A new ethical guide has been launched by Panacea Adviser and sriServices, entitled, ‘30 people, 30 words, 30 years’. It is aimed at financial practices.
The guide consists of contributions from 30 of the leading individuals in the UK retail ethical, or ‘SRI’ (sustainable and responsible investment) world, who have contributed their thoughts. It’s been collated during the 30th anniversary of SRI in the UK.
A statement read: “In this time of ever growing environmental and social challenges, the role of the investor is increasingly being put under the spotlight. The institutional investment market has responded by adopting codes (e.g. the Stewardship code), forming coalitions (e.g. ‘Aiming for A’) and networks (e.g. IIGCC). New forms of investment have also started to flourish with their support (e.g. green bonds). Organisations back different initiatives for different reasons, but all are essentially motivated to behave in ways they believe will give them a competitive edge in one way or another.
“However, in the retail investment world investment advice is becoming increasingly automated and more distant than ever before from what many might regard as the real world. Issues such as these rarely permeate individual investors’ awareness.”
Panacea Adviser is the online community and resource for financial advisers and paraplanners.
CEO of Panacea Adviser Derek Bradley said: “Mahatma Gandhi said ‘Only when the last tree has been cut down, Only when the last river has been poisoned, Only when the last fish has been caught, Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.’
“Ethical investing can achieve great results, not only for the investor but for the planet too. This guide, a labour of love by Julia Dreblow, will help understand the opportunities available.”
Head of sriServices is Julia Dreblow, who draws on her 25 years’ experience in financial services, nearly 20 of which have been spent specialising in SRI, green and ethical investment. Her previous experience includes being the spokesperson for the Friends Provident SRI (Sustainable and Responsible Investment) proposition.
Dreblow said: “When I first moved into ethical investment full time, in the mid 1990’s, people talked about this being something for young people. A great excuse for not talking ‘ethics’ to people with real money. Researching the customers I helped look after supported this view, as the average age at inception was 41, which indeed is indeed relatively young. I still hear the same comments. Yet if you do some basic maths this does not work.
“As such I therefore remain of the view that this area has something to offer almost everyone – men and women of all ages and attitudes. For sure, there are people who will not be interested or who will only ever focus on price, but I doubt they are in the majority.
“This timely guide highlights the many sound financial, business and indeed moral reasons for bringing this area into the advice process – by exploring ‘why’ doing so matters.
“I have written numerous different types of ‘guides to ethical investment’ over the years – at Friends, with UKSIF, with various media partners and most recently a practical ‘how to..’ adviser guide with Rayner Spencer Mills. This one is however truly different. It is a collection of other people’s thoughts.”
