ESG Investments

Many investors want to “do well and do good” for the environment, for society, and invest in companies that share their beliefs.

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Let’s make an investment and that is good for our community, our society and the planet.

A Good Investment that is Good For All of Us

Our team aligns a client’s personal financial plan with their personal values.

Financial goals

Personal financial plan

Personal values

Our investments are a vote

How we screen investments for ESG factors

What is ESG Investing?

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing is a global movement promoted by organizations as large as the United Nations and as small as your neighborhood investment managers, like us. ESG investments used to be called socially responsible investing (SRI), but this has evolved with technology and society. For us, ESG investing means doing well and doing good; we don’t believe we have to give up investment performance in order to invest in alignment with our values.

ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investing refers to a class of investing that is also known as “sustainable investing.” This is an umbrella term for investments that seek positive returns and long-term impact on society, environment and the performance of the business.

But can I make a difference?

On the one hand, we have seen our investment companies make large changes at small companies who are responsive to their shareholders. On the other hand, a small change at a huge company may make a very large difference—say by increasing diversity in hiring, or in reducing environmental waste.

Better Investments, Lower Risk

New research is coming out that shows that investors who consider ESG criteria may avoid companies with larger risks than their competition. As time passes, larger and larger investors are demanding accountability from companies for more than just financial performance.

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez sunk and caused massive pollution—but the stock price was not dramatically hurt—perhaps because ESG criteria were less important than today. More recently, the BP oil spill coincided with a precipitous decline in that stock’s price. ESG criteria are financial criteria—the “soft side” of business has a direct effect on the bottom line.

Exxon Valdez

BP Oil Spill

How we screen investments for ESG factors

Our History With ESG

We have been investing using “ESG” since 2009 on a client-by-client basis. Investing using ESG is:

Misunderstood by many people
Difficult for investors to do on their own
Popular, so many companies "green-wash" their actions to look good

It is particularly difficult to make investment decisions with small companies and international companies who do not report ESG factors.

How We Make ESG Investment Decisions

We use intellectual rigor and patented processes. We lean on our research partners to perform:

In-depth, in-person, on-site due diligence
Ongoing research using constantly improving technology
Make academically-proven, consistently high-conviction investment decisions

On Earth Day, 2019, we made our ESG core models available to a wider audience. We unveiled ESG portfolios that combine the best ideas of our researchers and investment platforms, just right for a larger number of clients.

How we screen investments for ESG factors

What We Believe

The right way to invest is to:

Diversify by strategy
Remain consistent
Maintain high conviction

What We Believe

Our Process, Our Promise

We are fiduciaries. In other words, we pledge to put your interests first. We promise that no one has a greater interest in your family’s success than our team. If there is a conflict of interest, we’ll tell you what it is. We use clear language and explain your options without sales pressure, allowing you to feel confident in your financial plans.

Investment Advice Videos

Learn more about how we provide meaningful investment advice to a small number of successful families and businesses.