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Two Industry Leaders Working to Standardize ESG Reporting

Posted by Joe Trifiletti on 11/14/19 11:14 AM

 

 
In September 2015, news of Volkswagen's prolonged dishonesty regarding the U.S Clean Air Act and air pollution tests wiped out close to $17.6 billion in their market value — making the stock of the largest automaker in the world plunge 23% according to Bloomberg. This emission scandal highlighted the need and importance of environmental, social, and governance criteria (ESG) in evaluating the risk factor of potential investments in companies. More than ever, investors are looking beyond financial returns and want the companies they invest in to be responsible for their environmental impact, the conditions of labor, and other behaviors that have a profound effect on the planet and people. ESG data provides a way to hold companies accountable for their actions beyond the PR campaigns and potential “ greenwashing” their marketing departments put out there. But how is ESG data collected, analyzed, and reported?
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Topics: Impact Investing, ESG

Advisor Spotlight: Brian Ginty

Posted by Jeso O'Neill, Chief Marketing Officer on 11/5/19 1:40 PM

 

Each month Vanderbilt Financial Group features an Advisor in the Vanderbilt family who exhibits the VFG values of Gratitude, Respect, Innovation, Teamwork and Trust on a consistent basis. These values impact their work with clients and VFG staff, and ultimately pushes for an excellence in their business practices that is unparalleled and incredibly unique. Beyond high-level producers, these Advisors offer sage advice and best practices for boosting your business on your terms according to your values.  

This month I spoke to Brian Ginty of Hudson Valley Financial Services. We chatted about the transformation of technology on the trading desk. Brian laid out some sage pieces of advice for young Financial Advisors just building up their book. 

Listen in on the audio version below or continue on to read the transcript.

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Topics: Financial Advising, Independent Financial Advisor, The Advisor Spotlight

The Top 3 Things Clients are Afraid of (And How to Ease Their Fears)

Posted by Moira Do on 10/31/19 10:31 AM

 

The origins of Halloween date back 2000 years ago when the Celts, who lived around Northern Ireland, celebrated their New Year on November 1. This day was believed to be the beginning of a dark, cold winter with low food supplies, and increased opportunity to meet a mortal’s end. It was said that on the evening before this new year, the boundary between the world of the living and the dead was believed to become blurred. Ghosts and ghouls returned to Earth with tricks and spookiness abound.

Now a popular holiday worldwide, Halloween’s frightening undertone isn’t only because of the spooky costumes, it’s also the stories we pass on to one another. Each industry deals with scary stories and fears that aren’t always life-threatening or haunted, but still a scary story indeed. To commemorate this, we gathered a group of Vanderbilt Financial Advisors to pass on their stories about the worst fears they see in clients and how they ease them.

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Topics: Client Relationships, The October Effect, Investment Fears

The October Effect: How to Overcome Stock Market Fears

Posted by Joseph Trifiletti, President on 10/22/19 3:29 PM

 

Stock Market Fears

The four-day Stock Market Crash starting October 24th, 1929, remains the worst Stock Market crash in U.S. History. Another ominous event in our collective memory happened on Monday, October 19th, 1987, when a sudden and largely unexpected stock market crash affected markets around the world. Stock markets fell in Hong Kong (45.5%), Australia (41.8%), Spain (31%), and the United States (22.68%). It was such a bleak day that it has been referenced countless time in popular culture as “Black Monday.”

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Topics: Investment Behavior, The October Effect

Back to School: CE Courses to Help Build Your Business

Posted by Moira Do on 10/17/19 8:45 AM

 

Being an independent Financial Advisor often means growing your business on your own without the structure or framework of a large firm. While the upsides to that are many (think: being your own boss on your own terms), the downside can include not having the business building skills needed to grow.

An often under-utilized resource for leveling up on these skills can be found within the yearly mandated Continuing Education (CE) courses you’re required to take to uphold your license. Advisors may sometimes think of these as merely a compliance obligation, yet we’re here to let you in on a secret: there is valuable content that could help to build your entrepreneurial advisory IF you take the right classes.

Below are 4 relevant CE Courses and why they could help your practice:

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Topics: Business Building, Financial Literacy, CE Compliance

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