Ethical Invest Podcast: Recent Episodes
Alexandra Brown
Welcome to the Ethical Invest Podcast, loved by advisers, investors, and finance professionals. Your time to catch up on the latest tips, trends, research, and action steps for incorporating ethical and responsible investments in financial advice and investment portfolios. I’m Alexandra Brown, and I support financial advisers to build their ESG and ethical investment toolkit, so they can deliver powerful, impactful advice with confidence.
#AMA4EIW
For the fifth and final question in the Ask Me Anything for Ethical Investment Week series, we look at different styles of questions that financial advisers can use for client conversations about ethical investment preferences.
We discuss in detail the following types of questionnaires:
- Open-ended questions about the issues that your client may wish to avoid or preference in their portfolio.
- Using a list of ethical preferences and determining whether your client wants to support, avoid, or analyse further.
- Uncovering your client's ESG profile - the environmental, social, and governance issues that matter most to your client, and the materiality thresholds that make for some juicy discussions.
- Letting your client rank the issues that matter most to them. A helpful first step in determining the ethical and responsible investment products that would best match your client's needs and values.
As a special promotion for Ethical Investment Week, you can access a set of four easy-to-use client questionnaire templates for 50% off using code EIW50.
The templates are delivered in MS Word format so they are completely editable and flexible.
Advisers can add their branding colours and fonts, logo, and adjust the questions to create a questionnaire that is unique to them and their clients. The templates come with easy-to-follow video instructions.
Also mentioned in this episode, is the Ethical Advice Accelerator VIP Waitlist. The Accelerator program is the most efficient and comprehensive way for a financial adviser to incorporate ESG and ethical investing in advice and discussions with clients. Jump on the list to save, and be first to know when enrolments open for the February 2022 program.
#AMA4EIW
For question four in the Ask Me Anything for Ethical Investment Week series, we look at best practice for fund managers when communicating with ethical investment advisers.
We focus on two forms of communication:
- Adviser briefings and presentations
- Your website (the most significant communication tool a fund manager has with advisers)
Key takeaway for fund managers - conduct an audit of your website and see if you have the following:
- Holdings disclosed for each unique fund
- Voting records for each unique fund (listen out for a bonus tip!)
- Clear policies
- Engagement report
- Extra helpful resources
- Easy-to-navigate website
If you're an adviser and would like to get confident with researching ethical and responsible investment products, and avoid greenwashing, then register for the Ethical Advice Accelerator VIP Waitlist. The Accelerator program is the most efficient and comprehensive way for a financial adviser to incorporate ESG and ethical investing in advice and discussions with clients.
#AMA4EIW
For question three in the Ask Me Anything for Ethical Investment Week series, we look at resources for financial advisers to combat greenwashing.
We cover Alexandra's top three resources:
Ethical Advisers' Co-op Leaf Ratings
Ethos' Impact Ratings
RIAA's Responsible Returns Tool
If you're an adviser and would like to get confident with understanding ethical and responsible investment products, and avoid greenwashing, then register for the Ethical Advice Accelerator VIP Waitlist. The Accelerator program is the most efficient and comprehensive way for a financial adviser to build their ESG and ethical investment toolkit.
#AMA4EIW
For question two in the Ask Me Anything for Ethical Investment Week series, we look at how to avoid greenwashing and see if a managed fund stacks up to your ethical preferences.
We look at the four key ways you can avoid greenwashing: holdings, voting, policies, and engagement.
For Ethical Investment Week, the Ethical Advisers' Co-op is running a 7-week challenge, giving you tips and hints around ethical and responsible investing.
This is week two of the challenge, and your quest (if you choose to accept), is to: Contact your super fund or companies that you invest in and ask them what they are doing about environmental and social issues.
If you're an investor and would like to learn more about how to incorporate ethical and responsible investing in your super and investments, speak to your financial adviser about the social and environmental issues that matter most to you.
If you're an adviser and would like to provide advice that incorporates sustainability, and your client's values, then register for the Ethical Advice Accelerator VIP Waitlist. The Accelerator program is the most efficient and comprehensive way for a financial adviser to build their ESG and ethical investment toolkit.
#AMA4EIW
For question one in the Ask Me Anything for Ethical Investment Week series, we look at defining ethical and responsible investment, and the different techniques that can be used.
If you want to find out a bit more about ethical and responsible investing approaches, head to the Responsible Investing Association of Australasia website and check out their RIAA spectrum.
As a financial adviser, you have the opportunity to incorporate engagement and client advocacy in your advice and service offering. To find out how, check out the annual report by the Ethical Advisers' Co-op.
If you're an investor and would like to learn more about how to incorporate ethical and responsible investing in your super and investments, speak to your financial adviser about the social and environmental issues that matter most to you.
In this episode we’ll be talking about Ethical Investment Week 2021. Now in its eighth year, Ethical Investment Week highlights and communicates the objectives and benefits of ethical investments. Ethical Investment Week is co-ordinated by the Ethical Adviser's Co-op, a group of leading financial experts and ethical advisers. Let’s find out about the great events being held across Australia and NZ.
Ethical Investment Week Events
- Seminar: Wayfinding for Ethical Investment - Integrating Professor Chellie Spiller’s wayfinding research and Dr Rodger Spiller’s ethical investment research, the seminar will be a journey of discovery for ethical investors.
- The Green Dream Podcast: Juukan Gorge, Green Capital & Hunter Gatherer Mythbusting – a discussion with Kado Muir, Aboriginal artist, anthropologist and Indigenous rights activist.
- Tree Planting with Cubberla-Witton Catchment Network - Ethical Investment Advisers, Queensland.
- Ethical Invest Podcast series: #AMA4EIW - Ask Me Anything for Ethical Investment Week - Alexandra Brown answers some interesting and exciting questions around ethical investing, sustainable finance, greenwashing, and financial advice.
An introduction into the Ethical Invest Podcast.
Subscribe to receive helpful tips, trends, research, and action steps for incorporating ESG, sustainability, and ethical preferences in investments and financial advice.
Tune in to this first episode, and meet your host Alexandra Brown.
Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:
Altiorem
Ethical Advice Accelerator
GSIA Global Sustainable Investment Review 2020
$2.5 trillion financing gap to achieve SDGs
Source for investment chain image - Altiorem summary
Schroders Global Investor Study - Altiorem summary
RIAA consumer expectations and demand for RI in Australia