“Worthstone isn’t beholden to fund management groups, so the Impact Portal is completely independent.”
Helen Lovett, Chief Operating Officer, Foster Denovo
Foster Denovo is a firm of financial planners offering bespoke financial advice to private clients, businesses and charities throughout the UK. When looking for specialist research support for its sustainable investment solution, the firm wanted a service that put advisers’ needs and objectives front and centre, allowing them to do the very best job for their clients. Chief Operating Officer, Helen Lovett, explains why Worthstone stood out.
We launched an impact solution in 2020, following a personal interest in sustainable investing I sponsored the project to implement this firm-wide initiative. We were looking for a research partner who really understood the challenges and opportunities faced by financial advisers when it comes to delivering on sustainable investing objectives. This is critical for our business and for an authentic and independent offering to clients. We reviewed various companies, and Worthstone stood out from the rest.
Impact investing isn’t an add-on for Worthstone, it’s been their sole focus for more than 10 years. The company knows the sector inside out and understands how to help financial advisers navigate key issues, including greenwashing and measuring impact. It operates an open and collegiate approach with advice firms.
Its Impact Portal distils the marketplace, providing us with a diverse database of funds, each assessed against robust criteria and scored appropriately. Worthstone isn’t beholden to fund management groups, so the Impact Portal is completely independent.
We can filter the portal based on key criteria, allowing us to easily see funds that align with a client’s objectives. The database is revised quarterly so is always up to date, crucial in such a rapidly evolving market.
Some research providers offer a more static service, in contrast Worthstone takes feedback and suggestions from advisers very seriously. The team is responsive to our input, for example having recently launched its Portfolio Impact Reporting Tool. This allows us to create a bespoke report for a client, showing the impact of their entire portfolio. It really strikes a chord with clients and helps set us apart from competitors.