Jonathan McDonnell, our personal financial planner, wrote an article last year, ‘For my money, is it better to save or invest?’ and he explored the rationale behind both saving and investing. The importance of an emergency fund for short term emergencies and having enough savings to manage in the medium term and long term for retirement funding. It is a nice piece to refer to when starting the investment journey.
Fergus Murphy, our certified financial planner also wrote an article about ‘Being a Successful Investor’ and he explored investment market cycles, continuous contributions and focusing on what you can control.
Again, an unbelievably valuable piece for any investor.
Today, we are going to explore ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Investing. This type of investment plays a key role in our business and client offering. We have a great connection to the fundamentals that drive ESG investing and feel very strongly that we as a company have a responsibility to speak to all our investors about ESG Investing.
What is ESG Investing?
Taking an ESG approach to investing means that an investor will take environmental, social, and governance criteria into account when they are considering investing in an asset. The value of an investment is no longer about how much money it can make you – but also about the positive impact it can have on the world. And that’s where ESG investing comes in.
So, if an investor was looking at putting their money into a company, they would assess the organisation’s environmental factors, like the business’ energy consumption, their policy on climate change, or their waste production.
They would look at social factors, like the company’s community engagement, how well they protect human rights, or employee relations.
And they would look at the company’s governance – the way the business is run – such as the quality of management, diversity of the board, or conflicts of interest.
Sustainable Investment Deep Dive and Options
For those of you who like the ‘deep dive’ articles, Portfolio Metrix (PMX) have done some of the heavy lifting. ESG Deep Dive article. PMX have an exceptional ESG platform offering which is certainly worth considering if you have a Self-Administered Pension arrangement or if you are keen on platform investing. We can arrange this type of investment through or Conexim platform offering. To find out more, click here.
We know the ‘fund universe’ is so endless. Your average investor, today, is expected to have a low-cost well-diversified portfolio capable of delivering returns and protecting an investor from market fluctuations. Now, with the ESG Investing approach, the same investor is expected to have the same portfolio.
A feature option for our insured clients is Irish Life and Amundi’s fund offering. We have been lucky enough to get our hands on two videos that highlight some of their offerings. For an investor looking at entering the ESG Investment world, these options cannot be ignored.
The first fund option is for a low to medium risk investor. Click here to view the video on the Multi-Asset Sustainable Future Fund
Another option, and one for the higher risk investor, is the Global Ecology ESG Fund. Click here to view the video on the Global Ecology ESG Fund
Take the first step
If you are considering setting up an investment plan, and your investment values match ours, let’s set up a meeting to discuss what we can do for you. You can book a meeting with Jonathan McDonnell, our personal financial planner to discuss ESG Investing by clicking on his calendar invite here.