2018 Money Manager Roadmap on SRI from the US SIF Foundation

The report provides best practices and practical steps asset managers can take to develop and enhance sustainable investing strategies.

The US SIF Foundation recently released a comprehensive guide for money managers on how to incorporate sustainable, responsible and impact investing at their firms. The Money Manager Roadmap provides best practices and practical steps asset managers can take to develop and enhance sustainable investing strategies.

The guide, Moving Forward With Sustainable, Responsible And Impact Investing: A Roadmap For Money Managers is the second released by the US SIF Foundation this year. The roadmaps are a core deliverable from US SIF’s strategic plan goal to identify and disseminate information about best practices within the field and provide tools for practitioners to undertake a rigorous and comprehensive approach to sustainable and impact investing. A roadmap for financial advisors was released earlier this year, and asset owners will be the focus of the third and final guide in the series.

The Roadmap was designed with input from leading portfolio managers at US SIF member firms and covers the following steps, from introductory to advanced, for money managers to develop sustainable investment programs and products:

• Establish board and senior level oversight
• Identify sources of ESG data, research and training
• Develop and implement an ESG incorporation strategy
• Develop and implement an investor engagement strategy
• Measure and manage impact
• Participate in building the field

“As the field expands, we consistently hear that asset managers need basic information about how to get started in creating ESG-focused products and strategies. We also believe that asset managers need to continually build out their offerings and provide transparency about their investing process,” said Lisa Woll, CEO of the US SIF Foundation. “The Money Manager Roadmap is a tool that asset managers can use whether they are just starting out or are experienced practitioners moving toward a more rigorous practice.”

“The roadmap is an excellent framework and resource for the growing number of investment professionals at our firm and across the industry who are incorporating ESG analysis into their portfolios,” said Aniket Shah, Head of Sustainable Investing at OppenheimerFunds.

Paul Hilton, CFA, Partner and Portfolio Manager at Trillium Asset Management, added “Investment managers can no longer simply give lip-service to sustainable investing. US SIF’s Money Manager Roadmap provides a concrete path for managers who are looking to credibly and meaningfully mobilize capital towards impact. For many of us in the field, we believe our collaborative work to grow the field is the most important step we can take to demonstrate leadership and create lasting change.”

The guide is now available on US SIF’s website and will be distributed to asset managers throughout the year. To access the Money Manager Roadmap, please visit:  www.ussif.org/store_product.asp?prodid=36

 

About US SIF and the US SIF Foundation

US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment is the leading voice advancing sustainable, responsible and impact investing across all asset classes. Its mission is to rapidly shift investment practices toward sustainability, focusing on long-term investment and the generation of positive social and environmental impacts. US SIF members include investment management and advisory firms, mutual fund companies, asset owners, research firms, financial planners and advisors, broker-dealers, community investing organizations and nonprofit organizations.

US SIF is supported in its work by the US SIF Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization that undertakes educational, research and programmatic activities to advance the mission of US SIF, including offering training on the Fundamentals of Sustainable and Impact Investment. The biennial Report on US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends will be published later this year.

The 9th Annual US SIF Conference will be held in Minneapolis/St. Paul on June 10-12, 2019. For more information visit: www.ussif.org