EP37- Is Ethical investing a fad or the future? – With Phoebe Stone

This week I have had the pleasure of chatting to Phoebe Stone, Head of Sustainable Investing at LGT Vestra, a prominent wealth management firm. Phoebe is a phenomenal example of the impact that forward thinking women can make in the financial services industry.  

Using her personal experiences of volunteering and charity work and her in-depth knowledges of the financial services industry, Phoebe pitched the concept of sustainable portfolios to the board of LGT Vestra in 2017. Her forward thinking approach to sustainable investing has meant that in the last year her department has expanded to eight people, clearly showing that ethical investments are a growing and sustainable sector.  

During my podcast chat with Phoebe discover how her ambitions from an early age led her to working in wealth management and how women are making an impact on the financial services sector.  

We also discuss different approaches to sustainable investment delving into how companies with a good focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues perform better in the long-term and how investment management firms are changing the way that they value companies moving towards a more holistic overview. In essence, if a company treats its staff and the environment well, it will be more likely to be successful and will potentially yield better returns.  

Our conversation also covers how big business can begin to help the United Nations achieve its 24 Sustainable Development Goals. Learn about the $multi-trillion funding gap and find out how investing in sustainable and responsible businesses can help to fix it. It truly is a case that investing can change the world and that ethical investment can make a difference for our children’s futures.  

Phoebe also explains how, as investors, we can make a difference by choosing where we put our money. Ethical investment is less about avoiding companies that we find distasteful, for example tobacco companies, and more about pinpointing investments that support particular UN Sustainable Development Goals. By deciding which aspects of sustainable development are closest to your heart, for example climate change or education, as an investor you can then make decisions about where your money is placed.  

I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Phoebe, she is an amazingly insightful and empowering woman who has used her experiences as a Board Trustee of The Lord Mayor’s Appeal and as an ambassador for breast cancer charities to begin shifting the UK investment space into a more ethical direction.  

If you’ve ever considered investing money for the future or have questions about the performance of ethical investments over traditional routes, this podcast is well worth listening to.  

As always, I love when listeners come away from my podcasts with questions, so if you have any after listening (or during) feel free to drop me a message or an email and I’ll do my best to answer.  

Enjoy listening