CONCENTRATED
ON CREATING AN
Enduring
Difference
Thoughtfully Integrating ESG Factors
We wholeheartedly recognize that ESG factors hold an essential role in investment outcomes and are critical for managers to consider as they deploy capital on behalf of clients.
We thoughtfully integrate ESG research across asset classes by placing our research team, led by senior consultants, with primary responsibility for ESG research. In evaluating external investment managers, our research analysts and consultants regularly discuss ESG issues with investment managers to understand their process and the potential impact on the portfolio. ESG considerations are incorporated into manager research materials to help clients understand the manager’s approach. ESG is a core element of our investment research, and we will continue to refine our approach as issues evolve.
In addition, many of our clients are focused on achieving alignment between their investment portfolios and the mission and values of the organization or family. This process often involves excluding certain types of investments (e.g. fossil fuels) or pursuing impact investments to generate a positive social outcome alongside a financial return. We are fully committed to supporting our clients as they pursue mission-alignment strategies.
To ensure our clients are at the forefront of ESG evaluations, we have invested in technology and services to help clients assess the ESG positioning of underlying portfolio holdings. In addition, we cover a broad range of impact investments focused on sustainability, financial inclusion, education, and healthcare. Our clients rely on us to apply general principles of manager diligence, including the evaluation of ESG factors. Our approach to expanding and executing these initiatives will be highly dynamic as we continue to incorporate ongoing ESG developments into our client’s goals and objectives.
Committed to Advancing
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Within and Beyond Our Firm
We believe that the most important asset to any successful firm is its people.
We continually strive to promote an inclusive and supportive work culture where all employees, regardless of their background, feel valued and respected. We want our team to feel empowered and inspired to share their ideas and experiences. We engage with and seek to bring positive change to the investment industry and our communities as we move toward a future of greater acceptance and appreciation for the unique qualities in each of us. Our commitment to this endeavor is strengthened with dedication, intellectual honesty, and humility.
Monticello’s Diversity Initiative Internship Program (D.I.I.P.) is a paid, summer program that provides professional development and enrichment opportunities to talented undergraduate and graduate students of historically underrepresented backgrounds.
Established in 2022, D.I.I.P rotates through each of Monticello’s offices (Denver, Cleveland, Boston, and Washington, D.C.) on an annual basis. Its objective is to provide active engagement and mentorship from a cutting-edge investment consulting leader by offering access to Monticello’s seasoned professionals and extensive resources in a supportive, inclusive environment.
Monticello is committed to improving diversity within the financial services industry and beyond by providing positive, real-world career experience for motivated individuals.
We recognize that our large footprint in the investment management industry provides us and our clients with the opportunity to significantly impact diversity, equity, and inclusion within the industry and beyond.
We systematically track investment manager diversity through a proprietary questionnaire sent to all managers we follow. This questionnaire serves as a supplement to the information that we gather on our investment managers’ broader ESG policies and procedures. We prioritize the tracking and sourcing of Women and Minority-Owned (WMO) investment managers, which has led to significant allocations by our clients. We are committed to expanding the universe of WMO managers we follow and prioritizing these managers in our research efforts.
We continuously seek opportunities for Monticello to engage on racial equity issues and expand our network and impact.
We actively support Seizing Every Opportunity (SEO), a non-profit organization that facilitates diversity enhancement in the finance industry with tuition assistance, recruiting, hiring, and networking opportunities. We aim to expand our partnership with this organization and other non-profits focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Each of the above endeavors will remain significant areas of focus and commitment. Our approach to expanding and executing on these initiatives will be highly dynamic, as we look to continue to incorporate ongoing developments and support our clients’ objectives.
