UK-based wealth manager Kingswood Holdings has revealed that it has seen “strong performance” this year across its recently-launched ethical range of portfolios on its managed portfolio service. 

Investments include lower cost passive funds as well as actively managed third-party funds chosen by Kingswood’s in-house research team.
 
Dean Crouch, associate director at Kingswood, who oversees the MPS, said: “Our ethical investment programme enables clients to match their values to their investment goals, and represents a further broadening of the range of financial solutions we offer.”

The Adventurous Strategy returned 18.9% between January and July 2019 while the Growth Strategy returned 15.0%, the Balanced Strategy 11.0%, the Cautious Strategy 7.1% and the Defensive Strategy 3.4%.
 
The funds selected in Kingswood’s portfolios comprise a range of ethical strategies, which in most cases, involve negative and/or positive screening of stocks.

Kingswood says this results in the selection of companies with strong environmental social and governance (ESG) or socially responsible investing (SRI) characteristics, “while avoiding businesses whose social or environmental impact is considered to be negative - such as those involved in the likes of fossil fuels, weapons, tobacco, alcohol and gambling”.

The firm says some funds focus on particular themes “with strong social and environmental benefits while also generating a good financial return”.

Liontrust Sustainable Future UK Growth, Hermes Impact Opportunities and Robeco Sustainable Water were three of the funds selected by Kingswood for its portfolios and all have seen “good” performance this year.
 
Harry Merrison, vice president at Kingswood who advises clients on ethical investment solutions, added: “Kingswood is passionate about leading the way on ESG issues, ensuring our clients’ responsible investing criteria are met and their sustainable goals supported.”