The vibe: dynamic!
The venue: nostalgic!
The content: strong!
The event: impactfully unconventional.
These are the words that I use to describe my experience at the 2019 FPA NexGen Gathering at the beautifully historic Loyola University New Orleans.
As my colleague and I walked through the lovely campus, I knew that it was going to be a different event – one that I don’t typically get to experience: Students reading under the trees, prospective students and their families exploring the campus gave me the feeling that anything is possible here. And it was!
It was clear that the advisors gathered here were educated and fully equipped and ready to service our next generation – and quite frankly any generation of investors.
Some conversations were light – ranging from how to discuss fees and establish a social media presence.
Other conversations were heavy – ranging from how to talk about race and how to discuss and understand financial literacy and the struggles that clients face around money.
No matter how light or heavy the conversation, you could feel the passion and vision flowing from these advisors.
My takeaway was that NexGen advisors are going to do business differently. They seek business partners who are willing to be creative and think beyond the balance sheet – although that’s important too, they are looking for strong technology resources and relationships that are built on taking action and creating meaningful change, including embracing sustainable, responsible, and impact investing. They themselves want to invest this way, and they’re well aware that there is a huge opportunity here for them to differentiate themselves and their practice, especially among their peer millennial clients and prospects, the vast majority of whom report wanting to invest in alignment with their values.
My other takeaway was just how wonderfully equipped the team at First Affirmative is to provide this next generation of advisors with the tools and resources they need to grow and amplify their voice within the SRI/ESG industry and #BtheChange!
For these advisors, and any advisor who wants to learn more about integrating SRI into their practice, there’s no better place than The Annual SRI Conference, which features a special two-day workshop just for advisors.
Check out how we help advisors grow their businesses through SRI/ESG investing by downloading the FPA NextGen Gathering presentation given by our Chief Investment Officer, Theresa Gusman.
