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Community Investing Achiever in the Social Investment Forum 1% For Community campaign since 2002. Calvert Foundation Advisor of the Year in 2004. Learn more!

(Network Services Member)

Eric Smith   Alice Smith   Ryan Jones-Casey   Colleagues   Office   UNPRI   Spiral

Firm Background

When our office was established in 1986 there were only a half dozen socially responsibly invested (SRI) funds and a handful of SRI money managers. Now there are over two hundred mutual funds, many exchange traded funds, and numerous firms specializing in SRI in the US and many more abroad. In 1984, there was $45 billion involved in SRI in the US, now there is over $2 trillion professionally managed this way. (source: SIF)

When Goodfunds' founder, Eric Smith, first began providing financial services for sustainability-minded and socially responsible investors in 1986, colleagues told him that it was a silly idea. They said, "your clients are going to lose money, they'll earn less, it's ridiculous," etc. Well, he stuck to his vision and let those people all stick to whatever it was they were doing. And now even the former detractors on Wall Street are beginning to join us. All the best of luck to them but we've found that serious investors would rather hire advisors who have a long-term commitment to and deep experience with sustainability-minded and socially responsible investors.

Eric Smith  

As Senior Wealth Officer at Goodfunds Wealth Management, Eric Smith is responsible for executive management of investment consulting services and financial planning engagements.

"Thirteen years old and 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. My sermon was about how important reputation is. 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 coincidentally named Calvert Funds' socially responsible mutual funds. And five years after that I launched a financial services practice to help people get their money invested prudently in those very funds."

Professional and academic

Eric founded Goodfunds Wealth Management (formerly Eric Smith & Associates) in 1986. The practice was established to professionally and competently serve citizens wishing to participate in the new sustainable and responsible investing movement. Since then, hundreds of investors have benefited directly from his service and he also trained a number of SRI professional colleagues over the years. 

Having met initial (1993) and ongoing standards of professional competency through the College for Financial Planning, Eric is a Certified Financial Planner™ ™ certificant. In addition, he holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary^® designation, is General Securities Licensed, a Registered Investment Advisory Representative, and completed the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Cal. State Univ. Dominguez Hills). Prior to 1986 he worked as an independent accounting auditor for six years.

Since the beginning of the Social Investment Forum's 1% For Community campaign, Eric's practice has exceeded that level by a wide margin and he is recognized as a "Community Investing Achiever" fighting poverty and restoring economic dignity to people all over the world. MMA Praxis Mutual Funds has recognized him as a "Stewardship Investing Star". In 2004, Calvert Foundation recognized him with the "Advisor of the Year" award for community investing and First Affirmative Financial Network consistently awards him for "outstanding service to socially conscious investors."

Member of The Social Investment Forum (since 1986), a First Affirmative Financial Network Member (since 1999), and a Registered Representative with KMS Financial Services, Inc. (since 1988). He sits on First Affirmative Financial Network's Advisory Board. He is a member of the Green America Business Network, Seattle Philanthropy Advisors Network, and the Financial Planning Association.

Eric supports and volunteers with projects related to urban bicycling, urban organic gardening, progressive politics, and community-based non-commercial media. He is an elected Democratic Precinct Committee Officer in Washington's 36th Legislative District and ran the Area Caucus in the historic 2008 Primary.

In addition, he teaches classes and speaks on socially responsible investing. Click here for more information about that. He sponsors the Advocacy and Public Policy Program of the Social Investment Forum Foundation, supports the Community Investing program of Social Investment Forum and served on the board of directors executive committee (treasurer) of a community foundation that supports activist, community-based organizations working for social, economic, and environmental justice across the Northwest.

Click here for a 2-page profile to print, download, or share.

As Client Services Administrator at Goodfunds Wealth Management, Alice Smith is responsible for client services, operations efficiency, and project management.

