Contact Us
Please contact us for a free consultation to see how we can help you create a personalized portfolio that supports a just and sustainable society. Call us at 1-800-793-7512 or click here to send us an email.
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Nearly every category of financial assets now has competitive, socially responsible mutual funds from which we can build well-diversified portfolios. We conduct ongoing, in-depth research on the leading SRI mutual funds and utilize those that have solid performance within their asset category.
The NI team works together to design model portfolios that are suited to your risk comfort level and meet our rigorous financial criteria. In addition to SRI mutual funds, typical NI portfolios may include community investments (such as certificates of deposit and community investment notes), exchange-traded funds, individual bonds (including municipal or U.S.agency securities like Ginnie Mae), and real estate stocks. NI monitors a limited number of individual stocks in the field of regenerative investing: renewable energy, health and natural foods, and biodegradable, recycled, and organic products. Qualified and/or accredited investors may access venture capital and other pooled private equity products. The models form the basis for client asset allocations, though specific client interests and circumstances may add unique holdings to any portfolio.
We have several key strategic relationships which allow us to provide client management services. We are members of the Social Investment Forum, the U.S.-based SRI trade association, through which we can access industry trends and a clearinghouse of SRI research and resources. Our membership in First Affirmative Financial Network (FAFN), a national association of SRI advisors, provides financial and social research tools such as the Center of Fiduciary Studies' Fiduciary Analytics, IdealsWorkTM, and KLD PassTM company research reports. FAFN also offers a variety of managed separate account programs that are available through NI.
Hybrid Income and Growth
In addition to the use of our 5 Model Portfolios that reflect overall risk-tolerance, the NI investment approach includes a unique feature. For many of our clients, we recommend investing a portion of the portfolio into an asset classification we call "Hybrid Income & Growth." These are distinct investments that are neither typical income nor growth securities, but a strategic blend of the two.
Typical growth-objective investments, such as stocks, are selected with an investment goal of creating appreciation in value over time, with little in the way of current income to supplement that appreciation. However, certain stock investments are designed to participate in the market's long-term growth and take advantage of the steady income produced by dividend-paying stocks along the way. This strategy is known as "equity-income" investing.
For the income component of this distinctive Hybrid category, we include a recommendation in the area of high yield bond funds. "High Yield" bonds are those that carry a lower credit rating than investment grade bonds, but also offer better yields
Finally, our Hybrid category may include recommended investments in the stocks of non-nuclear utility companies and in real estate investment trusts, progressive mortgage companies, sustainable forestry and even health care real estate companies, each of which can enjoy appreciation in value as well as paying handsome dividends. We believe that our clients benefit from this forward-thinking Hybrid Income & Growth strategy as it provides diverse sources of investment returns.
Low Risk, High Social Impact Options
For the low risk, high stability portion of our recommended Asset Allocations, we take advantage of many of the top performing, socially responsible bond funds. To help our clients protect against periodic weakness in the US dollar, we include international bond funds in our Allocations. We also invest directly in the bonds of US Government Agencies, which support home loans, agricultural loans, and student loans. An exciting addition to our bond Allocations are the Calvert Community Investment Notes which make funds available for high-impact social projects such as micro-loan plans both in the US and abroad, real estate programs in low income communities, and similar initiatives.
Continuous Monitoring, Prudent Adjustments
NI recognizes that markets have historically been cyclical in their performance, and that timing the market on a daily or even quarterly basis is unlikely to benefit client returns. We prefer to take a long-term approach, commonly referred to as "buy and hold," to achieve long-term performance, rather than basing decisions on temporary market timing factors.
We generally do not make adjustments to our models more frequently than quarterly, but may do so if economic circumstances warrant, or whenever information becomes available that may materially affect an investment. We analyze fund performance in each asset class on at least a quarterly basis in order to determine the holdings and weightings of the portfolios. NI advisors participate in conference calls at least monthly to discuss investment holdings and any potential changes to the model portfolios. We don't leave this responsibility to others; we know exactly what we're recommending and why.
The investment markets are a highly dynamic and frequently changing environment. We continuously monitor the markets and our managed client portfolios to make sure we're maintaining an optimal portfolio composition and making timely adjustments as necessary. We offer detailed attention and customization that you won't find at other firms. |
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Giving Back
We donate 1% of our sales to environmental organizations, including:
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The Heart Rating
How do you measure if an investment is socially responsible? Consult our Heart Rating.
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Our Approach 
