John Liechty, founder and principal of Integrated Financial Planning Solutions LLC in Goshen, Ind., came to SRI via a much different route. He spent 32 years with MMA (now Everence Financial), retiring as president and CEO of MMA Praxis Mutual Funds in 2008. He took a year off before starting his fee-only firm, which does hourly advising for an asset base just north of $40 million.
Liechty's data gathering form prompts prospective clients to indicate how important their beliefs and values are for investing. Two-thirds of the clients in his database say it's a high priority, he notes, and another 20% say it's meaningful.
Liechty has been seeing a marked shift by his clients away from negative screens and towards wanting to commit capital to companies that embody environmental, social and governance issues (ESG). He stays close to developments in SRI as a director for Pax World Mutual Funds and as a board member of US SIF, the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment.
Similar to Rinehart, Liechty lists his firm in the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors database as having a specialty in SRI. He also belongs to the Garrett Planning Network, an international network of fee-only advisors and planners that provides hourly, as-needed financial planning. Garrett held a breakout session on SRI at a recent retreat, he says.
While a number of clients have approached him because they know he's committed to integrating values and faith with finances, "I can't say it's the primary reason people walk through the door," he says. Nor is interest in SRI mandatory for his clients. "I'm not an evangelist; I'm not trying to convert people."