| Media
Center
Following is a list of press releases, media
coverage of FAFN and SRI topics, and publications by FAFN staff and Members more
than 12 months old. Select a title to view the entire piece or a summary with
a link to the piece.
March 2007
Socially Responsible Investing: Myth vs. Reality
March 2007
Caring Capitalism
March 2007
Socially Responsible Investing: Myth vs. Reality (PDF)
March 2007
UN Principles for Responsible Investment Attract Signatories Worth $7 Trillion
December 2006
Sustainable and Responsible Investing: Transforming the Global Economy
October 2006
What's the Next Step for Socially Responsible Investing: Revolution or Evolution?
October 2006
What's the Next Step for Socially Responsible Investing? Revolution or Evolution? (PDF)
July 2006
Enlightened Self-Interest
From Natural Life Magazine July/August, 2006
Put Your Money Where Your Conscience Is
July 2006
U.N. Launches Principles for Responsible Investment
July 25, 2006
Socially Responsible Niche Untapped: TIAA-Cref
May 2006
Shareholder Democracy
August 2006
Past Performance Often a Poor Predictor of Future Results
April 24, 2006
Trends in Socially Responsible Investment
March 2006
Another SRI Myth Busted
February 2006
Corporations and the Public Interest
February 2006
Socially responsible investment options gaining ground: Improved SRI performance
January 26, 2006
Social Investment Forum Trends Report Tracks Rises and Falls of Socially Responsible Investing
January 3, 2006
Creation Care
Jan. 2006
Values-Based Investing: The Reality
November 14, 2005
Toward a More Perfect Union: SRI and Traditional Financial Planning
October 10, 2005
Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities for Investors
September 12, 2005
Caring Capitalism
August 8, 2005
Making a Difference with Your Money: Socially Responsible Investing in the U.S.
August 3rd, 2005
Helping Your Portfolio, Not the World: The Case for Socially Responsible Funds
Summer 2005
Retirement Investment, Fiduciary Obligations, and Socially Responsible Investing
July 29, 2005
Socially conscious investing becoming more common.
May 29, 2005
The do-gooders of Wall Street; Growing area of investment sees its share of complications
Earth Day 2005
Yahoo! Celebrates 35 Years of Earth Day with Comprehensive Eco-Friendly Resource Site
April 2005
SRI Funds Vote Proxies More Conscientiously Than Conventional Funds on Corporate Governance
March 2005
A Passion For Values
February 2005
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTING ADVANCED ON MULTIPLE FRONTS IN 2004, SETTING STAGE FOR MORE PROGRESS IN 2005
February 2005
Divine Profits
October 2004
Social Investing Sector Moving Forward, Coming Together: Report on SRI in the Rockies Conference
October 19, 2004
Fund manager seeks value with social responsibility
Fall 2004
Heart and Money: Finding an SRI Advisor That's Right For You
August 1, 2004
A Matter of Opinion
April 30, 2004
TIAA-CREF Is Unlikely to Create Social Fund With Activists
March/April 2004
Working Capital
Spring 2004
2003 Mutual Fund Review
December 2003
2003 Report on Socially Responsible Investing Trends in the United States
Volume 10 Number 1 Spring-Summer 2003
Fiduciary Duty and Socially Responsible Investing
November 2002
Shared Values
November 2002
Corporate Character Analysis
First half of 2002
Do well by doing good; how you can invest responsibly
November/December 2001
FAFN Grows a Nationwide Network for SRI
August 8, 2001
Social Fund Assets in the U.S. May Top a Quarter of a Trillion Dollars in Ten Years
August 9, 2001
Raising Conscience, Assets of "Social" Funds
August 8, 2001
US social fund assets seen tripling by 2011.
July/August 2001
Investing in a Bear Market
March 2007
Socially Responsible Investing: Myth vs. Reality
There are a number of persistent myths that we in the socially responsible investment community must face down every day. The list of common misperceptions includes the belief that socially responsible portfolios must underperform, and the idea that socially conscious investors are anti-capitalist.
Harry Moran.
Greenbiz.com.
