Author Archives: Paul Ellis

In December the New York Times featured a story about Exxon Mobil leading the 5 largest oil and gas producers in announcing their expectation of a carbon tax.1 After years of rejecting any kind of tax, what are investors to think about this news? Why is Exxon Mobil Leading the Way? Actually, it’s a straightforward […]

Savvy advisors can take advantage of the expanding global green bond market while pricing is still competitive. Several SRI investment managers have underwritten the latest $1 billion IMF issue, which is being used to finance energy efficiency and alternative generating capacity in developing economies around the world.1This is good news, since we are way behind […]

There may be political gridlock regarding climate change inside the beltway, but not at city hall. Thanks to a partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the mayors of 110 global cities are focused on reducing GHG emissions at the city-wide level. Metropolitan political leaders in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and […]

Women are controlling more wealth and exercising more economic influence In the United States: women will inherit 70% of the projected $41 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer expected over the next 40 years.* And of particular importance to advisors, one study shows more than 53% of affluent women interviewed are interested in environmentally responsible investments.** So […]

What are some of the hottest trends in sustainable investing? After attending the annual conference for US SIF, the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment, in Chicago in May, I’m excited to share a few investment strategies that I think advisors should tune into. These investment opportunities are exciting to clients and help diversify allocation […]

If you’re an advisor new to SRI, you probably struggle to fill the equity and fixed income style boxes. One of the most common complaints I hear is that there are not enough competitive funds to properly diversify a portfolio for the client who wants most of their assets invested in SRI. To support advisors […]

One of the biggest surprises I had as an advisor was how many of my clients were interested in SRI. But it shouldn’t have been! After all, I had been working with some of these clients for years when I decided to make SRI a specialty within my practice. I should have been more aware […]

“If climate change undermines the financial viability of the insurance industry, it will have a devastating impact on the economy, as well.” – CERES report According to the report by CERES, a nonprofit organization of investors, companies and public interest groups advocating for sustainability leadership, most of the property and casualty companies have strategies to […]

On March 20, 2013, the German Insurance Association, with 474 members including Munich Re, Swiss Re, and Allianz, issued a position paper requesting that government regulators allow them to use a larger percentage of renewal energy resources for investment in their own portfolios. To facilitate the process, they want regulators to reclassify renewable energy into […]

Francois-Henri Pinault is the CEO of PPR, corporate parent to some of fashion’s best-known brands. So why has the guy who sells Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and Stella McCartney designs to the rich and famous set up PPR Home to oversee a wide range of ecological and social initiatives, including environmental profit-and-loss statements and sustainable python […]