Climate March Q&A
Climate change is happening, and faster than scientists expected. Polar ice caps are melting faster, island nations are going underwater, the ocean is acidifying and warming. In the US, we are suffering catastrophic droughts from California to Texas, along with severe flooding in the East. The answer is to stop burning fossil fuels, but the […]
Google Cuts Ties with ALEC Over Climate Change
Yesterday in an interview on the Diane Rhem Show, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt announced that Google will pull its support form the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Speaking about ALEC, Eric Schmidt said: “The facts of climate change are not in question anymore. Everyone understands climate change is occurring and the people who oppose it are […]
Investors Call for Climate Action
UUA Joins World’s Leading Institutional Investors In Call For Carbon Pricing, Ambitious Global Climate Deal. We, the institutional investors that are signatories to this Statement, are acutely aware of the risks climate change presents to our investments. In addition, we recognise that significant capital will be needed to finance the transition to a low carbon economy […]
August Monthly Commentary
Major asset classes mostly gained in August as volatility that crept into the marketplace in late July receded amid light late-summer trading. Global bond yields inched lower on the month, highlighted by German Bund 10-year yields hitting record lows at 0.88%. US Treasury yields followed suit despite modestly positive economic news, providing a further tailwind […]
UUA Joins Other Investors Calling for SEC to Require Publicly Traded Corporations to Fully Disclose All Political Spending
Today the Unitarian Universalist Association joined other investors in calling on the US Securities and Exchange Commission to to take immediate steps to require publicly traded corporations to fully disclose all political spending to their shareholders. Read the full press release from the Corporate Reform Coalition here. The UUA has for several years used its stock holdings […]
July Market Commentary
Most asset classes finished in the red in July as volatility crept up at the end of the month to levels last seen in April. Global equities tumbled as escalating conflict around the globe overshadowed strong economic data in the US. Investors were rattled by heightened tensions in Ukraine fueled by the shooting down of […]
The UU Common Endowment Fund and Climate Change
The Unitarian Universalist Common Endowment Fund (UUCEF) and Climate Change The Socially Responsible Investment Committee (“SRIC”) of the UUA has endorsed the fossil fuel divestment resolution on the ballot at the 2014 General Assembly. If passed, this resolution will allow the UUCEF to continue a process begun years ago of reducing climate-related risk to our investments, […]
The Risks and Returns of Serving on your Congregation’s Finance or Investment Committee
I am often asked to share my knowledge about investing and fiduciary responsibility. My experience in the financial field has given me many insights about risk, investing, and governance, which I happily share with the UUA and fiduciaries who are just beginning their service to the UUA. The purpose of this article is to build […]
Chevron Shareholders’ $55 Billion Dollar Answer
Chevron’s 2014 annual shareholder meeting was remarkable in one respect. It was not marked by what happened. Instead it was notable by what did not happen. This year, Chevron’s management was clearly hoping for a better reception from it shareholders regarding its legal troubles in Ecuador. Chevron even showed a new video to shareholders that […]
September Monthly Commentary
Over the course of this year we have noted that divergent global central banking policies will likely have a dramatic effect on the near term investment landscape. This notion was on display in September as the Federal Reserve appeared steadfast in its plan to wind down quantitative easing while the European Central Bank announced partial […]