March 2007
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March 2007
Caring Capitalism
Capitalism has proved an incredible boon to society. Thanks to capitalism's
emphasis on competition, we've reaped the benefits of increased productivity
and the continuous pursuit of innovation and research. But capitalism can
have its dark side?in the short-sightedness that allows unscrupulous
companies to pollute the air we breath and the water we drink, or to exploit
workers and communities.
Steve Schueth.
March 2007
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March 2007
Socially Responsible Investing: Myth vs. Reality (PDF)
There are a number of persistent myths that we who serve socially conscious
investors must face down every day. The list of common misperceptions includes
the belief that socially responsible portfolios must underperform, and the silly
idea that socially conscious investors are anti-capitalist.
Steve Schueth.
March 2007
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March 2007
UN Principles for Responsible Investment Attract Signatories Worth $7 Trillion
Socially responsible investment strategies serve as the foundation for the
United Nations? Principles for Responsible Investment introduced in the spring
of 2006. The Principles provide a framework for the systematic integration of
environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into investment decisionmaking.
Steve Schueth.
March 2007
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December 2006
Sustainable and Responsible Investing: Transforming the Global Economy
The annual SRI in the Rockies Conference attracts socially responsible investment industry practitioners and professionals from related industries. In October, 560 participants gathered at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to explore and debate ideas about redirecting the flow of investment capital to catalyze the shift toward a sustainable economy. The 2006 conference agenda featured many educational sessions and inspirational keynote speakers, including GreenBiz's own Joel Makower. SRI in the Rockies is produced by First Affirmative Financial Network in partnership with the non-profit Social Investment Forum.
Christine Renner.
Greenbiz.com.
December 2006
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October 2006
What's the Next Step for Socially Responsible Investing: Revolution or Evolution?
"All truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident." (Arthur Schopenhauer)
Socially and environmentally responsible investing has come a long way in the past 30 years. The Social Investment Forum's 2005 Trends Report identified over $2 trillion invested in professionally managed socially responsible investment portfolios. Today, it feels as if we may be nearing a tipping point-where the 'truth' of a double bottom line approach to investing becomes apparent to all. But we are not quite there yet. The critics have taken on new form-now the tomatoes are being thrown by former friends. Below, guest columnist, Johann Klaassen, explores the thinking of a new wave of critics, and asks the practical question: do we want revolution or evolution?
Johann Klaassen, PhD, AIF.
Greenbiz.com.
October 2006
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October 2006
What's the Next Step for Socially Responsible Investing? Revolution or Evolution? (PDF)
I suspect that everyone has heard the classic criticisms of socially responsible
investing (SRI): "SRI portfolios can't make money." "Diversified portfolios can't be built using only
socially screened investments." "Even if they could make money, and even if you could put
together a properly diversified portfolio, in and of itself, an SRI portfolio constitutes a breach of
fiduciary duty for an institutional investor." These arguments are simply false.
By Johann Klaassen, PhD, AIF.
October 2006
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July 2006
Enlightened Self-Interest
A reader of this column has asked for a succinct explanation of why sustainability should be important to a company's shareholders (investors). Fortunately, there is a large and growing body of academic research and real world experience on this topic. In fact, a new book Managing the Business Case for Sustainability: The Integration of Social, Environmental and Economic Performance provides a valuable new resource for those interested in digging deep into the research on the links between corporate social responsibility and profitability. But it's 600-pages long! Recently I sat down with Carsten Henningsen, chairman of Progressive Investment Management and founder of Portfolio 21, a global mutual fund that invests in sustainability-minded companies, to find out what he has to say on the subject.
Steve Schueth.
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
July 2006
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From Natural Life Magazine July/August, 2006
Put Your Money Where Your Conscience Is
Seemingly one of the last bastions of fiscal conservatism, the investment industry has been greening itself up over the past decade or so. Shareholders have realized that by voting with their dollars, they have the potential to leverage markets in favor of the planet and of those less fortunate who live on it ? and to make some money for themselves at the same time.
Wendy Priesnitz.
Natural Life Magazine.
