Press Kit - Investing for the Soul
Mission
Most investors want to engage
in ethical investing but have difficulty in doing so. The mission of Investing for the Soul is
to help these investors do that and to assist investment professionals in
appropriately servicing clients with such interests.
Facts. Socially Responsible-Ethical
Investing
Big, Profitable, Gaining Investor Acceptance
US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends
2016. "The total US-domiciled assets
under management using SRI strategies grew to $8.72
trillion at the start of 2016, an increase of 33% since
2014."
Global Growth of SRI Assets.
"At the start of 2016, global sustainable
investment reached $22.89 trillion, compared with $18.28
trillion in 2014, an increase of 25 percent. Previously,
global sustainable investment assets grew 61 percent
from 2012 to 2014."
Canadian Responsible Investment Trends 2016 Report
"According to survey responses and secondary
research undertaken by the RIA [Responsible
Investment Association], assets in Canada being managed
using one or more RI strategies increased from $1.01
trillion at the end of 2013 to $1.5 trillion as of
December 31, 2015. This robust growth represents a 49%
increase in RI assets under management over a two-year
period. Canadian RI assets now account for 38% of total
Canadian AUM (estimated at $3.986 trillion1), up from
31% two years earlier."
ESG and Financial Outperformance.
"The results show that the business case for ESG
investing is empirically very well-founded. Roughly 90%
of (2,200 individual) studies find a non-negative
ESG-CFP relation. More importantly, the large majority
of studies reports positive findings."
Ron Robins, MBA
Mission
His personal mission is to help investors bring their
higher values into investing decisions. This arose
out of discussions, beginning in the 1960s, with
numerous investors seeking to bring their personal values into their investment
selections.
Mr. Robins is considered a pioneer in the concept of
ethical investing.
Current Activities
Deeply concerned about America's economic and financial
problems and believing to have some unique insights into
how to fix them, Mr. Robins is writing a book explaining
his ideas. The book's working title is, "Resolving
America's Economic Quagmire," with a subtitle, "People
gaining inner fulfillment is the key.”
Among other tasks and writings, Mr.
Robins also continues to administer this site and
provide services to investors such as the
Creating A
Profitable Personal Values-Based Portfolio
and
DIY Ethical-Sustainable Investing Pays tutorials.
Previous Activities
Mr. Robins conceived
and created
Investing for the Soul
in 2002. By 2005,
Investing for the Soul was offering
Ethical Investing Workshops and
Ethical Investing Services,
talks, and enjoying
widespread
media coverage. The workshops and services
show/assist investors and investment professionals in
finding, researching, and evaluating investments
according to a set of desired personal values.
In 2007,
he added
Ethical Investing News & Commentary to his website;
an e-newsletter
The Soul Investor;
and the
Enlightened Economics
blog to create a
discussion in formulating a practical economics that
integrates consciousness, natural-law, and free-market
theory.
In 2010, he became a financial and
economics columnist for
alrroya.com, a leading Middle Eastern business
portal/publication.
Please
note though, Mr. Robins is not an investment advisor, nor
is he licensed with any professional investment related
body, and
thus is not able to, nor does he make, any investment recommendations.
Background/Education
Mr. Robins was born in London, England, and
immigrated to Canada in 1967. His education includes
business and spiritual studies at institutions of higher
learning in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada and
the United States. Among his many qualifications are an MBA degree (joint major in finance and marketing), and
Honours standing in the Canadian Securities Course.
Prior
Investment Industry Experience
Mr. Robins has held investment analyst positions at two
leading investment firms. Firstly at Bongard Leslie &
Co. Ltd.—now for many years part of BMO Nesbitt Burns,
Canada. This was followed by a more senior analyst
position at Babson Canadian Reports, a distinguished
Canadian investment advisor/manager in the 1970s that
had an arms-length relationship to the prestigious U.S.
investment firm, David L. Babson & Co. Inc., of
Cambridge, Massachusetts. At Babson’s, Mr. Robins also
edited their weekly investment newsletter.
In the
late 1990s, Mr. Robins worked for five successful
years in a small Toronto investment boutique in global
private investment securities sales to wealthy Americans
and Europeans.
Teaching TM to Executives
Mr. Robins became a teacher of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's
Transcendental Meditation (TM) programme in 1972 and
taught it for almost thirty years. During the 1990s, he
was regarded as North America’s most successful marketer
and instructor of the programme to executives, having
given over 2,000 TM sales presentations and seminars.
He taught TM at leading North
American corporations such as the Toronto-Dominion Bank
and The Bank of Nova Scotia; at elite health clubs such
as the Granite Club and The Fitness Institute (both of
Toronto); and have been a keynote speaker at functions
of many organizations, Chambers of Commerce and Rotary
Clubs.
His
studies in spirituality have involved years in
seclusion. It is his inner experiences that greatly motivates him on his present path.
Media
Coverage
Mr. Robins has also achieved significant media
successes by authoring, publishing and promoting
numerous articles and media stories on investment
related matters and the TM programme.
Additionally, his activities have
been featured in many published media including
MarketWatch, Financial Post, The Toronto Star,
and in broadcast media that include the CBC and CFRB
Toronto.
