TORONTO, Oct. 10, 2017 /CNW/ - There is a growing demand by Canadian investors for sustainable, responsible and impact investments that also offer competitive returns. Two new products from Mackenzie Financial Corporation. (Mackenzie Investments) offer investors the opportunity to affect change: Mackenzie Global Sustainability and Impact Balanced Fund will provide Canadian investors with a solution that helps their investments have a positive environmental and social impact; and Mackenzie Global Leadership Impact Fund provides investors with an opportunity to impact social and governance change with a focus on promoting the benefits of women in leadership.
A recent survey of investors, sponsored by Mackenzie Investments and conducted by Environics Research, showed nearly two thirds (63%) of investors agree that sustainable, responsible and impact investing will become more important to their investment portfolio.
"These new products provide options that take into consideration important environmental, social and governance criteria, including the representation of women in the corporate world," said Michael Schnitman, Senior Vice President Product for Mackenzie Investments. "Canadian investors are ready to impact positive social change and want to use their wallets to influence decision making."
Both funds are managed by integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) evaluations of companies with fundamental analysis into the investment process and will be available for purchase on October 16, 2017.
Mackenzie Global Sustainability and Impact Balanced Fund
Mackenzie Global Sustainability and Impact Balanced Fund combines the strengths of the Mackenzie Fixed Income Team and equity sub-advisor Rockefeller & Co. Seeking to provide a combination of income and capital appreciation, this global balanced solution is a potential core portfolio holding for investors looking to align their investments with their personal values. The Fund aims to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns while adding features that focus specifically on sustainability and responsibility, such as avoiding investment in issuers with weak ESG practices, emphasizing "best in class" issuers in each sector and around the world from the perspective of ESG factors, and encouraging the growth of issuance in green bonds promoting sustainable environmental practices.
Seeking to provide a combination of income and capital appreciation, this global balanced solution is a potential core portfolio holding for investors looking to align their investments with their personal values.
ESG factors have been incorporated into the Mackenzie's global fixed income investment analysis, to give insight into the creditworthiness and long-term outlook of countries and companies. Integrating ESG factors into the team's process also reflects the firm's commitment to the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, to which Mackenzie Investments is a signatory. A natural extension of the fixed income team's ESG integration framework is to launch a dedicated fixed income ESG portfolio within Mackenzie Global Sustainability and Impact Balanced Fund.
Rockefeller & Co., a leader in sustainable and impact investing, uses ESG integration in its stock-selection process alongside a fundamental, sector-based analysis of a company's financials.
Mackenzie Global Leadership Impact Fund
The Fund focuses on investing in companies that promote the representation of women in positions of leadership, including executive management and on boards of directors. The Fund's portfolio managers assess potential investments for the following characteristics that define women in leadership:
- Proportional representation of women on boards
- Proportional representation of women in leadership positions
- Woman Chief Executive Officer
- Woman Chief Financial Officer
- Whether the company is a signatory to the Women's Empowerment Principles
The Fund is sub-advised by Pax Ellevate Management LLC, a gender lens investing pioneer and leader in impact investing focused on advancing women in leadership.
The Fund provides investors with an opportunity to advocate for the advancement of women in leadership roles while aiming to generate competitive returns and long-term capital growth.
Data is based on:
- Environics: A survey of 1,247 Canadians 18-75 years old, who have an investment portfolio or plans to begin investing in the near future was completed online between June 27 and July 11, 2017. A probability sample of the same size would yield a MOE of +/- 2.8%, 19 times out of 20.
About Rockefeller & Co.
As of June 30, 2017, Rockefeller & Co. has approximately $16.2 billion in assets under advisement for individuals and families, family offices, nonprofit organizations, foundations, endowments, and global institutions. This number includes net assets under management of approximately $10.9 billion plus approximately $5.3 billion in advisory assets. Advised assets represent non-managed assets that receive services, such as financial planning, administration and/or consulting for open architecture programs or other assignments, consolidated reporting, and accounting and tax return preparation services.
About Pax World Management
Pax World Management LLC, investment adviser to Pax World Funds, is a pioneer in the field of sustainable investing. Pax World integrates environmental, social and governance (ESG) research into its investment process to better manage risk and deliver competitive long-term investment performance. For over 45 years, Pax World has made it possible for investors to align their investments with their values and have a positive social and environmental impact. Pax Ellevate Management LLC is the result of a partnership between Pax World Management and Ellevate Asset Management.
About Mackenzie Investments
Mackenzie Investments was founded in 1967, and is a leading investment management firm providing investment advisory and related services. With $69.24 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2017, Mackenzie Investments distributes its investment services through multiple distribution channels to both retail and institutional investors. Mackenzie Investments is a member of the IGM Financial Inc. (TSX: IGM) group of companies. IGM Financial is one of Canada's premier financial services companies with $150 billion in total assets under management as of September 30, 2017. For more information, visit mackenzieinvestments.com.
SOURCE Mackenzie Financial Corporation
For further information: Trish Tervit, Director, Communications and Media Relations, Mackenzie Investments, 416-967-2166, ttervit@mackenzieinvestments.com
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