From Natural Life Magazine July/August, 2006
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July 2006
U.N. Launches Principles for Responsible Investment
Socially responsible investment strategies serve as the foundation for the United Nations' new Principles for Responsible Investment. The U.N.'s voluntary guidelines provide a framework for the systematic integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into investment decision-making. I share Secretary-General Kofi Annan's hope that the Principles will "contribute to a more stable and inclusive global economy." Fortunately, most of the investment management and mutual fund companies who serve socially conscious investors have been operating in a manner consistent with the U.N. Principles for years -- it's what differentiates us in the marketplace. So this no experiment -- we've been proving the wisdom of a more holistic approach to investing for a long time.
Steven J. Schueth is president of First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC..
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
July 2006
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July 25, 2006
Socially Responsible Niche Untapped: TIAA-Cref
A new study recently released by TIAA-Cref finds that socially responsible investors and non-SRI investors share many of the same values, presenting the niche fund category with a potential area to grow its assets.
Investors who aren't invested in a socially responsible fund are interested in the concept, the study funds. This means there is room to attract more socially responsible investors as participants say they want their social values reflected in their investments.
Washington-based Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research conducted the research in February. A total of 1,002 interviews were conducted with TIAA-Cref participants 501 who invest in the Cref Social Choice Account and 501 who do not.
The Cref Social Choice Account, or SCA, is a variable annuity account with $8.06 billion in assets as of March 31. It gives special consideration to certain social criteria.
The survey is the first one from TIAA-Cref on the topic in roughly a decade. Even though returns topped the list of investor concerns, the survey also shows that investors care a lot about social issues, says Scott Budde, managing director for TIAA-Cref Asset Management. The problem is that investors either don?t understand the nuts and bolts of SRI funds or have false concerns about performance.
An overwhelming majority, or 91%, of participants who are not invested in SCA, and 85% who are invested in it, agree or strongly agree with the statement that financial return is most important when making investment decisions.
But TIAA-Cref participants also indicated that they want their social values reflected in their investments. About one quarter, or 27%, of SCA participants strongly agreed, and 83% agreed, with the statement that ?ensuring that my investment decisions reflect my personal values about social and environmental impacts is most important when making investment decisions.
?We were certainly impressed by the level of interest of the broad investor in social issues,? Budde says. He also says that even though the TIAA-Cref investor population which includes the academic, medical and cultural fields is better educated and typically more involved than the general population, there is a strong indication that the results from the survey are applicable to the public in general.
Timothy Smith, senior vice president at Walden Asset Management and president of the Social Investment Forum, agrees. I thought it was fascinating the responses [from SCA and non-SCA investors] weren't on other ends of the spectrum, he says. The survey is notable because it provides us a fascinating snapshot of what informed investors are likely supporting, Smith says.
Steve Schueth, president of First Affirmative Financial Network, an RIA that specializes in managing portfolios for socially conscious clients, says it's no surprise that performance was the study's top finding. I know the management at TIAA-Cref is focused on performance and so they're not going to say anything that doesn't say performance is No. 1.
However, Schueth was surprised at how closely aligned the opinions of the SCA investors are with those of the non-SCA investors.
Unfamiliarity with socially responsible investments was the main reason participants gave for their failure to invest in SRIs, and 60% of non-SCA investors describe themselves as unfamiliar with the Cref SCA.
Budde says the survey's findings show there is an opportunity to educate investors. This survey confirmed the need and opportunity to educate them on social investing issues, Budde says. There's clearly an interest and a need for greater awareness of what's out there.
It is surprising that so few know much about SCA or don't know their options, Scheuth says. TIAA-Cref hasn?t done a good job of promoting [SCA] inside [its] own marketing strategy, he says.
The survey perhaps reflects newfound interest in the space. In June, TIAA-Cref said it had formed a new Social and Community Investing Department within its asset management area. The department includes Budde and Amy O'Brien, TIAA-Cref's director of social investing. O'Brien joined the firm about a year ago.
Budde says the survey confirmed the rationale for creating the department, which will allow TIAA-Cref to increase focus on some of these issues. The department will enhance screening methodology for screened funds as well as initiate new investment programs that will focus on different aspects of community investing, looking at new product development and new types of funds around social investment themes such as the environment.
