Unicorn Asset Management, an independently owned fund management business specialising in small and mid-cap companies, in partnership with WM Capital Management*, has launched socially responsible ESG portfolio options within its existing AIM Inheritance Tax (IHT) Service – the first of its kind in the market.
Investors in the Service can now opt for additional ESG selection criteria through the ‘Responsible Growth Focus’ or ‘Responsible Income Focus’ portfolio options.
In addition to following Unicorn’s company-wide Sustainable Investment Policy, which focuses on UN PRI compliance and active company engagement, the Responsible portfolio options also avoid businesses that derive revenues from excluded activities, such as weapons and gambling.
Unicorn’s AIM IHT Service aims to provide IHT exemption to investors, after an initial two-year holding period, by investing in a diversified portfolio of 25 to 40 AIM stocks that are eligible for Business Property Relief and which qualify as ISA investments.
Unicorn has been one of the leading institutional investors in the AIM market since its inception in 2000. Unicorn currently manages almost £500 million directly invested in AIM-listed companies across its range of UK funds and its AIM-focused VCT.
Chris Hutchinson, Director of Unicorn Asset Management commented; “While ESG investing has been widely embraced by the asset management industry, the Unicorn Responsible Growth Focus and Unicorn Responsible Income Focus IHT portfolios are the first to adopt these considerations within an AIM IHT service. We are therefore delighted to be able to offer these socially responsible ESG options for those who wish to align their investments with their broader social conscience.
“Conducting our research in-house delivers important advantages when investing in AIM-listed companies, where we have the opportunity to offer meaningful support to high growth, but typically under-broked and under-researched companies. We wish to maximise this opportunity within the Unicorn AIM IHT Portfolio Service, by providing investors with effective and efficient mitigation of their IHT liabilities without the time lag or complexities of some of the more traditional solutions, while also tailoring the Service to meet the growing demand for socially responsible investment solutions.”
To celebrate the launch of the Unicorn Socially Responsible AIM IHT portfolio options, the initial fee has been reduced to 0.5% (usually 2%) until the 30 June 2021.
