FIRST AFFIRMATIVE SURVEY ON THE VIEWS OF FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS ABOUT SRI

SURVEY: HALF OF SURVEYED FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS HAVE
OFFERED SRI OPTIONS TO CLIENTS

But Major Perception “Gender Gap” About SRI Seen Among
Brokers, Investment Advisors; Broad Agreement Found that
“Millennial Investors” Will Require Major Changes by Financial
Industry.

Click Here to view the full survey
results.

COLORADO SPRINGS (October 23, 2014) – When it comes to
perceptions among financial professionals about sustainable,
responsible, impact (SRI) investing, men are from Mars and women
are from Venus, according to the findings of the first annual
“First Affirmative Survey on the Views of Financial Professionals
About SRI” released today by First Affirmative Financial Network.
The major new survey also finds stronger-than-expected acceptance
by financial professionals of offering SRI options to investors and
a widespread view that the financial industry will need to change
to accommodate the needs of “Millennial Investors.”

Available
online at
/resources-news/news/first-affirmative-survey-on-the-views-of-financial-professionals-about-sri/ and based on 1,913
responses to an online survey of financial professionals not
normally identified as SRI practitioners, the survey is being
released less than a month before The SRI Conference on
Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing takes place November
9-11, 2014 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado
(http://www.sriconference.com/), produced by First
Affirmative Financial Network.

Key survey
findings include the following

Half (49 percent) of the responding financial professionals
said they have offered an SRI option now or in the past to their
clients. Of those who have done so, the #1 cited reason was
requests from clients.

By a margin of more than two to one, survey respondents believe
the financial services industry will need to change its ways to
meet the needs of younger (Millennial / Gen Y) investors. Half of
the survey respondents (49 percent) agreed that “the needs and
interests of younger investors will have to be catered to if the
industry is to thrive.” Only about one in five (21 percent) believe
that “(t)oday’s younger investors are no different than aging Baby
Boomers and older investors.

Female financial professionals who were surveyed are much more
likely than men to focus on SRI. Three out of five (61
percent) financial professionals who are women say they are now or
have in the past offered SRI options to clients, compared to less
than half of men (47 percent).

Female advisors are roughly twice as likely as men to say that
SRI will become a bigger aspect of the industry in the next five
years: 29 percent versus 15 percent, respectively. Women also are
more likely than men to say that the financial services industry
will need to change to meet the need of Millennial / Gen Y
investors: 62 percent versus 46 percent, respectively.

First
Affirmative Senior Vice President, Betsy Moszeter, said: “The
survey results show that SRI investing has become entrenched in
mainstream finance. Having reached the point where one out of two
financial professionals have offered SRI options to their clients,
it is clear that responsible investment strategies are now a client
expectation that advisors need to be equipped to provide. We are
encouraged to see that industry professionals are looking ahead and
understand that the views and concerns of millennial investors will
need to be addressed in coming years, and that business as usual
will not be sufficient. That means the sustainable, responsible,
impact investing strategies are almost certain to become even more
centrally established as a go-to investment choice for millions
more Americans in the years to come.”

“The survey’s findings that women in the financial world are
more inclined than their male counterparts to embrace SRI is an
important one and it points to where the industry will end up on
this question in the long run,” said Christy Aleckson, investment
representative of Single Point Financial Advisors in Portland,
Oregon. “As more and more women join the ranks of financial
professionals over time, the availability of SRI investment
strategies for any investor will improve, and the notion of
investing for positive impact will become a common practice. It is
literally another instance of where women will lead the way and I’m
proud to be among the pack,” she said.

Other key
findings from the First Affirmative survey include the
following:

Women who are financial professionals are more likely than
their male counterparts to say that they are “very aware” of SRI:
43 percent versus 33 percent, respectively.

Women are more likely than men to say that they are more open
to offering SRI options in the next five years: 39 percent versus
30 percent, respectively.

Almost a third (31 percent) of survey respondents who have
offered SRI options to clients in the past believe that SRI will
grow in the next five years. Under half (45 percent) think the
extent of SRI investing will stay about the same. The numbers are
different-17 percent and 55 percent, respectively-among all
financial professionals, including those who have never offered a
SRI option to clients. Fewer than 1 in 20 financial professionals
(4.4 percent) expect SRI to decline in the next five years.

Almost three out of five (58 percent) of surveyed financial
professionals not offering SRI options to clients say they have
never considered doing so. The #1 reason cited by responding
financial professionals who have not offered SRI options to their
clients: Lack of information about / familiarity with SRI (71
percent).

First Affirmative will welcome about 550 investors and
investment professionals who invest for positive impact to the 25th
annual SRI Conference on November 9, 2014. The full conference
agenda is available online at: http://www.sriconference.com/agenda/2014-conference-agenda/.
Conference participation is open to all SRI industry practitioners,
investment professionals, institutional investors, and related
organizations and individuals. The conference experience features
an outstanding series of educational sessions and a focused
opportunity to network with hundreds of like-minded individuals,
organizations, and industry leaders.

ABOUT FIRST
AFFIRMATIVE FINANCIAL NETWORK

First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC () is an independent
Registered Investment Advisor (SEC File #801-56587) offering
investment consulting and asset management services through a
nationwide network of investment professionals who specialize in
serving socially conscious investors. First Affirmative produces
The SRI Conference (http://www.sriconference.com/).

ABOUT THE SRI
CONFERENCE

The 25th annual SRI Conference (http://www.sriconference.com/),
the leading North American forum for investors and investment
professionals involved in SRI investing. For more information about
the conference or about supporting the conference as a sponsor,
please contact Krystala Kalil, at 888-774-2663 or Krystala@SRIconference.com.

MEDIA
CONTACT

Patrick Mitchell, (703) 276-3266 or pmitchell@hastingsgroup.com.