AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) and the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) have launched the free Financial Adviser Guide to Responsible Investment, in an effort to help advisers deepen their understanding of responsible investment (RI).
Given that nine in ten Australians expect their assets to be invested responsibly, Simon O’Connor, chief executive officer of RIAA, said the guide provides advisers with practical ways to incorporate responsible and ethical investment practices into their businesses to better meet client requests.
“The guide sets out to demystify RI, unscrambling all the jargon, to help advisers move up the learning curve fast so that they can have meaningful conversations with clients on the topic,” O’Connor said.
“Evidence continues to mount that responsible investments have the potential to deliver stronger risk-adjusted returns for investors. Advisers can no longer afford not to be informed.
“The good news is that by accessing the guide – and educational resources from firms like AXA IM – advisers can strengthen their knowledge in this area, to deliver the best advice to clients.”
Michelle Lacey, head of wholesale at AXA Investment Managers, said the challenge for financial advisers is determining what approach aligns best to a client’s individual circumstances and values.
“While more and more people are asking their financial adviser about RI, there’s a degree of mystery surrounding it. RI covers a wide range of approaches, and it’s essential advisers have access to enough information to make informed decisions on responsible investments based on the needs of clients,” Lacey said.
RI now constitutes the majority of the overall investment market in Australia, comprising $866 billion of assets, or around 55.5 per cent of all assets professionally managed in 2017, according to the RIAA.
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