We have seen an endless barrage of stories recently on impact and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing — many negative and criticizing this style of investing. The reality is that impact and ESG investing supporters, practitioners, and investors should embrace the criticism as a sign of acceptance. Investors are […]
In recent years, the number of issuers coming to market with corporate debt offerings that look to have environmental and/or social impact outcomes has significantly increased. Sometimes labeled as green bonds, sustainability bonds, or social bonds, these issues may fit within investors’ requirements for impact alignment. More recently, another category […]
International Women’s Day celebrates the achievements of women and supports a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, and asks to collectively work toward greater women’s equality moving forward.[1] This year’s campaign theme — #BreaktheBias — spotlights the individual and collective biases against women that fuel gender inequality. We also […]
Last week’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed inflation reaching a 40-year high with prices up 7.5% in the last year. Even after excluding the more volatile food and energy inputs, inflation still remains shockingly high at 6.0% and is creating angst among investors, particularly those who have relied on […]
In this month’s blog, Andy Kaufman, CCM’s chief investment officer, shares his thoughts on the financial markets and his outlook for 2022. 2021 was supposed to be the year of recovery. With vaccine roll outs and the possibility of herd immunity, we thought life would be back to normal. While […]
Our final blog of the year highlights the top five trends we witnessed within the impact and ESG investing space in 2021. Greenwashing: There was a lot of media attention on “greenwashing” throughout the year including the former CIO at BlackRock claiming that sustainable investing practices is a public relations […]
Earlier this month, the CFA Institute issued the first voluntary global standards for an asset manager to consider when disclosing its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues in its objectives, investment strategy, and stewardship activities.[1] The guidelines, which are an extension of the global investment performance standards, known as GIPS, […]
Over the next forty years, approximately $30 trillion of wealth is estimated to be passed from baby boomers to Generation X and millennials in North America alone.[1] This shift in capital is being dubbed the “great wealth transfer”. For financial advisers, the transfer of wealth from baby boomers to their […]
In the last few years, a new acronym has surfaced: BIPOC. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. According to Google Trends, the use of the acronym began to spike in May 2020, coinciding with the growing Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the deaths of […]
The summer of 2021 has seen extreme heat and dry conditions sparking wildfires around the globe. From California to Greece, Turkey to Canada, these raging fueling blazes are destroying land and livelihoods. California, in particular, is having a record-breaking year of wildfires with more than twice as many acres burned […]