Among her many responsibilities, Greenspan manages the process of adding impact investing themes to diversify CCM’s product base. Greenspan agrees with other leaders in the asset management industry that ESG/impact investing will become the industry standard. Diversity and inclusion, environmental impact and other thematic approaches to equity, as well as fixed-income portfolio strategies, will be available to CCM shareholders in the future.
Greenspan listens carefully to what busy financial advisors say about the challenges of integrating ESG/impact investment strategies into client portfolios. As she put it, “Advisors have a lot of new information to absorb as this industry grows and investors demand more impact-focused investment choices.” At conferences and in her participation as a board member of industry NGOs dedicated to advisor education, Greenspan works to streamline what advisors need to know and target information so it’s easily accessible and brings value to the advisor community.
When asked for parting advice, Greenspan suggested that advisors participate in trade organizations whose mission is to support them and their clients in the financial planning process. She also recommended that advisors learn what their clients value as investors: “Tell them ESG and impact investing stories, especially women and millennial clients, and build a network of peers willing to share their experience of how to use impact investing to differentiate yourself from the competition.”
Paul Ellis founded Paul Ellis Consulting to work with financial advisors who want to integrate sustainable and impact investment strategies for their clients.