Let ESG Client Returns Speak for Themselves

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The spring of 2020 was a blur.

We were knee-deep in a worldwide pandemic with nothing to watch but the news and Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance. I took an active approach to mitigate client concerns about the pandemic, the politics, and how it all affected their portfolios. But days after the George Floyd killing, I felt like I needed to do more.

I had heard about sustainable, ESG and impact investing. But it was still in its infancy. Only a couple of my clients had asked about it. I went to my email inbox – the encyclopedia of all things I mean to read “later” – and dug up an old invitation to watch a webinar. The subject was sustainable investing, and the time was convenient.

I signed up.

Over the course of the webinar, I learned that institutional, high-net-worth, female, gen X, and millennial clients were interested in sustainable investing. The group with the lowest percentage of interest was financial advisors (at 6%). I was embarrassingly part of the 94% not paying attention. I committed to learn more.