Ethos Insights

By Diane Jochimsen, MS, CFP®, President of White Raven Financial Services

White Raven Financial, an RIA firm in the State of Washington, has been in the sustainable investing space since its founding. They have been successful in attracting clients that are interested in investing their money to align with their own values and convictions. White Raven Financial was introduced to Luke Wilcox and his company, Ethos¹, during an advisors mixed group event and has found the experience of adding Ethos software to their tech platform very beneficial.

Are you on track? Would you like to be one step ahead of the field by introducing knowledge of ESG values to your clients and your prospects before someone else does? Ethos¹ has the platform that allows you to be the go-to advisor that stands out amongst your peers. Their in-depth platform helps align a portfolio to the causes that investors care about.

Who has not heard the words "Environmental, Social and Governance" (ESG)³? It appears these words are the new standard for advisors to promote themselves as leaders amongst their peers. Clients are searching for the acronyms of SRI, ESG, and 'Impact Investing' although some may be unclear of the differences between each of those types of investment styles. In addition, some are looking for an advisor to help them use their money to work with companies that strive to make the world a better place.

So how does an advisor walk the talk to appear knowledgeable without being overbearing?

"Socially Responsible Investing" (SRI)⁴ was one the first phrases clients mentioned way-back-when; they would ask to have a portfolio designed without any funds or companies that invested in guns or cigarettes or alcohol or what others called 'sin' stocks.

Then along came Governance⁵ – are the companies and their boards adhering a set of rules, controls, policies and are resolutions put in place to dictate corporate behavior? Then there is Social – does the company have a good workplace, how do they treat their employees, do they have diversity, are they a good neighbor to their community members? And then came Environment – topics such as pollution, waste, climate change, and alternative energy resources are subjects that tend to resonate with investors.

Impact Investing is another keyword that is important to some investors wishing to know how to invest in a particular subject matter such as reduction of carbon, clean energy, and women-owned companies.

Ethos can immediately help an advisor jump-start their knowledge on the preceding subject matters without a steep learning curve even if one has a small knowledge base on the subject; check out their sustainable funds tracker⁶. It allows an advisor to analyze a portfolio and show how an investor is or is not aligning their investments with their values. It also showcases 45 different causes, such as climate action, racial justice, mental health, or gender equality, that advisors and investors can explore.

By showing recommended changes, an advisor can demonstrate how a client could choose to invest in companies/funds that strive to make the world a better place. Ethos has a 5-minute impact guide that provides a view of impact investing which allows anyone a quick overview.

Do you, your firm, or your family already do some form of activity to lessen your impact on the planet? "Shout it Out!" Let the world know how you help to reduce your footprint on the planet by displaying it on your website. Have your web developer add it to your search engine optimization (SEO) and let your existing clients know as well.

The world loves to know that people are making positive contributions. Through the Ethos Impact Assessment¹, you can engage your current clients and attract prospects by having the Ethos Impact Assessment badge on your Advisor website. The next step is "Get Started". Good Luck!

Diane Jochimsen is the President of White Raven Financial Services, Inc., in addition to being an investment advisor firm that offers investment advisory services to advisory clients in the State of Washington. Her firm walks the talk when it comes to trying to reduce its footprint on this planet that we call earth. Learn more about her company by simply visiting their website ⁷. White Raven Financials’ SEO guru and site developer is Mumarkt Design ⁸.