ethical futures

Figures released in the run up to National Ethical Investment Week (16 – 22 November 2011) by EIRIS, the non-profit sustainable investment research firm, show that the amount of money invested in Britain’s green and ethical retail funds (i.e. those funds open to the general public) has reached a record high of £11.3 billion.

This represents over three quarters of a million investors and has increased from around 250,000 investors a decade ago, at which point just £4 billion was invested ethically in the UK. Furthermore, the Investment Management Association have announced that purchases of holdings in UK Ethical funds in the second quarter of 2011 were 25% greater than in same quarter of 2010.

Growing public awareness of ethical issues and increased media attention are likely to be partly responsible for this rise, together with a continual broadening of green and ethical investment opportunities as fund managers take advantage of the popularity of this area of investment and growing numbers of companies realise the importance of social responsibility. A widening market means that investing ethically does not necessitate incurring a higher level of investment risk and is not likely to be detrimental to performance. Chosen investments can now be as mainstream or niche as the investor desires.

Junior ISAs will be available from 1st November 2011. These tax-free children’s savings accounts will have an annual limit of £3,600. Each eligible child can hold one Cash Junior ISA and one Stocks and Shares Junior ISA at any one time and these elements can be held in any proportion. Further information can be found on the Directgov site at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_192028

Interest rates for Junior Cash ISAs will appear on our November Deposit Account Rates information sheet. If you are interested in setting up a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA, our financial advisers would be happy to assist you.

To mark the beginning of National Ethical Investment Week, Julian appeared in an article in the Mail on Sunday on 16th October.

You can read the article at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/investing/article-2049603/Save-cash–planet-How-ethical-investors-principles-make-profit.html

National Ethical Investment Week 2011 is coming up (16th – 22nd October). Julian has been involved through his role as a NEIW advisory board member.

National Ethical Investment Week gives organisations and individuals the opportunity to spread the word about green and ethical investing. The aim is to ensure that as many people as possible know that they have green and ethical options when it comes to their finance and investment decisions.

For more information, please go to http://www.neiw.org/

Click on the link below to view an article on the Financial Times Adviser website containing a quote from Julian, in his role as Chair of the Ethical Investment Association. Please refer to the previous Ethical Futures News post for further information on the Ethical Investment Association.

http://www.ftadviser.com/FTAdviser/Investments/Sector/EthicalAndSRI/News/article/20110907/02aea8b4-d936-11e0-b3b8-00144f2af8e8/Ethical-advisers-praise-investment-houses.jsp