Published articles by, about,
or quoting, Ron Robins of Investing for the Soul
-
Investing ethically? Buy shares, not funds! - A guide, by Ron
Robins, March 8, 2018, What Investment, UK.
-
Do-It-Yourself Ethical Investing Pays," by Ron Robins, September
2017, Canadian MoneySaver, Canada.
-
Impact Investing And The O'Reilly Factor, by William Baldwin,
May 1, 2017, Forbes, USA.
-
Faith-based investing is about more than avoiding sin stocks, by
Guy Dixon, March 10, 2016, The Globe and Mail, Canada
-
Young investors aim to make money responsibly, by Ruane, Remie,
February 21, 2015, The Catholic Register, Canada
-
War – a minefield for ethical investors, by David Israelson,
October 6, 2014, The Globe and Mail, Canada
-
The US has More Than $6.00 Of Debt For Every $1.00 Of Income,
by Robert Lenzner, June 14, 2011, Streettalk, Forbes, USA.
-
Socially Responsible Investing, by Ron Robins, September
2010, Benefits and Pensions Monitor, Canada.
-
GETTING PERSONAL CANADA: Virtue May Now Trump Vice,
by Monica Gutschi, August 11, 2010, The Wall
Street Journal, USA.
-
Ron Robins:
Investing for the Soul, by Vita Sgardello, VITA Europe,
November 5, 2008.
-
The Ethics of Statistics, by Ron Robins, Canadian
Treasurer, October-November, 2007.
-
The Media & Government Statistics, by Ron Robins, The
Corporate Ethics Monitor, September-October 2006.
-
The passion of investing. Putting your beliefs to work for
higher returns, by Thomas Kostigen, CBS MarketWatch, August 23,
2005.
-
Investing using a 2,000-year-old strategy, by Michael Swan,
The Catholic Register, August 15, 2005.
-
Listen to this. Pension education can be an employee benefit,
by Ron Robins, Canadian Treasurer, December 2005/ January
2006.
-
Moral Investing: How pension education can be an employee benefit.
by Ron Robins, HR Professional, April-May, 2005. Discusses
the reasons why companies should offer socially and environmentally
responsible investing workshops for their employees.
-
Moral
Investing: Employers should offer employees workshops on ethical
investing for their RRSPs,
by Ron Robins, Straight Goods, June 13, 2005.
-
Soul man preaches 'values' investing, by William Hanley,
Financial Post, FP Money, September 11, 2004. An article about Ron
Robins and Investing for the Soul.
-
Good for the soul, if not the wallet, by Jonathon Chevreau,
Financial Post, FP Investing, September 14, 2004. An article
about Ron Robins and the performance of Canadian socially
responsible investing mutual funds.
-
A Healthy Investment,
by Ron Robins, New Directions,
October/November, 2004, P. 32. An article relating our health
to the health of our investments.
-
Investing for the Soul Workshop, by Ron Robins,
Vitality, September, 2004, P.134.
-
Careful about your food, what about your investments? by Ron
Robins, Lifelines (publication of the Toronto Vegetarian
Association), September-October, 2004, front-page. (PDF)
-
The Unfulfilled
Investor, by Ron Robins, FORUM, Social Investment
Organization, Canada, June 2003, P. 9.
TV & Radio interviews with Ron Robins discussing Investing for the Soul
-
Investing for the Soul with Economist Ron Robins, America
Meditating, BlogTalkRadio with Sister Jenna, October 7, 2014, USA
-
SOP Radio's Judyth Piazza interviews Ron Robins about
Sustainable-Green Country bonds and Green Jobs, November 27, 2011,
USA
-
Financial Impact Factor Radio.
Hosts Paul Petillo and Dave Kittredge interview Ron Robins for 60
minutes on socially responsible investing, October 24, 2011. USA
-
The Green
Leader Radio Show host, Robert Thompson, interviews Ron Robins
on green investing, July 25, 2011, USA
-
SOP Radio's
Judyth Piazza chats with Ron Robins, Financial and
Economics Columnist for alrroya.com, June 1, 2011, USA
-
Report on Business Television,
Business Morning, with Jim
O'Connell, June 21, 2005, at 11:15am, Canada
-
CIUT
Radio, Toronto, The First Word with host Wendy Baker,
June 20, 2005, at 9:15am, Canada
-
Rogers Television (Cable 10 & 63),
Toronto, Money Line with host Linda Leatherdale, November 15,
2004, 7pm-8pm, Canada
-
CBC Radio One,
Toronto, Metro
Morning with Michael Hlinka, (business commentator), and Andy
Berry (host), September 20, 2004 at 6:45am.
-
680 News, Toronto,
Weekend Business Minute with James Munroe, played repeatedly
throughout the day of September 18, 2004, Canada
-
ENN Radio,
With interviewer Jerry Kay, August 4, 2004. Played repeatedly on
their member stations and the SIRIUS Satellite Network, Canada
Also, see Ron Robins regular
commentaries on our home page and the
Editorials
section of Investing for the Soul. For his writings on economics see Enlightened
Economics.
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