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I was thirteen and had just received
some stocks and cash gifts from generous relatives for my Bar
Mitzvah. That's when I began to think about what my investments were doing in
the larger world. And later, 17 years after I  completed first grade at Calvert Street Elementary
School in Woodland Hills, California, Wayne Silby and John Guffey, Jr. launched
the Calvert Funds' socially responsible mutual funds. Ok, so that one is a bit
of a stretch. But those are
stories for another day...
When I professionally and exclusively started serving sustainability-minded
and socially responsible investors in 1986, colleagues told me
that it was a silly idea. They said, "your clients are going to
lose money, they'll earn less, it's ridiculous," etc.
Well, I stuck to my vision and let those people all stick to whatever
it was they were doing instead. Now we can see the financial services
community coming around finally.
In the early days, there were perhaps half a dozen SRI and sustainable funds,
now there are around two hundred in the US. In 1984, there was $45 billion
involved in SRI, now there is over $2 trillion professionally managed
this way. (source:
SIF)
The United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI)
in represents assets approaching $10 trillion (2008)! With signatories from more than 200 investment organizations
in 25 countries, the appeal is clear and compelling. But are the Principles driving real change? The UNPRI’s
Working Capital Report (July
2007), and the report from the UNPRI’s Awareness to Action Roundtable
(October 2007) provide answers to this question. Both offer evidence that incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into investment
practices has motivated companies worldwide to embrace ESG reporting, analysis,
and policies.
And the former detractors on Wall Street are just beginning to join us. All the
best to them but I've found that investors would rather hire an advisor who has
committed his career to this
since 1986 than one who just saw the light last year.
Professional and academic
Since 1986, I have specialized in helping clients participate in the
sustainable investing
community. I am a Certified Financial
Planner™ practitioner, and hold the
Accredited
Investment Fiduciary®
designation. I am General Securities Licensed, WA
insurance licensed, Registered Investment Advisory Representative Licensed, and
hold the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Earlier, I worked as an
independent accounting auditor for six years.
I have been a Social Investment Forum "Community Investing
Achiever" (meaning more than one percent of client assets in community
investments) since the beginning of the program. MMA Praxis Mutual Funds recognized me as a "Stewardship Investing Star".
In 2004,
Calvert Foundation recognized me with the "Advisor of the Year" award
for community investing and First Affirmative Financial Network consistently
awards me for "outstanding service to socially
conscious investors."
Business affiliations
I am a member of The
Social Investment Forum (since 1986), a First Affirmative Financial
Network Member, a Registered Representative with KMS Financial
Services, Inc. I am also a member of the Co-op America Business
Network, and the Financial
Planning Association.
Community involvement
I support and volunteer
for various projects supporting urban bicycling issues, urban organic gardening, progressive
politics, media,
and social change arts.
In addition, I:
- Teach classes and speak on socially responsible investing.
Click here for more information about that.
- Sponsor the Advocacy
and Public Policy Program of the Social Investment Forum Foundation
- Support the Community Investing program of Social Investment Forum.
- Served three-year term on the board of directors (treasurer)
of a community foundation that supports activist, community-based organizations working for social, economic, and environmental justice across the Northwest.
Additional trusted colleagues professionally serve
clients in various capacities.
During times when I am not accepting new clients or in cases
where your situation calls for an area of expertise that I do not have, I can
help you to identify a professional appropriate to your needs and situation.
Please call my office for possible referral to these colleagues.
Note: Colleagues may have fee or other compensation sharing
arrangements with me.
Office
Our professional services office is in our urban Seattle home. Perhaps this
is not for everybody but it does appeal to people who prefer a casual atmosphere.
So if you were really looking forward to rushing in your Hummer to find parking
downtown and elevator music to the 23rd floor receptionist, we are probably not a good
fit.
We serve clients from a nice fully-equipped home office located in the
Sunset Hill Ballard neighborhood overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympic
Mountain Range. It is a relaxed environment providing lovely views in the
comfort of a home office.
In recent years, we
completed green building and sustainable restoration and updating
projects. For example, we completed an extensive energy update including solar hot
water system, passive solar integration, and extra insulation above code
requirements. We used Forestry Sustainability Council certified
wood before it was widely available as well as non-toxic
and low impact materials and finishes. The garden is all organic, low-water use, wildlife friendly, and very
enjoyable.
We even purchase offsets to cancel out the global warming
footprint of our home, office, travel, and car. For that we are enrolled in the WindBuilders
program of NativeEnergy.
 View from
office of Puget Sound and Olympic Mountain Range. This is what I
might be looking at while talking on the phone with you and what you might see
when you come for your consultations.
The spiral symbol theme used on this site reflects an ancient symbol that offers us many meanings and teachings. The
universal pattern of order in the natural world and of all time can be
symbolized by the spiral. Consider the Earth's turning in the solar system and
across the cosmos--a spiral. Consider the unfolding pattern of petals in a
flower, a snail shell, the circling of the eagle above--the spiral again. It
seems this trajectory is the natural order of growth and evolution. The
living spiral does not begin or end, it is an ongoing process of innocence,
discovery, community, and the essence that connects all things.
continue on to services page
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info, requests, and contacts
Community
Investing Achiever in the Social
Investment Forum 1% For Community investment campaign since 2002.
Calvert
Foundation Advisor of the Year in 2004.
Learn more!
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