According to the survey, SCA and non-SCA investors prefer a social screening approach that is more inclusive than exclusive. In other words, participants prefer an approach that seeks to reward good corporate actors. A large majority, or 88% of SCA investors and 78% of non-SCA investors, say they are more likely to invest in a fund that includes investments in corporations with a positive track record. That's compared to the 61% of SCA participants and just 43% of non-SCA participants who say they are more likely to invest in a fund that excludes corporations whose products are objectionable to some people.
Schueth also observes that other socially responsible firms don't have the luxury of doing what TIAA-Cref has done in that TIAA-Cref has the ability to test both sides of the fence. I think TIAA-Cref is in a unique position to test the waters with those who have consciously decided to be socially responsible investors and those who have decided not [to be].
Schueth goes on to say that growth has continued in socially responsible funds and there is no reason to think it will stall out. This is another indication that there?s an awful lot of people whose values match the mainstream socially conscious investor and yet they're not invested in a responsible manner. It?s an opportunity for TIAA-Cref and anyone else.
Lisa Lacy.
July 25, 2006
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May 2006
Shareholder Democracy
Springtime is "proxy season" -- when most corporations hold their annual meetings and shareholders have a chance to let management know what they think about how their company is being run. If you are among the tens of millions of people who own stock in corporate America, your mailbox may have filled up with corporate annual reports and proxy statements over the past few weeks. Annual reports do not make the most exciting reading, but you might be surprised to find that many proxy ballots include an increasing number of shareholder resolutions related to some of the most pressing social and environmental problems -- like climate change, excessive executive pay, drug pricing, healthcare access, and global labor standards. As guest columnist Joshua Humphreys explains, vote your shares and let your voice be heard!
Joshua Humphreys is associate fellow at the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis and scholar-in-re.
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
May 2006
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August 2006
Past Performance Often a Poor Predictor of Future Results
The temptation is overwhelming. We are bombarded by impressive statistics every time we open the financial pages or tune in to cable news. Unfortunately, numerous studies have demonstrated how harmful chasing investment performance can be. One of the better-known evaluations was conducted a few years ago by Morningstar (a mutual fund rating firm) and showed that investor returns were generally many times lower than the reported return of the funds. Why? Primarily because once a fund performs well, fund companies market the good performance and lots of money flows in. Mediocre or worse performance often follows.
Socially conscious (and unconscious) investors who buy into the previous year's best performers are often buying high and selling low-exactly the opposite of what anyone would want to do. As First Affirmative's Chief Investment Officer, Kevin O'Keefe, explains, there is no substitute for gaining an in-depth understanding of the sustainability of a manager's performance record. What you don't know can hurt you a lot.
R. Kevin O'Keefe CIMA, AIF is Chief Investment Officer of First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC.
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
August 2006
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April 24, 2006
Trends in Socially Responsible Investment
Socially responsible investing (SRI) is an investment process that considers the social and environmental consequences of investments, both positive and negative, within the context of rigorous financial analysis. The ranks of socially conscious investors now include individuals, businesses, universities, hospitals, foundations, pension funds, corporations, religious institutions, and other nonprofit organizations.
Steven J. Schueth is president of First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC..
GreenBiz.com;Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
April 24, 2006
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March 2006
Another SRI Myth Busted
Long-term investment returns are driven primarily by the performance of innovative, well-managed companies that are themselves dependent on the health of ecological systems and human societies. Institutional investors such as pension funds and university endowments are controlled by investment fiduciaries -- elected or appointed officials who supervise those who have direct control of the organization's investment assets.
Steve Schueth.
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
March 2006
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February 2006
Corporations and the Public Interest
Socially conscious investors are motivated by a sense of responsibility that has financial, social, and ecological dimensions. We believe that we can make money and make a meaningful difference by directing investment capital toward those enterprises that are making positive contributions to the health and well being of human society. We understand that long-term investment returns are driven primarily by the performance of innovative, well-managed companies that are dependent on the health of the societies and ecological systems that sustain all economic enterprise. Similarly, says guest columnist Steven Lydenberg, it's time corporations learned to weigh short-term financial self-interest against long-term social benefit.
Steven J. Schueth & Steven D. Lydenberg.
GreenBiz.com.
