Ethical Investments was first established in 1996 by David Vincent, who has since become a leading authority in the field. He was a co-founder of the Ethical Investment Association and appears regularly in the financial press. In 2007 the company was one of the first to achieve the “Ethics Mark” from the Ethics Foundation.
In October 2007 David joined forces with David Rist and Kevin Ferriby, joint owners of Informed Financial Planning, the first IFA firm in Yorkshire to gain chartered status. David Rist was formerly a founding director of the largest IFA firm in the UK whilst Kevin is a chartered accountant by profession. Together the directors bring a full spectrum of talents and experience to the company.
We are equally happy to advise individuals, companies and charities and other organisations, who wish to take account of social and environmental factors in their financial planning.
The new company is an Appointed Representative of IFP and has offices in Sheffield, Leeds and Hull, together with substantial technical and administrative support.
Whilst we do not wish to discourage investors from following a comprehensive screening approach, we do believe that a robust engagement policy is a more effective tool in bringing about positive change.
Most authorised funds - and ethical funds are no exception - select from companies, whose shares have been issued for some time and are traded freely on the major stock markets.
The shares of an “unethical” company that you choose not to buy, will simply be retained by the current holder or sold to someone else - your decision has no impact on the ability of that company to carry on its business as before. Even if enough investors boycotted the company and as result the share price did fall, this would not in itself affect the company’s profitability - it would just make the shares a more tempting investment proposition for less concerned investors.
Since it is impractical for individual investors to engage actively themselves with every company represented in a fund we encourage our clients to reward fund managers who are committed to effective engagement.
Secondly, rather than restricting themselves to the mere trading of securities, investors can play a more constructive part by providing development capital to companies and institutions. This can be achieved by supporting fund managers who are both qualified and experienced in the field.
In addition, due to our own experience and standing in the field, we are able to offer a range of specialist funds and alternative investment opportunities, which most advisers do not get to hear about. Although such investments inevitably carry their own risks, the mere fact that they are different to those of conventional funds can be a bonus - particularly when the stockmarket starts getting nervous! There can also be considerable tax advantages for certain investments, which can help to compensate for additional investment risks.
For examples of investments in this category please complete the enquiry form.
For more detailed information on our views on ethical investment, risk and performance, please complete the enquiry form.
In our view, if you want to make the biggest social impact without compromising performance, you should engage an adviser with experience, integrity, empathy and commitment - and that means Ethical Investments.