On May 21, 2010, Unitarian Universalist Association’s Board of Trustees announced their unanimous decision to end their 10 year relationship with Fidelity and move their $178 million retirement accounts to TIAA-CREF.

“The change in companies was spurred by a growing commitment by the UUA to genocide-free investing coupled with its disappointment in Fidelity’s persistent refusal to consider human rights in their investment choices.”
- UUA press release

“We are morally bound to consider the impact of our financial decisions.  We couldn’t continue to watch passively as money we earned through religious service was directed to companies profiting from a genocidal regime.  As clients of Fidelity, we tried to create change from within, but after four years, it became clear that Fidelity’s position on investing in the Sudan hadn’t changed one iota.”
- UUA President Rev. Peter Morales

“The Unitarian Universalist Association is a leading example that Americans, once they become aware, are overwhelmingly opposed to being financially connected to genocide. Fund managers, such as Fidelity, who resist making a commitment to genocide-free investing, should see that UUA’s action reflects a competitive marketplace in which customers have clear, mainstream alternatives that are genocide-free.”
- Eric Cohen, Chairperson, Investors Against Genocide

CONTACT us to learn how you can ensure your investments are also genocide-free!

The UNITED NATIONS estimates that 2/3 of nations will become “water-stressed” by 2050. The supply is shrinking and our population is growing.  Please consider investing in companies who work toward sustainable solutions to the encroaching water crisis.  Click here for perspective on the opportunites and challenges in water.  To discuss how investing in global water can benefit you, contact me here.

Perhaps money circulates too fast and causes us to lose control of it?  Bringing money “back down to Earth” slows money down, and may be the way to create real economic sustainability.  Slow Money is a movement that aims to do just that.  Please visit www.slowmoneyalliance.org

Are your investments funding Genocide?  Wouldn’t you be floored if your investments have contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands?

Genocide has occured in Sudan since 2003(www.sudandivestment.org) The government of Sudan has pursued a genocidal campaign against the citizens of Darfur, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing over 2.5 million people.  In 2004 (source: www.sudandivestment.org), the U.S. officially labeled the Darfur conflict as genocide.  This markes the first time the U.S. has declared a situation to be genocide while the atrocities are still happening.  People are being murdered as you read this.  It’s happening, right now.

Abraham Lincoln brilliantly said, “We – even here – hold the power and the responsibility.”

You can help fight genocide through the way you invest.

Sudan’s government is susceptible to economic pressure.  Possessing neither the capital nor expertise to exploit it’s own natural resources (source: www.sudandivestment.org), it’s dependent upon foreign direct investment – not only to pay it’s debts and fund their expenditures, but also to finance their war in Darfur.  It is estimated that 70% of the government’s oil profits is spent on the military (source: www.sudandivestment.org).

Divesting from companies who are accused of funding the Sudanese government is a way to help fight the genocide in Darfur.   The U.S. government has passed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act.  24 states have adopted divestment policies related to Sudan, 59 universities, 16 municipalities, and 2 international pension funds have adopted similar policies… and this just scratches the surface (http://www.sudandivestment.org/statistics.asp for more).

Momentum is building all over the world.

If this issue concerns you, let’s talk about how you can participate in divestment without sacrificing your financial goals.  Thank you for your concern.

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intented to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.  To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing.  All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results.  All indicies are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.

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What to invest in?   Does the phrase ”information overload” resonate with you? 

A myriad of new data has been made available to the public through an outcry for economic transparency.  But how useful is it to you?  True, knowledge is power, but how easy is it to navigate through?  How much of it is relevant to how you make investment decisions?  Ultimately, the noise of the “sound and fury” does little to help investors determine whether the market is flat, poised for recovery, or headed toward another Great Depression.

The research team at LPL Financial has developed the Current Conditions Index (CCI), to create clarity amidst the turmoil.  The index incorporates 10 key indicators that reflect where the economy stands at any given moment.  The objective of the CCI is to help you set aside the heavy emotions that too often drive investment decisions, and deafen the noise so the underlying rhythyms of the marketplace become more apparent. 

The public needs clarity now more than ever.  The CCI is the clarity we seek as investors.

Visit this site for updates on the CCI and for other tangible and useful information.