Financial Firms Balancing Profit with Purpose

 

Since the first lot of certified B Corporations was unveiled in 2007, this cohort of businesses has matured to consist of 150 industries—including the financial sector. Today there is a growing number of financial firms across the globe—including banks, asset management, and venture capital firms—that are B Corps. These firms adhere to a rigid set of legal criteria to hold themselves accountable for their impact on their work, community, and environment. (To become B Corp certified, a company must score a minimum of 80 (out of 200) on the B Impact Assessment test.)

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This presents a new opportunity for merging capital with purpose. When seeking a financial planner, the B Corporation certification allows for another way to vet potential prospects. This is helpful, as a most important collaboration one can have is that with their financial planner. For some, this relationship is viewed as purely transactional; the professional provides counsel for the most beneficial path forward. For others, a financial planner is an integral component of how one expresses their values. At The Conscious Investor, we fall into the latter camp. We believe money is a way to create change and extend purpose, therefore we feel anyone advising financial decisions must share parallel ethics.

The B Corp seal is a way to see if an expert is aligned with the concept that capitalism and doing good are not mutually exclusive. One step further, research shows that when decisions around capital are made with a consideration of environmental, social, or governance factors, it can substantially mitigate financial risk.

The following includes certified B Corp financial firms across the globe. From the growing number of firms, we narrowed down this list to include a wide geographical representation.

One final note: We hope these firms provide insight into the burgeoning world of companies putting values first. In considering this, the endeavor of finding the right financial planner is a layered process that weighs heavily on personal preference and intuition, as well as confirming necessary factors such as financial certification, fiduciary and other ethical expectations, and general financial goals. It is critical to ask questions that will provide the best information to make the most informative decision.

United States: West

 

Align Impact

Santa Monica, California

Score: 107.1

 

Abacus Wealth Partners

Santa Monica, California

Score: 133

 

Veris Wealth Partners

San Francisco, California

Score: 144.4

 

Montcalm

San Francisco, California

Score: 120.8

 

The Caprock Group

Boise, Idaho

Score: 115.2

 

Green Retirement Inc. 

Alameda, California

Score: 162.7

Core Capital Management

Huntington Beach, California

Score: 109.7

BSW Wealth Partners

Boulder, Colorado

Score: 140.2

 

First Affirmative

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Score: 106.5

Figure 8 Investment Strategies

Boise, Idaho

Score: 120.6

United States: Northwest

United Fund Managers

Portland, Oregon

Score: 110.2

Modernist Financial

Portland, Oregon

Score: 87.5 

United States: Midwest

 

Bone&Devick Wealth Partners

St. Louis Park, Minnesota

Score: 104.8

 

Pekin Hardy Strauss Wealth Management

Chicago, Illinois

Score: 106.1

 

United States: Northeast

 

Goldfarb Financial Advisory

Buffalo, New York

Score: 129.3

 

Clean Yield Asset Management

Norwich, Vermont

Score: 149.4

 

Westcott Financial

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Score: 100.7

 

MOR Wealth Management

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Score: 122

 

Northstar Asset Managers

Boston, Massachusetts

Score: 128.1

 

Common Interests

Metuchen, New Jersey

Score: 144.6

 

Envest Asset Management

Ridgefield, Connecticut

Score: 101.1

 

Zevin Asset Management

Boston, Massachusetts

Score: 131.8

 

Trillium Asset Management

Boston, Massachusetts

Score: 163.8

3Sisters Sustainable Management

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Score: 124.1

 

United States: Southeast

 

Alexis Advisors

Richmond, Virginia

Score: 105.9

 

Earth Equity Advisors

Ashville, North Carolina

Score: 123.3

Solidarity Capital Group

Cary, North Carolina

Score: 112.7

Europe

Tickr

London, England

Score: 117.3

 

Citizen Capital Partenaires

Paris, France

Score: 109.1

Globalance Bank

Zurich, Switzerland

Score: 109.3

Helsinki Capital Partners

Helsinki, Finland

Score: 97.8

First Wealth

London, England

Score: 80

Innpact

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Score: 121.8

Lombard Odier

Geneva, Switzerland

Score: 98.8

 

Asia

 

Panarchy Partners

Singapore, Singapore

Score: 105.6

AvantaFaire Holding

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Score: 86.3

Australia

Ara Consultants

Kew, Victoria

Score: 93.8

Wattle Partners Private Wealth

Richmond, Victoria

Score: 80.3

Impact Investment Group

Melbourne, Victoria

Score: 86.6

Ethinvest

Sydney, New South Wales

Score: 99

 

At The Conscious Investor, it is our goal to shed light on topics that we find interesting, inspirational, and educational. Therefore, this article is strictly for inspirational and informational purposes only. It is in no way intended to substitute for professional investment advice, professional financial advice, or general counsel. To the extent that an article features the insight, opinions, or advice of an expert or company, the expressed views are those of the cited person or company and do not necessarily represent The Conscious Investor and its employees or affiliates.