I’m excited to re-launch Encore Wealth Advisors, LLC and thought that I would share with you how I got here. In 2008, I was a successful wealth manager, managing clients portfolios for competitive financial returns as well as helping clients to engage in strategic philanthropy. In the market crash in the fall of that year and the first quarter of 2009 I saw client portfolios decline by about 25% on average. It was a very difficult time for both clients and myself. I did a lot of soul searching and asking the question how could this have happened? Were there warning signs that I was simply blind to at the time? I vowed to never allow myself and my clients to be blindsided like that again.
In researching the causes of the financial crises of 2008, I discovered that the financial crises arose in part because businesses did not take the environmental and social costs of their activities into account. It was profit without regard for people or the planet. I became convinced that business as usual was not sustainable in the long run. I could not feel good about investing my money or my client’s money in businesses where the welfare of employees, customers, or the environment is sacrificed in the pursuit of maximum profit. So, in 2012, I sold my wealth management firm.
In 2013, I was introduced to Impact Investing. Impact Investing recognizes that it is possible to pursue financial returns while also intentionally addressing social and environmental challenges. The term for this is “blended value”. I now saw a way of helping clients achieve their financial goals while staying true to my own values. I spent the following months reallocating my own portfolio for “blended value” while continuing to learn about impact investing. I was able to reorient Encore Wealth Advisors, LLC around blended value as the organizing principle of my work: using capital to create positive social and environmental impact while generating financial returns. I am excited about the opportunity of serving people and the planet in this way.
If you would like to learn how to harness the power of impact investing in your life, please visit our website at www.encorewealthadvisors.com.