Blogs discussion
How Capital Markets and the West laugh in the face of carbon emissions - while looking holier than thou!
Thanks for that insight Mark. It is depressing to be reminded that hypocrisy is so rife in this world full of greed and self-interest. Human nature is something that regrettably comes with membership of the human race.
3 weeks, 6 days ago | view thread
Sustainability should be part of a debate on how we explain Investment Risk
Mark this is a major challenge for everybody connected to promoting SRI. UKSIF have just been promoting Ownership Day.
It would seem sensible to me that events like this are perfect ways of attracting the regulator's attention to this.
1 month ago | view thread
Al Gore's Most Important Talk Ever
Good point well made.
We need more high profile people like Al Gore to be making these points.
1 month, 3 weeks ago | view thread
The Voluntary Carbon Credit scam goes on
I have just come across a site: www.emeraldknightconsultants.com after reading an article on a money website by James Howard from Emerald Knight. This website promotes itself as promoting green and ethical investment. I am concerned that this site might not be what it seems and am concerned that longer term this could seriously damage the ethical investment space. My concerns are that it seems to be promoting voluntary carbon credits; it is not registered by the Financial Services Authority. I am also concerned that when you try to call them that it went to answerphone and I tried to leave a message on their website and it constantly rejected my comment. Investors need to be wary!
2 months ago | view thread
The Voluntary Carbon Credit scam goes on
And here is the response I received to reporting the above matter to the SFO via email. It appears this is not in the remit of fraud - but I am not sure why!
Dear Mr Hoskin,
Thank you for contacting the SFO and for the information which you have provided.
After consideration of the information you have provided we have concluded that this is not a matter that falls within the remit of the Serious Fraud Office and no further action will be taken by us. That is not to say that the matter you have reported is any less important or any less distressing for you as a victim. It is essential that suspected offences are investigated expeditiously and our intention in informing you that this is not a matter for the SFO is to reduce the delay in it being brought to the attention of the appropriate organisation.
Should you wish, you may want to consider reporting this matter to Companies Investigations.
Companies Investigation Branch (CIB) which is part of the regulatory arm of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Although CIB is located within the Insolvency Service, an Executive Agency of BIS, it is not limited to companies that have become insolvent. In fact, most of its investigations are into companies that are actively trading. Under the Companies Acts, CIB have the power to investigate companies and although they do not carry out criminal investigations their investigations may provide the basis for a subsequent criminal enquiry. The CIB would usually refer matters to us if on the information available to them they found that there is serious or complex fraud that the SFO should look at. Further details about the CIB are found on the following web page:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency/Companies/company-investigation
Please note that if you wish to complain about a company, the CIB’s preferred method is to complete the online Complaint Form which is found on the above web-site. Alternatively CIB’s contact details are as follows:
Companies Investigation Branch
Ground Floor
21 Bloomsbury Street
London WC1B 3QW
E-mail: enquiry@cib.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: 0845 601 3546 (Please note CIB cannot accept complaints by telephone)
You may also wish to contact the Financial Services Authority by completing their online form. Please refer to the attached link to their website.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/doing/regulated/law/alerts/form.shtml
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/Pages/Doing/Regulated/Law/Alerts/index.shtml
You may wish to report this matter to Action Fraud - It is the UK’s national fraud reporting centre. It provides a central point of contact for information about fraud. The service is run by the National Fraud Authority – the government agency that helps to co-ordinate the fight against fraud in the UK. Their online fraud reporting service http://www.actionfraud.org.uk/report_fraud is available 24 hours a day, enabling you to report a fraud and find help and support. They also provide help and advice over the phone through the Action Fraud contact centre. You can talk to their fraud specialists by calling 0300 123 2040.
You can now forward on scam emails you receive to Action Fraud at email@actionfraud.org.uk
Thank you
Intelligence Unit
2 months ago | view thread
The Roots of SRI - or why we don't invest in intensive agriculture
What a really interesting blog Clare. More please.....
2 months, 2 weeks ago | view thread
Let's make ethical investment bigger and better in 2013
Mark
It would be great to see this push. I believe the real challenge is to keep advocating the link between better ESG management and more sustainable investment. I suspect the retail management fraternity ,as a whole, is still struggling with this.
Richard
3 months, 2 weeks ago | view thread
SRI is not for dummies
I totally agree with your view Clare and I'm glad this view won through.
My view is that as an industry we have a responsibility to move investment in a more responsible and sustainable direction.
The SRI core, of which I see myself as part, must be united in pushing this message through. This will not be helped by attacking existing SRI policy, however weak. We have to continue lobbying and engaging so that the subsequent engagement from fund managers improves.
6 months ago | view thread
ESG should become part of adviser's vocabulary
Firstly Jeremy apologies for not replying sooner.
Thank you for your comments. I accept there is lack of awareness and perceived concerns on investment performance.
But this is precisely why I think ESG will help them to break these barriers down. At it's heart it is saying that the investment performance of underlying holdings will improve becuase ESG is being considered.
Of course asset allocation is important as is a robust investment process. But I actually believe that ESG factors add another dimension to long term investment performance that mainstream investing doesn't. In his delivery the other day Robin gave the example of Johnson and Johnson as a company that was improving its sustainability and that this was delivering extra returns to its bottom line. Whilst I am not naive enough to believe that share performance is just down to this I do believe it will become a more significant factor, and more evidence is supporting this.
Far from missing the point I feel it's fundamental to moving SRI investing forward
7 months ago | view thread
National Ethical Investment Week (14th to 20th October) needs to give ethical investors confidence
Good point well made.
We need to put more meat on the bone when we are discussing these things.
7 months, 1 week ago | view thread
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