Trillium’s CEO, Matt Patsky was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal’s Voices which is an occasional column that allows wealth managers to address issues of interest to the advisory community. “In the investment adviser community there’s long been a perception that mixing one’s values with investing is a non-starter. But socially responsible investing has been gaining momentum as the next generation begins to inherit their parents’ wealth. As a result, many firms are working hard to find solutions for conscientious investors. As advisers we have a tremendous opportunity to help our clients make a difference with their money, and …

October 10, 2013: Leslie Samuelrich has been named President of Green Century Capital Management, Inc. Green Century administers the Green Century Funds, the first family of no-load environmentally responsible mutual funds. “Green Century is thrilled that Leslie is stepping into this role,” said Green Century Capital Management board member, and immediate past President, Wendy Wendlandt. “Since she joined the firm, she has played a pivotal role in increasing assets, showcasing our long history of environmental screening and advancing our successful shareholder advocacy program.” Green Century Capital Management currently manages two mutual funds, the fossil fuel free Balanced Fund (GCBLX) and …

Trillium Asset Management is pleased to announce that Alex Jovanovic has joined the firm as an Investment Manager. Mr. Jovanovic spent the past decade with Boston Common Asset Management where he was most recently responsible for coordinating the firm’s business development efforts and managing client relationships. He has also served on the Leadership Team of the Boston Area Sustainable Investment Consortium. “For over 30 years, Trillium has been well known for its leadership in sustainable and responsible investing,” said Mr. Jovanovic. “I look forward to using my experience to serve the needs of Trillium’s clients.” “With his long history in …

Trillium Asset Management is pleased to announce that Brianna Murphy has joined our Shareholder Advocacy team. “We are delighted that Brianna is bringing her considerable talents and skills to the Advocacy Team. Her dedication to and enthusiasm for sustainability, combined with her years at Trillium and in the SRI community, will serve us well as we move corporations toward more sustainable business practices,” said Jonas Kron, Trillium’s Director of Shareholder Advocacy. “Even before I joined Trillium’s client service team three years ago, I had tremendous respect for the firm’s long and successful history of corporate engagement,” said Ms. Murphy. “I look …

By Cheryl I. Smith, Ph.D., CFA How concerned should investors be? While the U.S. stock and bond markets have shown some anxiety over the past two weeks, the stock market damage has been limited to less than 3% from the all time high reached in mid-September. Bond markets have been similarly calm. We think investors are correctly reading the economic signs and deciding not to panic. As of midnight, October 1, the U.S. Congress had not renewed the budgetary authority for the U.S. government, with the Republican-dominated House refusing to pass a continuing resolution because of the Tea Party-led objections …

October 2, 2013 // Boston, MA: Trillium Asset Management’s (Trillium) Investment Management Committee recently decided to sell all client holdings in the natural gas company Range Resources (NYSE: RRC) and to remove the company from our “Buy List”. Given the importance of operational efficiency to Range Resources’ profitability, as well as the regulatory, environmental, and social license risks facing the company, Trillium believes that the company’s current level of disclosure related to methane leakage is woefully inadequate. Leaking methane also represents lost revenue and raises the potential for increased regulatory and legal expense. Better transparency and the use of best …

Trillium Asset Management and the Christopher Reynolds Foundation are pleased that following our engagement with Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ENDP) the company is now providing some of the highest level of lobbying spending transparency in the pharmaceutical industry — and in corporate America more generally. Endo is now annually disclosing its membership in trade associations along with the amounts the trade associations spend from its fees for non-deductible lobbying activities. This significant and meaningful step by Endo is sound risk management and we commend the company for taking this leadership position. “Lobbying spending through third parties such as trade associations like …