February 2006
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February 2006
Socially responsible investment options gaining ground: Improved SRI performance
Socially responsible investment options (SRIs), too long considered by plan sponsors the slow-performing tortoise when compared to mutual fund hares like Fidelity and Vanguard, are sparking interest from a growing segment of socially aware investors and posting performance numbers that suggest that maybe slow and steady really does win the race.
Kelley M. Butler.
Employee Benefit News.
February 2006
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January 26, 2006
Social Investment Forum Trends Report Tracks Rises and Falls of Socially Responsible Investing
The 2005 report documents increases since 2003 in assets overall in SRI, in SRI mutual funds, and in shareholder advocacy, but decreases in overall screened assets and in screened separate accounts.
William Baue.
SocialFunds.com.
January 26, 2006
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January 3, 2006
Creation Care
Christian conservatives and evangelicals are beginning to go for the green. Though wary of mainstream environmental groups, a growing number of Christians view stewardship of the environment as a responsibility mandated by God.
Steven J. Schueth is president and chief marketing officer of First Affirmative Financial Network, L.
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
January 3, 2006
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Jan. 2006
Values-Based Investing: The Reality
Critics of responsible investing have claimed for at least 25 years that its main objectives are to punish the share value of offending companies and deny them capital.
Peter Kinder is president of KLD Research & Analytics, Inc..
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
Jan. 2006
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November 14, 2005
Toward a More Perfect Union: SRI and Traditional Financial Planning
There is a merger in process. It's not the merger of one corporation with another, or two professional practices coming together, but rather a merger of socially responsible investing with traditional financial planning.
Scott M. Buttfield, CFP, AIF, is an investment advisory representative of First Affirmative Financia.
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
November 14, 2005
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October 10, 2005
Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities for Investors
Capital markets tend to reflect reality more accurately than political fantasies, factoring the effects of climate change into stock prices. Some day a company like ExxonMobil, for instance, will lose share value because its global warming profile will be viewed as high risk.
Richard Barr is an investment advisory representative of First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC, b.
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
October 10, 2005
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September 12, 2005
Caring Capitalism
Capitalism has proved an incredible boon to society. Thanks to capitalism's emphasis on competition, we've reaped the benefits of increased productivity and the continuous pursuit of innovation and research. But capitalism can have its dark side -- in the short-sightedness that sometimes allows unscrupulous companies pollute the air we breath and the water we drink or exploit workers and communities with no thought for the future.
Steven J. Schueth is president and chief marketing officer of First Affirmative Financial Network, L.
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
September 12, 2005
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August 8, 2005
Making a Difference with Your Money: Socially Responsible Investing in the U.S.
All investing is future-oriented; socially responsible investing is even more so. Socially conscious investors seek to secure their own financial futures while putting investment capital to work in the creation of a more just, sustainable, and healthy society.
Steven J. Schueth is president and chief marketing officer of First Affirmative Financial Network, L.
GreenBiz.com; Responsible Investment Forum with Steve Schueth.
August 8, 2005
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August 3rd, 2005
Helping Your Portfolio, Not the World: The Case for Socially Responsible Funds
If you buy a socially responsible mutual fund, you probably won't
do any good. But you may do well.
JONATHAN CLEMENTS.
Wall Street Journal.
August 3rd, 2005
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Summer 2005
Retirement Investment, Fiduciary Obligations, and Socially Responsible Investing
Reprinted with permission of Aspen Publishers www.aspenpublishers.com.
In the past 30 years, the face of American retirement has changed dramatically...
George R. Gay, CFP®, AIF®, and Johann A. Klaassen, Ph.D., AIF®.
Journal of Deferred Compensation Vol. 10, No. 4.
Summer 2005: 34-49
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July 29, 2005
Socially conscious investing becoming more common.
Someone once said that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, but more and more people are putting a spin on the adage by putting their money where their hearts already are.
They're part of a growing number of investors choosing to rank conscience ahead of profit, becoming part of a class of stock owners known as socially conscious investors.
The profit potential for such investors is increasing, and experts say socially conscious investing is creating new industries and changing how some companies market themselves.
Socially conscious investing amounts to screening companies to determine whether their financial or political ties are in-line with an investor's personal beliefs.
Whether it's ethical or environmental concerns, or simply a demand for more corporate transparency after a series of Wall Street scandals, experts aren't sure exactly what is fueling the trend.