"I became intrigued with investing when a colleague told me how she owned stock in some companies and was earning a good return. However, her approach focused on only one bottom line, financial, and I wondered, do I really want to invest in those companies that are polluting and producing toxic products. She did not include anything about the impact investing can have on the world and so I was left with a number of questions. When I met Eric Smith (who later became my husband) I got those questions answered. In 2001, I became more actively involved in the sustainable investing movement by assisting in our office. After a nursing career, I decided to devote my time to making a positive impact for our clients and the world by joining the Goodfunds Wealth Management team.” 

Having met initial and ongoing standards of professional competency through the College for Financial Planning, Alice is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ certificant. She has also completed relevant university-level coursework in leadership and management, financial planning, statistics, and business management.

Alice earned a registered nursing degree in Denmark in 1988 and a Bachelors of Science in Nursing in the United States. She immigrated to the United States and practiced nursing for twenty years. Her nursing career provided insight into the medical system and deepened her interest in helping people. After witnessing first hand in the medical system the problems associated with the wealth divide in this nation, she realized how financial planning, sustainable investing, and community investing can help citizens and the Earth. Her education and organizational experience contribute leadership and management skills that support Goodfunds’ ability to provide high quality client services.

Every year since 1999, Alice participated in the conference for SRI professionals, “SRI in the Rockies” and is a member of Green America.

Alice is involved in bicycling advocacy and she enjoys volunteering at a local soup kitchen, organic gardening, hiking, bicycling, and playing with our feline friend, Missy.

As Financial Services Specialist at Goodfunds Wealth Management, Ryan Jones-Casey is responsible for client services, communications, and practice capacity building.

Having met initial and ongoing standards of professional competency through the College for Financial Planning, Ryan is an Accredited Asset Management Specialist℠ certificant.

Prior to joining Goodfunds Wealth Management, Ryan worked at Bank of America as an operations analyst in the Northwest premier banking and investments division. In that role, he developed innovative scorecards and reports utilized by managers to coach employees throughout the organization. He has also worked for non-profits including the Near West Little League in Chicago, IL and Trinity Church in Greenwich, CT.

Ryan graduated with a BA in Business/Economics from Wheaton College and is nearing completion of an MBA in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI). While attending BGI, Ryan has served as co-chair of the Diversity and Social Justice Committee, completed a one-year project with the city of Corvallis, Oregon implementing a carbon footprint reduction program, designed a change management plan focused on gender equity within the Entrepreneurship course series, and examined the financial impacts of potential carbon tax legislation on a publicly traded winery.

Ryan is interested in helping grow the sustainable and responsible investment movement, particularly through community investing. His volunteer work focuses on supporting the local refugee community. Outside of the office, Ryan enjoys exploring the Olympic Peninsula, commuting to work on his bike, gardening with his spouse Kelsey, playing ultimate Frisbee and cheering for the Seattle Sounders FC.

Additional trusted colleagues professionally serve clients in various capacities. In cases where your situation calls for a type of service that we do not offer, we can help you to identify a professional appropriate to your needs and situation.

Note: Colleagues may have fee or other compensation sharing arrangements with us.

Goodfunds Wealth Management serves clients from a fully-equipped office located in the Sunset Hill Ballard neighborhood overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountain Range. It is a relaxed and comfortable, yet professional home office environment. For larger groups or organizational finance committees, we can meet in downtown Seattle at the KMS Financial Services office or at your organization's offices.

In 2003, we completed a green building and sustainable restoration and updating project. Where available, we had the contractor use reclaimed or recycled materials to reduce the project's impact. Included was an extensive energy efficiency update, solar hot water system, passive solar integration, and extra insulation above code. We used Forestry Sustainability Council certified wood before it was widely available as well as non-toxic and low impact materials and finishes when it was unusual. The garden is all organic, low-water use, wildlife friendly, and very enjoyable. All new equipment meets EPA Energy Star standards, supplies are made from recycled content when available, we run a "less-paper" office, and recycle and compost everything possible of course.

When you visit the office, you may drop off old small electronics for recycling in the GreenDisk "Technotrash Can" and we'll take care of the rest. (Bring your old video/audio tapes, CDs, cables, cell phones/pages/PDAs, chargers, laptops, etc. for safe recycling.)

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 we might be looking at while talking on the phone with you and what you might see when you come for your consultations.

The spiral is 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.