McClain's newsletter addresses such topics as shareholder advocacy, community micro-lending and community investing, and relevant material clients are unlikely to read about in their regular media. She's planning to write about TIAA-CREF's recent divestment from four companies that, despite three years of encouragement from the national financial services organization, failed to cease ties with Sudan or try to ease suffering and end genocide in Darfur. Although she doesn't use TIAA-CREF for clients, she says many of her Oregon-based ones may hold its funds elsewhere in their portfolios since the state recently added the firm as one of its providers of 529 plans.

On her Web site McClain maintains a library of articles on financial topics, provided by a service, which her clients can peruse at their convenience.

Gary R. Matthews, PhD, CPA/PFS, AIF, a New York-based CPA and personal financial specialist who works solely with SRI clients, often shares anecdotal stories about successful community investments and shareholder resolutions. "I like to pass along stories that can help clients relate to investments on a personal level; it's more than just the numbers," says Matthews, an investment advisory rep with FAFN.

Matthews frequently communicates with clients by e-mail because he says it's more environmentally friendly and efficient in many ways. E-mail enabled him to keep in touch with one client who was away for nearly a year in Nepal. He speaks to a client in Finland over the Internet using Skype. This year, for the first time, he'll be holding a series of small, informal lunches to speak about different kinds of social investing issues.

Kathy Stearns, AIF, an FAFN rep who recently relocated to Boise and is growing her SRI practice, recognizes the importance of communicating about SRI with potential clients. She refers them to a wealth of SRI information on her Web site and is teaching a seminar on sustainable investing in her community. Stearns, of Arc Advisers, also invented a sustainable investing game-with play money and chocolate returns-to educate visitors to her Idaho Green Expo booth about different SRI asset classes.

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