But there's one thing they are certain about-the trend is growing. "Whether it's tobacco or terrorism, more people are taking a closer look at what their money is supporting," said Denver University Daniels School of Business professor Bruce Hutton, who spoke in Colorado Springs last week during an event sponsored by the Pikes Peak Sustainable Business Network.
"There's plenty of data out there that shows people want to screen their investments," he said.
Statistics show he might be right.
A study by The Social Investment Forum, a national nonprofit organization promoting ethical investment, found that more than $ 2 trillion in assets-or one of every nine professionally invested dollars-is managed by some sort of socially responsible screening strategy.
Ten years ago, analysts estimated about $ 600 billion in assets funded social screening for companies.
The idea of screening companies has become so popular that screening itself has become a large, lucrative industry, Hutton said.
And, according to Hutton, Colorado Springs' own George Gay is a pioneer in the field. Gay and a business partner opened First Affirmative Financial Network in 1982 with 55 planners in 20 states and less than $ 5 million in managed assets.
Today, First Affirmative has 140 advisors nationwide with about $ 460 million in managed assets.
"I'd say we've done well," Gay said. "And, yeah, I'd say the industry is growing."
Gay said that when the economy sagged after 2001, the company's assets neither increased nor decreased, but since have grown rapidly.
The socially conscious investment trend has been aided by institution of corporate uniform reporting procedures known as the Global Reporting Initiative
The GRI was created in 1997 as an initiative between the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies and the United Nations Environment Program.
Investors are starting to see better returns on their socially conscious investments, Hutton said.
Until recently, Hutton said, the biggest obstacle to socially responsible investing was the perception that returns on those investments wouldn't compare with investments made with a blind eye.
But, from 1995 to 2003, assets involved in social investing grew 40 percent faster than all managed investment assets.
And, according to the Social Investment Forum, socially conscious investments grew 40 percent faster than traditionally managed assets between 1995 and 2003.
"These days you can earn just as good or better with socially conscious investments," Hutton said.
The fact that more and more people are investigating a company's ethics is not lost on a number of large corporations.
Typically, a company's strongest selling points are revenue, earnings and cash flow, but more companies are making strides to display their return on environmental efficiency and the ethics of the corporate governing body.
And Hutton said a prior understanding of a company's ethics leads to fewer lawsuits down the road.
While there's no doubt socially conscious investments are growing, Hutton noted that what's a socially conscious investment to one person might not be to another and that as with most ethical issues, it's up to the individual to decide what's good and not good.
For example, some investors might view military support as positive, while others see it as negative, especially in light of the war in Iraq. Hutton said the same goes for nuclear energy.
"Some view it as a good thing. But then again a lot of people don't," he said.
Hutton also said that investors find themselves in other ethical dilemmas, like choosing what they view as the lesser of two evils. Owners of the soap and hygiene product seller, The Body Shop, long touted the fact that the company does not test products on animals. But, in recent years, owners discovered that the companies they bought ingredients from do conduct tests on animals. The Body Shop has continued to purchase ingredients from the same suppliers, Hutton said.
On the other hand, soap and pharmaceutical maker Proctor and Gamble openly admits testing products on animals but also reports that it is spending millions of dollars to explore alternatives.
"So, it's up to each person to decide which is better, and it's often different for different people," Hutton said.
Regardless of what an individual's personal ethics are, analysts expect to see a growing number of people screen prospective investments, pouring billions of dollars into companies that line up with their values, for very basic reasons.
"I just believe my choices have consequences, and I want to make responsible decisions with my money," Gay said. "That's how a lot of people feel."
Copyright 2005 Gale Group, Inc. ASAP Copyright 2005 Dolan Media Newswires
Rob Larimer.
Colorado Springs Business Journal.
July 29, 2005: ISSN: 0890-2127
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May 29, 2005
The do-gooders of Wall Street; Growing area of investment sees its share of complications
She calls it the "starfish story" and has recounted it to numerous
audiences, from financial planners to business schools. It's about a little girl who tosses a washed-up starfish back to the sea to "make a difference."...
Laura Smitherman, SUN STAFF.
