The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) is set to launch an adviser-focused course next month about ESG integration.
The industry body has announced its upcoming Sustainable Investment Advice online course will be launched on 24 July.
According to RIAA, the course “aims to assist Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand advisers become more confident to engage, research and advise clients who want ethical and sustainable investing”.
In particular, the specialised program is broken down into four key learning pillars:
- ESG and sustainable investing strategies
- Investment research and client portfolios
- Client conversations and advice processes
- Solutions to attract and retain clients
The first principle provides a comprehensive overview of ethical investing, sustainability and key ESG issues, such as positive screening and divestment.
The second pillar enables advisers to research and analyse sustainable investments, including managed funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This also means comparing different investment vehicles to discern quality over greenwashing and compiling a list of preferred ethical products for clients.
In the third section, advisers will learn to integrate their personalised fact finding process and systemise client meetings about ethical preferences.
The final pillar focuses on how advisers can convey their own sustainable investment philosophy to both new and existing clients through websites, articles and newsletters.
RIAA’s course follows rising consumer demand for responsible investing. A report released by the association earlier this year discovered more than half of Australians expect their advisers to be knowledgeable about responsible investment options (52 per cent).
In addition, 88 per cent of Australians expect their superannuation or other investments to be invested responsibly and ethically, while 65 per cent would invest more if their investments made a positive impact in the world.
Money Management previously delved into how responsible investing frameworks were becoming an increasingly vital part of the client discovery stage for advice firms.
Last month, RIAA also launched a toolkit to help advisers address the risks presented by artificial intelligence (AI).
Its Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights Investor Toolkit was developed by the organisation’s Human Rights Working Group.
The toolkit outlines the issues, provides case studies, outlines methodologies for understanding risks, and details strategies and guidance for investor engagement on the matter. It will also help firms understand how they implement and deploy AI ethically and responsibly.
