Purpose:
To help financial planners gain an understanding of investment options and tools that are available to help clients truly align their financial and life plans with their values.
Description:
Since the financial crisis of 2008, there has been a growing sentiment of skepticism and mistrust aimed at Wall Street and our globalized and opaque financial system. As a result, a growing number of clients and prospective clients are looking for ways to truly align their portfolios with their values, and are dissatisfied with investing all of their assets in the stocks and bonds of large multinational corporations.
This disconnect between personal values and traditional investment choices is becoming even more glaring due to an increased awareness of the role our investments play in shaping the world we live in. Media attention and a number of movements (i.e., Slow Money, Occupy, 350.org, and re-localization movement) are all adding fuel to the fire of discontent with business as usual on Wall Street.
However, an honest evaluation of a majority of the stocks and bonds that comprise a typical socially or environmentally responsible portfolio would also fail to make a direct link to the issues and causes that your clients care about most. In addition, even the sincerest and most well-intentioned values-based financial planning process often falls short in the implementation phase.
This course is designed for financial professionals who are ready to engage in out-of-the-box thinking regarding options for clients who want to a) know their investments are doing no harm; and/or b) actively engage in making the world a better place via their investments.
Course Requirements
Each session of this five-session, ten-week course will include:
- A recorded lecture
- Required reading
- Online interaction with the instructor and students
- Completion of an online learning assessment
This course is self-paced; however, online interaction via a discussion forum will include weekly deadlines. All requirements for each session must be completed within the two-week time-frame. Additional instruction will be included in the on-line virtual classroom. (Log-in information will be provided roughly two weeks prior to the start of the course.)
CFP® CE Credit
6.5 CFP® CE, as accepted by the CFP® Board, upon successful completion of the course.
