The new ethical portfolios are all discretionary managed multi-asset portfolios and will be based on firm’s existing asset allocation models.
An ethical option will be available across the firm’s three services. For those clients with over £3,000 pounds, an ethical balanced strategy will be available. In the firm’s prestige service that is available to investors with more than £50,000 there will be a range of four portfolios catering for risk bands four to seven. And, finally within its high net worth service of bespoke portfolios, ethical overlays will be available on a tailored basis.
According to the firm, the portfolios will be managed by the Whitechurch Investment team with Amanda Tovey as lead manager.
Tovey, who is head of direct equity at the firm, said: ““I am very excited that we are moving into the ethical space as I feel this is a growing market. Ethical investing is a key consideration for many people I have spoken to and with increasing need for Governments and companies to act in a more responsible manner on a range of issues from tax payments to climate change we as investors need to play our part and engage with this.”
In order to develop the portfolios, Whitechurch has teamed up with Ethical Screening in order to establish the criteria on which the funds and equities will be screened.
“The exclusion criteria includes fundamental areas of concern such non-medical animal testing, gambling, arms production, tobacco, pornography, to name a few,” Tovey said.
Matthew Ayres, client relationship manager at Ethical Screening commented “we are delighted to be working alongside Whitechurch to develop their responsible investment proposition both on the model portfolio side, via our Ethical Fund Database, and with bespoke screening of direct equities. This new relationship furthers one of our key aims: to further the incorporation of ethical and corporate responsibility issues into the investment analysis and decision-making process.”
