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Monday, June 24, 2019

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Morgan Stanley Wealth Management today announced the launch of a new suite of Impact Portfolios with a $10,000 minimum on its Investing with Impact platform. These portfolios aim to provide investors with an accessible solution to help integrate impact objectives into an investment plan without sacrificing performance potential. The six Portfolios utilize a range of Investing with Impact objectives including restriction screening, environmental, social and governance integration, and thematic investing.

The Impact Portfolios leverage Wealth Management Investment Resources’ intellectual capital including: asset allocation advice, portfolio construction resources, manager analysis, risk management and ongoing portfolio monitoring to provide clients with a diversified multi-asset class portfolio. The portfolios comprise mutual funds and ETFs, and provide goal-specific solutions that embody the Morgan Stanley Global Investment Committee’s goals-based framework, plus an all equity option.

“At Morgan Stanley we are committed to integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors across our core businesses, and we use our platform as a global financial services provider to mobilize and scale capital in ways that deliver sustainable growth and long-term value,” said Lisa Shalett, Chief Investment Officer for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. “We’ve seen impact investing can deliver competitive market returns when investors choose to integrate positive environmental and social impact over the long term, and this new suite addresses heightened investor demand to align values with their portfolios.”

Matthew Slovik, Head of Global Sustainable Finance for Morgan Stanley added, “As an extension of the Firm’s recently announced Plastic Waste Resolution, these portfolios represent an intentional focus on targeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, related to ocean conservation, in addition to broad-based positive impact. This is a further example of how Morgan Stanley will continue to innovate and help clients allocate capital towards solutions that aim to address the plastic waste challenge.”

Through the companies that the Impact Portfolios invest in Morgan Stanley is trying to contribute to the development of solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental and social problems, such as those outlined by the United Nations SDGs. In addition to SDG 14, the Impact Portfolios include alignment with several of the 17 SDGs including 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 8 (Decent Worth and Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 13 (Climate Action).

The Impact Portfolios are part of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s firm-discretionary program, which is led by Paul Ricciardelli, Head of Wealth Advisory Solutions. The Impact Portfolios complement other higher minimum Investing with Impact firm-discretionary portfolios launched in 2015.

Morgan Stanley’s Investing with Impact Platform, launched in 2012, offers a broad range of more than 120 investment strategies, portfolios solutions, tools and analysis across thematic issues including climate change, diversity and inclusion, community economic development and more. Highly flexible by design, investment solutions fit the varied needs of a wide range of clients. Today, the Investing with Impact Platform has more than $28 billion in client assets under management.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, a global leader, provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, cash management and lending products and services, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a business of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.