11 May 2017
FT Adviser press release here.
Professional Adviser press release here.
Worthstone, the impact investment hub for financial advisers, has launched the UK’s first social investment training manual and competency mark for financial advisers.
The Adviser Competency Training (ACT) offers advisers the opportunity to learn about all key elements of social investment that they need to advise their clients successfully in this area. The training is endorsed as structured CPD.
Social impact investment is gathering momentum, due to a number factors. Traditional asset managers are responding to investor demands by providing impact investment products and advisers are being approached by their clients to provide values-based investment opportunities and recommendations.
The ACT manual was designed and authored by practitioners for practitioners. It has been developed specifically for advisers who have a desire to be able to articulate clearly to clients any social impact investment opportunities, evaluate the risks, blend such investments into a portfolio and then measure and report on the social outcomes as part of a review process. The ACT also includes two chapters which are dedicated to helping advisers understand how Social Investment Tax Relief works and how their clients might benefit from it.
The ACT manual has been endorsed by the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment as a learning tool for which 18 hours of structured CPD may be claimed. As part of the package, advisers can take a multi-choice test and earn a certificate for social investment, together with a competency mark for their website and marketing materials as evidence to clients of competence in this area.
Big Society Capital is supporting the take up of the ACT manual by enabling the first 100 financial planners to purchase the ACT at a reduced price of £100.
Evita Zanuso, Director, Financial Sector & Investor Engagement at Big Society Capital, said:
“We are excited to support advisers’ take up of this social investment training manual. We know from talking to advisers that clients are increasingly looking for investments that reflect their personal values. This will become even more relevant in the future as wealth is transferred to the millennial generation. Advisers that recognise the importance of satisfying client demand for social investing and future-proofing their business are already engaging with social investment as an option for their clients.”
Gavin Francis, CEO of Worthstone said:
“We are experiencing significant levels of interest from a broad range of adviser firms seeking to offer values-based services as a differentiator, both to retain and grow clients but also to attract the best young talent who want to make a difference in the world. ACT provides advisers with the learning opportunity to be at the forefront in offering values-based solutions which look set to be a driver to competitive edge and significant asset growth.”
John Spiers, CEO of EQ Investors said:
“We’ve been key proponents of social impact investment since launch and it’s great to see an initiative that raises education levels amongst the adviser community. For social investing to really take-off, we need everyone on board and up to speed. I applaud Worthstone for taking the lead.”
Alex Xavier, Assistant Director, Member Services of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) said:
“We have noticed an increase in demand from our members for educational tools on social impact investing, therefore our endorsement of Worthstone’s Adviser Competency Training Manual is the start of our commitment to educate on this growing area of investor interest. We are looking forward to building on this endorsement through the provision of events and learning resources, and will watch the growth of social impact investing closely to ensure we support our members thoroughly.”
Advisers can order their ACT manual from the Worthstone “Order Now” page.
To benefit from the discount, they can use coupon code “TheNext100”. The offer is available until 31 December 2017.
– ENDS –
Contact Information:
Gavin Francis
CEO, Worthstone Limited
e | gavin.francis@worthstone.co.uk t | 07834 657775
Esther Blake
Communications Coordinator, Big Society Capital
e | eblake@bigsocietycapital.com t | 0207 186 2537
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Worthstone
Worthstone aim to help financial advisers, help their clients, generate more positive social impact from their investments. Impact is generated in every investment decision, either positive or negative. We are the go-to place for a broad spectrum of financial planners and wealth managers, who seek to offer impact investment advice to their clients. We are a hub of specialist expertise that provides outsourced resource and practical tools, to enable firms to offer a solution to intelligent capital holders for whom seeking alignment between their investments and their values has become a paramount consideration.
Visit our Website or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.
About Big Society Capital
Big Society Capital is a financial institution with a social mission, set up to build the social investment market in the UK, so that charities and social enterprises can access appropriate repayable finance to enable them to grow, become more sustainable and increase their impact on society. It is doing this by building a diverse social investment market: encouraging investors to lend or invest money to achieve a social as well as a financial return.
Since it was set up as an independent organisation in 2012, Big Society Capital has invested, along with its co-investors, over £285 million in specialist organisations who lend to charities and social enterprises.
For more information visit www.bigsocietycapital.com.
The ACT manual has been prepared by Worthstone and the information and opinions stated therein are those of the author and not of Big Society Capital. Big Society Capital does not represent or guarantee and shall accept no liability for the completeness, accuracy, reliability or suitability of any content or endorse any opinions expressed in this manual. Big Society Capital shall not be liable for any damages, claims, liabilities, costs or obligations arising (directly or indirectly) from any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this manual.
About EQ Investors
EQ Investors (EQ) is an award-winning, boutique wealth manager providing financial advice and investment management services to individuals, small businesses and charitable endowments. We cater for clients with a few hundred pounds as well as those with tens of millions and are committed to being the best for our clients. Our emphasis on doing things the right way has struck a chord with people who are tired of being treated as numbers by organisations only interested in growing their profits. Making a positive contribution to the wider community and helping people less fortunate than ourselves is a core part of our business philosophy.
About the CISI
The CISI’s mission is to help members attain, maintain and develop their knowledge and skills and to promote the highest standards of ethics and integrity in the securities and investment industry. Based in the City of London, the CISI is a global organisation with representative offices in financial centres such as Dublin, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, Dubai, Mumbai and Colombo. We work in close cooperation with regulators, firms and other professional bodies worldwide and over 40,000 examinations were sat in 80 countries in the last twelve months. With 40,000 members in 116 countries the CISI is the professional body which sets examinations and offers qualifications for those working, or looking to establish a career in the financial planning, wealth management and capital markets industry.