Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Socially Responsible Investing (SRI)?

Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is generally defined as the integration of personal values and societal concerns with investment decisions. The investment objective considers not only the investor’s financial needs and financial return, but also the investments’ impact on society and environment.

How long has SRI been around?

SRI originated over a century ago mainly when religious organization sought to avoid investing in “sinful” investments such as alcohol and weapons manufacturers. Over the past 20 years, SRI has evolved into shareholder activism and a more active investment strategy for people and institutions that have concerns about issues, such as the environment, human rights, corporate governance, as well as care and concern for community.

Where can I find out more information on SRI?

Our Online Resources page offers many websites you can explore to learn more about Socially Responsible Investing and other special interests.

Is SRI different from Global Sustainable Investing (GSI)?

There are many approaches to SRI including positive and negative screening, shareholder advocacy and community investing. Global Sustainable Investing, is a subset of SRI, which takes a positive screening approach to identifying companies that are committed to the three aspects of sustainability (social, economic, and environmental) at a high level.

Will social investing or GSI hurt my investment performance?

It is difficult to make a blanket statement about the performance of socially responsible investing because there are many different approaches that are used as well as different types of investments and measurements such as mutual funds and indices. However, many studies have indicated that investors can do as well with social investments as they can with conventional investments. Several long term studies in the U.S. and UK indicate that there is a positive correlation between financial performance and companies with strong corporate governance and environmental policies. There have also been studies conducted on companies measured by top "sustainability" rankings and compared to peers and found that "sustainable" companies can provide lower risk and higher financial return. Additionally, SRI mutual funds and indices continue to perform competitively in comparison to conventional counterparts as well. Research findings, new investment products and increasing interest have helped to support the credibility and performance of this growing investment approach. Please visit http://www.sristudies.org/ for studies and research conducted on the quantitative aspects of socially responsible investing (SRI).

Do you have a minimum account size?

We generally require a minimum account size of $500,000.