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Week ending August 7th, 2020 |
Happy Friday, readers! The evolving topic of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing continues to gain momentum in 2020, with one source recently telling PLANADVISER that “ESG-aware” investment products will one day soon become the norm, rather than an exception. Others wonder whether federal regulations will hold back the use of ESG within retirement plans. With all this in mind, we have collected below some of our recent coverage of ESG topics. We hope you will learn something and share some of what you read with a client or colleague.
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Criticism Mounts Against DOL's ESG Proposal | Proposed regulations often generate some controversy, whether they are focused on expansive issues, such as protecting the environment, or on narrower matters, such as the use of certain types of investments within tax-qualified retirement plans. This has certainly been the case for the recent regulation proposed by the Department of Labor focused on restricting the use of environmental, social and governance investing principles within defined contribution retirement plans.
Read more > | | Why It’s Hard to Build ESG Consensus |
A big part of the challenge is that everyone’s view of exactly what constitutes social and environmental responsibility is different.
Read more > | | There’s an Untapped Market for ESG Investing |
More investors than research has shown are interested in environmental, social and governance investing, but most don’t speak out, and many need education to help them invest in what matters to them.
Read more > | | ESG and Fixed Income—a Natural Fit | Both quantitative and qualitative research suggest bonds issued by companies with favorable environmental, social and governance ratings can offer downside mitigation during periods of market turbulence.
Read more > | | Despite DOL’s Proposed Tightening, ESG Can Still Shine |
It is not all doom and gloom for plan sponsors and participants who want these investments. Here’s what advisers should know about the new rules proposed by the Department of Labor.
Read more > |
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Franklin Templeton to Acquire Putnam for $925 Million | The deal would boost Franklin’s defined contribution asset management to $90 billion in AUM, while Great-West, parent of Empower, will gain a stake in Franklin. | | Congress Says It Will Fix at Least 4 Errors in SECURE 2.0 | The errors include the startup credit, RMD, SIMPLE IRA plans and Roth catch-ups. | | Smart Acquires Managed Account Provider ProManage | Following Smart’s recent $95 million Series E funding round, the acquisition takes Smart’s global assets under management total to more than $10 billion. | | Recordkeeper “House” Investment Options Worth a Look, But Carefully, Advisers Say | Proprietary recordkeeper fund options can be worth the fee reduction in investment plans, but they must be looked at carefully, note advisers in a PLANADVISER practice progress webinar. | | FINRA Fines Vanguard for Overstating Money Market Projections | A ‘technical’ issue led to overstated projections of yield and income for nine money market funds for about 8.5 million accounts. | |
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