The Baltimore Sun.
May 29, 2005: 2
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Earth Day 2005
Yahoo! Celebrates 35 Years of Earth Day with Comprehensive Eco-Friendly Resource Site
In honor of more than three decades of Earth Day, Yahoo! has assembled a comprehensive tribute to environmental conservation, providing a one-stop shop for tips and information on how to be a better friend to the planet. Featured today on Yahoo!'s homepage, the Earth Day microsite (http://earth.yahoo.com) is designed to inform consumers on simple ways they can change their lifestyles and habits to make a difference in the global environment.
CSR Wire.
Earth Day 2005
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April 2005
SRI Funds Vote Proxies More Conscientiously Than Conventional Funds on Corporate Governance
A study on proxy voting by socially responsible investment and conventional funds finds SRI funds voting against management more often on social, environmental, and governance issues.
William Baue.
SocialFunds.com.
April 2005
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March 2005
A Passion For Values
Some advisors are focusing their practices on socially conscious investing.
Karen DeMasters.
Financial Advisor Magazine.
March 2005
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February 2005
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTING ADVANCED ON MULTIPLE FRONTS IN 2004, SETTING STAGE FOR MORE PROGRESS IN 2005
Social Investment Forum Outlines Key Steps Forward for Industry Last Year; Mutual Fund Proxy Disclosure and Landmark Shareholder Vote Gains Among Biggest '04 Developments.
Patrick Mitchell.
Social Investment Forum.
February 2005
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February 2005
Divine Profits
Socially responsive investing has grown wildly popular over the past decade. But can activism and asset allocation coexist in the same world?
Dan Rottenberg.
Bloomberg.
February 2005
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October 2004
Social Investing Sector Moving Forward, Coming Together: Report on SRI in the Rockies Conference
Blue jeans are common attire at the SRI in the Rockies conference, the annual gathering of the U.S. socially responsible investment (SRI) industry, but don't let their casual appearance fool you - they mean business. This passionate, activist crowd is bent on transforming the mainstream investment industry from Wall Street's typical "profit at all costs" analysis to one that places environmental and social considerations on a equal plane. They have made a lot of progress and are proud of having created and nurtured an industry that counts two-plus trillion dollars in portfolios that utilize one or more socially responsible investment strategies.
Rona Fried.
Sustainable Business.com.
October 2004
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October 19, 2004
Fund manager seeks value with social responsibility
When Eric McKissack finds a stock worth buying, it's a lot like finding a needle in a haystack.
Not only is the mutual fund manager looking for stocks that are out of favor with Wall Street, but he's also only buying small-and mid-cap stocks.
Jack Sirard.
Sacramento Bee.
October 19, 2004
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Fall 2004
Heart and Money: Finding an SRI Advisor That's Right For You
Heart and money - these are words that don't usually appear in the same sentence, unless, of course, you happen to be speaking with a socially responsible financial advisor.
Rona Fried.
Green Money Journal.
Fall 2004: 5,7,25-28
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August 1, 2004
A Matter of Opinion
When it comes to socially responsible investing, planners will find that clients have different ideas about what do-gooders should do.
FAFN President Steve Schueth and FAFN Professional Member Madeline Moore are quoted in this article
Donald Jay Korn.
August 1, 2004
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April 30, 2004
TIAA-CREF Is Unlikely to Create Social Fund With Activists
TIAA-CREF, a U.S. retirement system mostly for universities with $300 billion in assets, is unlikely to start a new social investing fund and instead will consider using activists' proposals to alter its existing funds.
Executives from New York-based TIAA-CREF, or Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund, agreed to review information provided by Social Choice for Social Change, an activist group, before deciding how to proceed.
The group, whose representatives met TIAA-CREF officials in New York last month, wanted a new fund that would invest in community development, provide venture capital and vote for socially progressive proxies.
"We were not able to identify another single fund in the marketplace that has the characteristics that they were talking about," TIAA-CREF spokeswoman Stephanie Cohen Glass said. Though no final decision has been made, "we weren't going to be the first."
