Specialising in responsible investment

They set up Wellington-based Evergreen Advice, a fee-only investment advice firm, in 2021. Before this they worked together at Trustees Executors developing its responsible investment philosophy and first social responsibility product.

“We worked with five financial advisers to create the product and encouraged them to ask every new client if they wanted to invest responsibly. Around 75% said yes which wasn’t what the advisers were expecting,” says Traver. “We decided what funds to use, and almost as important, how to explain it all to the client in a way which was clear and truthful.”

Through that process Traver realised sustainable investing was an area she was passionate about. Another major lesson was that it required time and commitment so when Traver and Ross set up their own financial advice company, they decided to specialise. They joined the RIAA (Responsible Investment Association Australasia) to access educational resources and became RIAA certified. “A benefit of that is we are listed on the Mindful Money website and we’ve started getting some clients filtering through from there.”

On marketing Evergreen, Traver says she and Ross take a considered approach over use of labels like ‘responsible’ and ‘ethical’ investing. “First and foremost, we’re an investment business and we adhere to prudent investment principles - for us that means low cost and broad diversification.