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Funds Group: Fisher Investments
Management Company: Fisher Asset Management, LLC
Funds Affected: Fisher IIG ESG Fixed Inc for Retirement Plans, Fisher IIG ESG Stock Fund for Retirement Plans 
Principal Sustainable Investment Management Strategy: ESG integration, negative screening (exclusions)
Summary:
The adviser considers ESG factors throughout the investment and portfolio construction process ESG factors are among the many drivers considered by the adviser when developing country, sector and thematic preferences. Governmental influence on public companies, environmental regulation, social policy, market reforms impacting private property, labor, and human rights are among the ESG factors considered when determining country and sector/industry allocations and shaping an initial prospect list of portfolio positions. The Adviser performs fundamental research on prospective investments to identify securities with strategic attributes consistent with the firm’s top-down views and with competitive advantages relative to their defined peer group. The fundamental research process involves reviewing and evaluating a range of ESG factors prior to purchasing a security, seeking to identify securities benefiting from ESG trends and avoid those with underappreciated risks. These factors include, but are not limited to, shareholder concentration, corporate stewardship, environmental opportunities and liabilities, and human or labor rights controversies.

Also, the fund seeks to narrow the security selection universe by applying comprehensive and robust ESG screens without compromising the adviser’s broader market outlook and themes. The adviser utilizes external third party ESG research and data which may include human environmental, and labor rights and controversy data. The adviser uses this information to create business involvement screens to exclude companies with ties to categories such as, but not limited to, cluster munitions or landmines, or those that derive any revenue from nuclear or bio-chemical weapons. Additionally, the adviser screens companies with significant revenue (generally 5% or greater, though the adviser may determine in its discretion what it believes is significant depending upon the factor and the company) from adult entertainment, alcohol, weapons or firearms, gambling, genetic engineering and tobacco.

 

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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