TIAA-CREF offers the Social Choice Equity Fund to mutual fund investors and a similar account to retirement-plan participants. The $6.2 billion accounts exclude investments in tobacco and defense-related stocks and in utilities with interests in nuclear power plants
Neil Wollman, co-chairman of Social Choice for Social Change, said a new fund would have been more proactive than the current socially screened fund. His group and the company will exchange information and hold additional meetings. "They're certainly not jumping at all of things that they were asked and yet at the same time they were open to ways to meet the needs, as they perceive them, of their participants," said Steven Schueth, who represented the shareholder group.
Schueth is president of First Affirmative Financial Network in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which manages $380 million for clients.
TIAA-CREF told the activists that it already invests $100 million in community-development activities like urban housing in its non-screened accounts, Cohen Glass said.
--Editors: Dunn, Kellermann
Matthew Keenan.
Bloomberg.
April 30, 2004
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March/April 2004
Working Capital
Can socially responsible investing make a great green leap forward?
Marshall Glickman & Marjorie Kelly.
E The Environmental Magazine.
March/April 2004: 26-39
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Spring 2004
2003 Mutual Fund Review
Patrick McVeigh.
Business Ethics.
Spring 2004: 18
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December 2003
2003 Report on Socially Responsible Investing Trends in the United States
Socially and environmentally responsible investing in the United States has proven remarkably robust
during 2001 and 2002 despite sluggish market conditions that have resulted in a downturn in assets
the wider investment universe. Most notably, socially screened portfolios counted by this Report grew
seven percent, while the broader universe of professionally managed portfolios fell four percent.
Social Investment Forum.
December 2003
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Volume 10 Number 1 Spring-Summer 2003
Fiduciary Duty and Socially Responsible Investing
Most discussions of fiduciary duty focus on
medical decision-making, but that is not the only
context in which the concept is important. Investment
advisers have fiduciary duties to their clients: in this
essay, we address those duties. Many advisers refuse
to help their clients with ?socially responsible?
investment plans, for a variety of reasons, among
which are fiduciary concerns. We argue that the
reasons generally given not to pursue a religious,
environmental, or social investment strategy are
mistaken, and, most importantly, that an investment
adviser's fiduciary duties may be met while providing
such alternatives to clients.
Johann A. Klaassen, PH.D. & George R. Gay, CFP®.
Philosophy in the Contemporary World.
Volume 10 Number 1 Spring-Summer 2003: 45-50
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November 2002
Shared Values
When it comes to evaluating "corporate character," FAFN's Professional Membership gives advisers the edge. Find out what this author thinks of the membership package and what's included.
Bob Veres.
Inside Information.
November 2002: 7-8
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November 2002
Corporate Character Analysis
Could we have foreseen the corporate disasters of the past 12 months in time to bail out? And can we find any on the horizon?
Bob Veres.
Inside Information.
November 2002: 1-6
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First half of 2002
Do well by doing good; how you can invest responsibly
Enjoy an interview with FAFN President Steve Schueth, addressing both quantitative and qualitative analysese of SRI mutual funds and their positive asset growth in the first half of 2002.
Sky Radio.
First half of 2002
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November/December 2001
FAFN Grows a Nationwide Network for SRI
Since 1999, when the firm switched from commission to fee-based services, its network has grown from 46 to 120 professionals.
Mary Miller.
Business Ethics.
November/December 2001: 20-1
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August 8, 2001
Social Fund Assets in the U.S. May Top a Quarter of a Trillion Dollars in Ten Years
Study marking Pax World Funds' 30th anniversary also pegs current assets of U.S. socially responsible
mutual funds at $103 billion.
Mark Thomsen.
SocialFunds.com.
August 8, 2001
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August 9, 2001
Raising Conscience, Assets of "Social" Funds
More investors are putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to issues of social conscience.
Tania Padgett.
Newsday, Inc.
August 9, 2001: Business & Technology, A51
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August 8, 2001
US social fund assets seen tripling by 2011.
Assets in U.S. socially responsible mutual funds could rise to $278 billion in 10 years from $103 billion currently, assuming the growth rate of the last 30 years continues?
Reuters English News Service.
August 8, 2001
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July/August 2001
Investing in a Bear Market
Social investing expert George Gay offers advice on how to suvive market downturns.
George Gay.
Real Money.
July/August 2001: 4-5
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