Why Small Businesses Matter in Ridgefield: Envest Asset Management

Why Small Businesses Matter

Shop small, do big things for your community

Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story.

You're IT Envest Asset Management!

Three questions with James Osborn, Jr., Founder of Envest Asset Management.

Why did you start your business?

Envest Asset Management, LLC was formed as a grassroots effort to bring sustainable investment practices to individuals, families, businesses, and non-profits through investment accounts like IRAs, 401ks, 403bs, and personal investment products. What does sustainability mean? In addition to traditional financial metrics used for investing, sustainable investing extends to include environmental, social and governance criteria. Combined, these can be better indicators in determining long-term competitive financial returns while providing a positive societal impact. Another common term used is triple bottom line: people, planet, profits. What does that mean to clients? This means we take into consideration our clients’ financial, investment, and sustainability goals to create a financial plan just for them. Our goal is to increase awareness of this practice to fight global warming, increase financial education while investing for future needs like retirement or college. We thought we were uniquely positioned to help my clients, after careers that spanned from engineering to finance, which included environmental engineering, investment banking in social infrastructure, clean energy project lending, and, most recently, private equity investing in the clean energy space. We found that many advisors working at independent companies or brokerages that offered Financial Planning and Investment Management services were missing a critical component – sustainability.

 Finish this sentence in regard to your business. “I wish I could…”

I wish I could get everyone into sustainable investing, whether through our company or another. Sustainable investing is a large market and increasing. In fact, professional managed accounts focused on sustainability is $12 trillion (25% of the professional managed market). That’s up 38% in just two years (2016 to 2018) and grew nearly 4x since 2010. Why do this? Greater impact. Not only will people enjoy the traditional benefits from investing, but doing so sustainably is a way to have a positive societal impact by fighting global warming, increasing social awareness, and making companies accountable for their actions.

 What is your best selling product/service?

While many individuals or families work with financial advisors to prepare for their financial future, we take it up a notch. In addition to making plans for financial security, we want a viable environmental and social future. In some case,s we have been able to reduce a portfolio’s carbon intensity by nearly 50%. We do this through our focus areas:

• Financial planning with sustainability implementation
• Diversified sustainability investment portfolios
• Federal, state, or community focused investing
• Alternative investments, including direct investing in private sustainable-focused companies
• Increased awareness of sustainability practices
• Renewable energy optimization
• Carbon Dioxide (“Carbon”) and other Green House Gas (“GHG”) reduction

Visit Envest Asset Management online here.

Envest Asset Management, LLC tags Curbside Compost https://www.curbcompost.org/

HamletHub thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!