowments). A notable example is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation investing to save lives by improving vaccine coverage for children in poor countries. Impact investing is not done for direct financial gain.
Thematic investing is a strategy that allows investment into specific issues such as alternative energy, clean water or gender diversity in management that is seen by investors as important to society and potentially profitable.
The quality and variety of sustainable and responsible investments today is outstanding. Whether you want to incorporate a select few sustainable investments or create a full-portfolio focused on environmental, social and governance factors, we can be your guide. We’ve been helping clients do this since 1999. Let us help you.
Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of the strategy selected. Sustainable/Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) considered qualitative environmental, social and corporate governance, also known as ESG criteria, which may be subjective in nature. There are additional risks associated with Sustainable/Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), including limited diversification and the potential for increased volatility. There is no guarantee that SRI products or strategies will produce returns similar to traditional investments. Because SRI criteria exclude certain securities/products for non-financial reasons, investors may forgo some market opportunities available to those who do not use these criteria. Investors should consult their investment professional prior to making an investment decision.
