Impact and ESG Investing Training

The estimated net inflow into U.S sustainable funds in 2019 was almost four times higher than the net flows in 2018, totaling a $20.6 billion for the year.¹ However, some of the basic knowledge of impact and ESG investing is still uncertain for investors. According to GIIN’s 2020 Annual Impact Investor Survey, common understanding of definition and segmentation of impact investing market is still considered a moderate challenge to the market.² There are courses and training available for those interested in furthering their knowledge and education of impact and ESG investing. Below, we have highlighted several online courses available to investors.

• US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investing
  • Sustainable Investing: An Introductory Course for Individual Investors
    Announced yesterday, this 30-minute course is free and designed for investors who want to learn the basics of sustainable investing and how to align their portfolios to address their social and environmental priorities. Course content includes the development of sustainable investing, investment options and strategies, and next steps for sustainable investing.
  • Fundamentals of Sustainable and Impact Investment
    This course is an introductory resource for investment advisors, financial planners and other financial professionals who want to learn the basics of sustainable and impact investment, and to incorporate it into investment portfolios and client conversations.
  • Chartered SRI Counselor™ (CSRIC™)
    In partnership with the College for Financial Planning, US SIF offers the only professional services designation for sustainable investing in the United States, the Chartered SRI Counselor™ (CSRIC™). A graduate-level program, the CSRIC™ course provides financial advisors and investment professionals with the history, definitions, trends, portfolio construction principles, fiduciary responsibilities, and best practices of sustainable investment.

For more information on US SIF courses, visit https://www.ussif.org/courses.³

• PRI Academy
  • Getting Started in Responsible Investing
    Getting Started in Responsible Investment is a short, two to three-hour training course designed for professionals across the business spectrum that want an insight into responsible investment. The course delivers the business case for RI and introduces new ideas to traditional investment approaches.
  • Foundations in Responsible Investing
    Foundations in Responsible Investment is recognized as the international “gold standard for ESG training”. It was developed as the PRI Academy’s foundational course, focusing on the identification and implementation of ESG factors into investment decision making. The course explores the key principles of responsible investment, uses real-life case studies to illustrate the materiality of ESG issues in business, introduces strategies for identifying and managing new approaches to ESG risk, and identifies methods for integrating sustainability data into financial modeling.

For more information on PRI Academy courses, visit https://priacademy.org/pages/academy-syllabus. ⁴

¹ https://www.morningstar.com/articles/961765/sustainable-fund-flows-in-2019-smash-previous-records

² https://thegiin.org/impact-investing/need-to-know/%23s2

³ https://www.ussif.org/courses

⁴https://priacademy.org/pages/academy-syllabus