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Funds Group: AIG Funds

Management Company: SunAmerica

Funds Affected: AIG ESG Dividend Fund

Principal Sustainable Investment Strategy: Exclusions

Summary:

The fund employs an environmental, social and governance (ESG) screening process at the time of investment to identify companies that meet the fund’s ESG standards. Pursuant to its ESG standards, which incorporate screening research from independent research services, the fund will not invest in: (1) Companies that are significantly engaged in: the manufacture or distribution of civilian firearms, military weapons or weapons delivery systems; the manufacture or distribution of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products; the operation of gambling-related businesses; or the production of nuclear energy, or (2) Companies that: have a history of poor labor-management relations; engage in businesses or have products that have a severely negative impact on the environment; have significant business operations in countries whose governments pose human rights concerns; operate businesses that have a significantly adverse impact on the communities in which they are located; engage in businesses or have products that have a severely negative impact on their customers, which may include companies that have products that pose safety or health concerns, engage in practices that are anti-competitive or have marketing that is inappropriate or misleading; or have a history of poor business ethics, which may include companies that have incidents of bribery or fraud, or poor governance structures.

 

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Research

Research and analysis to keep sustainable investors up to-date on a broad range of topics that include trends and developments in sustainable investing and sustainable finance, regulatory updates, performance results and considerations, investing through index funds and actively managed portfolios, asset allocation updates, expenses, ESG ratings and data, company and product news, green, social and sustainable bonds, green bond funds as well as reporting and disclosure practices, to name just a few.

A continuously updated Funds Directory is also available to investors.  This is intended to become a comprehensive listing of sustainable mutual funds, ETFs and other investment products along with a description of their sustainable investing approaches as set out in fund prospectuses and related regulatory filings.

Getting started

Many questions have surfaced in recent years regarding sustainable and ESG investing.  Here, investors and financial intermediaries will find materials that describe the various approaches to sustainable investing and their implementation.  While sustainable investing approaches vary and they have thus far defied universally accepted definitions, many practitioners agree that they fall into the following broad categories:  Values-based investing, investing via exclusions, impact investing, thematic investments and ESG integration.  In conjunction with each of these approaches, investors may also adopt various issuer engagement procedures and proxy voting practices.  That said, sustainable investing approaches will continue to evolve.

In addition to periodic updates regarding sustainable investing and how this form of investing is evolving, investors and financial intermediaries interested in implementing a sustainable investing approach will also find source materials that cover basic investing themes as well as asset allocation tactics.

Inesting ideas

Thoughts and ideas targeting sustainable investing strategies executed through various registered and non-registered sustainable investment funds and products such as mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs), closed-end funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Unit Investment Trusts (UITs). Coverage extends to investment management firms as well as fund groups. 

Independent source for sustainable investment management company research, analysis, opinions and sustainable fund disclosure assessments