Are you ready to join the movement of investing in companies that prioritise ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria? Discover how Sustainable Investing goes beyond profits, shaping a future that values the planet, society, and responsible business practices.

Invest with Purpose

Embrace Sustainable Investing on the Gold Coast

Are you seeking to build wealth through investments in companies prioritising ESG criteria? If you’re searching for investment opportunities that align with your values and priorities, look no further than Centaur Financial, your trusted local, sustainable investment advisors on the Gold Coast.

We specialise in guiding individuals like you towards sustainable investment options that generate both financial returns and positive impact. Join us in creating a better future through conscious investing.

ESG investment funds research is something that we specialise in at Centaur Financial Services.

We do this by requesting each fund on our Approved Product List (APL) provide details of their ESG policy with attention paid to whether they are part of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA) and/or a signatory to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UNPRI), which is worlds leading proponent of responsible investment. UNPRI has outlined six principles for responsible investment. They are a voluntary and aspirational set of investment principles that work to develop a more sustainable global financial system.

Only investment managers who at least meet the minimum screening standards can be adopted into our ethical investment models. Our role is to do ongoing research to ensure that your investments reflect your values. Hence, we continually assess the available ESG managers in our investment universe.

The principles are:

  • We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.
  • We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.
  • We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.
  • We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry.
  • We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.
  • We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles.

Our licensee ESG investment fund model has a strategic allocation of 90% to growth assets and 10% to defensive assets. It includes both Australian and international shares, implemented through active and passive management styles, listed property assets, and fixed income and cash. This ensures that you have a diversified investment portfolio representing a growth investment option over the medium to long term.

If sustainable investing piques your interest, and you want to invest ethically, get in touch with an expert sustainable investment funds investment adviser on the Gold Coast, Centaur Financial Services.

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Investing Responsibly

Unlocking the Power of Sustainable Investments

Are you seeking investment opportunities that align with your values and have a positive impact on society? Look no further than sustainable investing.

Sustainable investing offers the potential for both financial growth and a meaningful contribution to a better world. Whether you’re interested in building a multi-asset growth-focused portfolio or supporting companies with strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, sustainable investing provides a pathway to invest with purpose.

Sustainable investing is an excellent option for anyone looking to have investments that positively impact society. Sustainable investing can be implemented through actively managed funds, passive managed funds and ETFs. Our ESG investment fund model is suitable for total portfolio allocation or allocation within a broader portfolio, with a suggested minimum investment of $50,000 over a minimum 7-year time frame.

ESG investment funds are sustainable investment funds where Environmental, Social and Governance factors have been incorporated into the investment process.

The ESG factors are outlined below:

Environmental Factors

  • Climate Change
  • Resource Use
  • Waste and Pollution
  • Ecological Footprint
  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • Deforestation

Social Factors

  • Community Impact
  • Conflict
  • Employee Relations & Diversity
  • Labour Standards
  • Customer Responsibility
  • Health & Safety

Governance Factors

  • Shareholder Rights
  • Executive Pay
  • Donations
  • Board Diversity and Structure
  • Risk Management
  • Tax Transparency
  • Anti Corruption
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Frequently Asked Questions About Sustainable Investing

While it’s great to build wealth and watch your portfolio reach new heights, it’s even better knowing your investment is going towards responsible and ethical companies. This is one of the most significant personal benefits of investing in a sustainable investment fund managed by Centaur Financial Services.

On a much larger scale, your choice to invest sustainably means you’re standing against companies doing wrong; companies that promote tobacco and alcohol, gambling, pornography, high-impact fossil fuels, predatory lending, and armaments manufacture or distribution. As sustainable investing continues to grow, the snowball effect will force change.

“Companies that incorporate ESG risk management are better long-term custodians of investor capital, offer greater downside protection and can generate better long-term risk-adjusted returns.” – ftadviser.com

By investing in Sustainable Investment Funds, you not only have the opportunity to achieve your financial goals but also unlock a range of compelling benefits, including:

  • You’re rewarding ethical companies
  • Major investment companies look to sustainable investing as the future
  • Sustainable funds are being launched at a record rate
  • Greater profitability and higher dividends are the results of a good sustainability rating
  • Companies with a good ESG rating usually have lower risk exposure
  • Sustainable investing helps to manage risk in uncertain times
  • Performance results speak for themselves

Sustainable investing has shown significant growth over the past few years, and as ethical investment opportunities continue to grow, so too will its popularity. In 2019 alone, the number of funds rose from 2,045 to 2,405, and COVID-19 hasn’t slowed things down at all. In fact, according to Morningstar, a US financial services firm, 23 new sustainable funds were launched in the first half of 2020, with more to come.

Australia & New Zealand Sustainable Fund and ETF launches

Sustainable fund launches decade
Sustainable / ESG investing has rapidly grown to accommodate investors’ demand, including more younger adults and women. Interesting, the GSIA 2016 Global Sustainable Investment states that three-quarters of Australian millennials say they prefer to invest in a responsible super fund than in a fund that only considers maximising financial returns. Moreover, a Vanguard survey revealed that women are more likely to expect their super or other investments to be invested responsibly and ethically (57% of women compared to 42% of men).

Companies are given an ESG Rating based on their cumulating total ESG performance. There are many different ratings, including the Bloomberg ESG Data Service, DowJones Sustainability Index (DJSI), and Corporate Knights Global 100, which are out of 100, and the MSCI ESG Research, which is rated CCC, B, BB, BBB, A, AA, and AAA; worse to best). A company with a AA or AAA MSCI ESG Rating is regarded at the forefront of its industry in regard to managing the most significant ESG risks and opportunities.

Professional management adds value to your investment journey, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced investor. With their skills and expertise, they carefully screen and filter through numerous companies, ensuring you choose the right ones to invest in. By using skilled investment managers, you will be able to ensure that your investments are invested in sustainable funds that reflect your ethical and responsible wishes.

From there, you would like to diversify across the major asset classes (Australian shares, International shares, Listed property, and Fixed Income) to ensure you are not taking too much risk to achieve your investment goals. Typically, this can be done through a risk profile exercise.

Once you have found sustainable funds and diversified appropriately, the next step is to monitor the funds regularly to see that they still reflect your values and that their performance is satisfactory.

Although sustainable investing isn’t for everyone, it does deserve consideration as part of your overall investment strategy for a couple of reasons, namely:

  • More than half the wealth globally is being managed by some 1,700 signatories to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UNPRI). This means they are looking at ESG filters and screens as they make their investment decisions, so it makes sense you should too. One of the leaders in this is BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who’s written a letter to clients outlining their belief that sustainability should be the new investing standard.
  • The rapid expansion of sustainable, impact, responsible, and ESG funds signifies the surging demand for diverse investment options in this domain. This trend underscores both the present and anticipated growth in the preference for socially conscious investment opportunities.
  • Performance of many of the sustainable investments has been in the top quartile relative to their peers who do not apply ESG filters which can lead to the assumption that the CEOs and businesses that are thinking about these issues are ahead of the curve in not just their sustainable investing thoughts, but also other areas of business.
  • While the increased performance is nice, there is also a view that risk is better managed as the CEOs and businesses that manage sustainable risk seem to be better managed and look more so for quality style business, which can tend to be more profitable and resilient through market volatility.

Are you ready to embrace the power of sustainable investing?

Take control today and explore the possibilities of sustainable investing. Contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our Gold Coast sustainable investment advisors to discover how our expertise can help you navigate the complexities of sustainable investing with confidence and a sense of purpose. Together, let’s create a better future through conscious investing.

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