Although the idea of socially responsible ETFs that focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) is not relatively new, it’s still struggling to break into the investment mainstream, particularly in the fixed-income space. This is exactly what the next generation of financial advisors are clamoring for according to a survey by Incapital LLC, a leading underwriter and distributor of fixed income securities.
Among financial advisors with three to nine years of experience, 99 percent of those using individual bonds discussed the topic of social impact and ESG goals with their clients. This represents a 25 percent increase compared to advisors with over 10 years of industry experience.
“This generation has had more access to information on social impact investing than any before them, so it is no surprise that millennials and the generation of advisors that serve them, are like-minded in their support of results-driven causes,” said Louise M. Herrle, Managing Director and Head of Incapital’s Legacy™ platform for distributing social impact investments. “They understand that they can achieve their clients’ financial goals with investments that reflect their personal values.”
S&P Global Ratings expects strong green bond market fundamentals to fuel a 8% increase in self-labeled instruments globally in 2019, despite a bearish global fixed-income market. In the video below, analyst Noemie de la Gorce explains what’s driving this growth and what to look out for.
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