Founders Financial Securities, an RIA and broker-dealer in Towson, Md., is adding internally managed sustainable investment strategies to its offerings, the firm announced Monday.
The strategies, available to clients at no account minimums, give its independent financial advisors access to diversified portfolios that incorporate sustainable investing principles and yield competitive long-term returns, Founders said.
Bradley Shepherd, president and CEO of Founders Financial, said advisors have been asking for sustainable investment options. The new portfolios will include equity and fixed income offerings from Parnassus, Calvert, PAX, TIAA, PIMCO and Dimensional Fund Advisors.
The strategies will exclude such things as alcohol, tobacco, weapons, gambling and nuclear power, as well as investments in rogue foreign regimes. Qualitative and quantitative factors will be assessed using environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. The new sustainable strategies will cover the risk spectrum from aggressive to growth, moderate, balanced, and conservative offerings.
“Advisors and clients alike are realizing that they do not have to sacrifice performance in pursuit of sustainable investments. The number and quality of funds focused on sustainability principles has grown dramatically in recent years as investment companies are waking up to the reality that a growing number of investors want their portfolios to reflect their values,” Shepherd said in a statement.
Founders Financial, which includes 75 independent financial advisors across the country, started as a super OSJ 1994 and transitioned to an independent broker-dealer in 2004.