Frequently Asked Questions
What is Socially Responsible Investing (SRI)?
SRI is an investing practice that favors socially responsible companies when creating an investor’s portfolio. There are multiple factors to consider when looking at these companies, from those that work toward reducing pollution within their business activity to those that strive to achieve equality within their workforce.
Does practicing SRI mean that an investor will endure lower rates of return?
Not necessarily– rates of return are still very much related to an investment’s exposure to risk. In fact, SRI can actually be used as a mechanism to reduce risk. For example, an investor that has divested in companies with significant carbon emissions would have avoided enduring the recent volatility in the oil market.
What is the Financial Advocacy Movement (FAM)?
The Financial Advocacy Movement is the process of empowering investors to vote with their dollar. Whether it is divesting from companies that are in conflict with your personal values or promoting companies that are aligned, your money is a representation of yourself.
What does the Financial Advocacy Movement look like in practice?
Since individual values vary from person to person, FAM can take on many forms. Here are a few examples from our clients that we’ve been able to serve:
- Jackson R. is an adamant advocate for racial equality. It is important to him that his investment profit is not derived from the prison industry, further motivating the incentive to create criminals. As a new investor, we have ensured that he does not invest in any offending companies and created a plan for charitable giving to recidivism reduction programs.
- Jenn H. is a compassionate animal lover. It is important to her that she doesn’t support companies that contribute to deforestation or animal exploitation. We’ve been able to remove offending companies from her portfolio while adding companies that promote vegan values.
- Travis M. is a member of the LGBTQA+ community. It is important to him that he supports his community by investing in companies that create inclusion centered company cultures. We’ve been able to proactively identify these companies and encourage the continuance of these practices through proxy voting and stock ownership.
What is a fiduciary?
A fiduciary is a financial professional that has committed to a higher standard of care for their clients. In the financial profession, an advisor only has to do things that are good for their investors. So as long as the investor is making any positive progress, the investment advisor has done their duty. A fiduciary not only has to do what is good for the client, they have to do what is BEST for the client.