When we met Molly and Steve, they were in their 40’s, and were active volunteers for a variety of local community and environmental organizations. They had been chronic savers their whole lives and had been packing away money as soon as they had started working as teenagers. Their nest egg had grown considerably, and they continued to live a modest life in their mortgage-free home. 

Molly reached out to us, concerned that their existing investment advisor had gotten them decent returns over the years, but didn’t seem to understand them or their lifestyle very well. He wore an expensive suit, and drove a flashy sportscar, and they wondered if he shared their personal value system. 

We did a deep dive into Molly and Steve’s core values – which revolved around Sustainability, Environment, and a deep need for financial security.  In the process, we discovered that their existing holdings were 37% in oil & gas, which directly contradicted their stated preference for a low-carbon impact in their lifestyle, as well as their investments. 

We were able to help them design a Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) portfolio which had virtually no exposure to oil and gas producing investments. When we compared the historical performance of this portfolio, which looked at Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance of companies as well as investment return, we realized that our proposed portfolio had the potential for similar or better returns than what they had been invested in, but without compromising their personal values. 

Additionally, we showed them how to greatly increase their tax savings by making in-kind gifts of publicly listed investments to their favourite charities, instead of cash gifts. We also worked with them to design an insurance strategy that would transfer money tax-efficiently to their children and help reduce the eventual tax bill on their estate.