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GreenMoney Journal - publishing since 1992
Fall 2010 issue
Socially Responsible Investing – Better Companies, Better Communities
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SRI Company Profile: Heartland Financial
Nice guys finish last. These often-quoted words of baseball Hall-of-famer Leo Durocher may have
been true about baseball. After all, Durocher did possess the attitude and skills necessary to lead
the Giants to the 1954 World Series Championship. However, as far as defining the investment world
of the 21st century, Durocher's conclusion about nice guys couldn't be further from the truth. Nice
guys - specifically those who call themselves Socially Responsible Investors - are definitely not
finishing last.
In fact, the entire Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) arena has
experienced a remarkable boom in recent years. Dramatic increases have been experienced in the
number of funds utilizing SRI screening, the number of socially conscious asset managers, and the
dollars invested in socially responsible vehicles. Obviously, if nice guys finished last this
scurry to join the SRI bandwagon would be more like a slow shuffle.
Although many
investors only recently embraced the social responsibility concept, those at Heartland Financial
USA, Inc. helped blaze the trail when they initiated services for socially conscious investors in
1985, under the direction of Mel Miller, CFA and Chief Investment Officer. Not only is Heartland
one of the original SRI supporters, but because they are a bank, they also offer a multitude of
unique financial services to customers that set them apart from other SRI money managers. Heartland
offers screened investments for trusts as a corporate trustee, managed accounts for individuals and
organizations, screened mutual funds for participants of profit-sharing plans, and screened options
in a donor-advised gift fund. These unique options consistently help customers meet and exceed
their financial goals while maintaining ethical integrity.
Heartland Financial USA, Inc.
itself is a unique organization. Heartland is a consortium of community banks located in Iowa,
Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Mexico. These banks currently maintain over 1100 trust accounts spread
throughout 35 states. Their unique partnership allows them to offer community bank service with the
expertise and specialization of a larger organization.
Trust services for Heartland are
headquartered at Dubuque Bank & Trust, the lead bank in the holding company. The staff of nearly 30
individuals, including attorneys, CPAs, CFPs and a CFA, endorse a multi-cap core manager style
while managing nearly $700 million in assets. By emphasizing maximum total return without undue
risk, Heartland's style leads to lower than average market volatility.
Besides solid
investment returns, Heartland clients can be assured that their personal moral and ethical
standards are reflected in their investment choices. Trust services can be screened both to avoid
as well as demand particular criteria. Exclusion options include human rights violations, military
weapons production, nuclear power plants, tobacco products, abortion products, alcoholic beverages,
gambling products or services, purchase of U.S. treasury bonds, and animal testing. Positive
criteria include positive employee relations record, cultural and gender diversity, environmental
sensitivity, industry leadership in high-quality products or services, generous corporate-giving
philosophy, and non-discriminatory fringe benefits. SRI investors not only increase their financial
returns, they create positive social change.
Another tool investors are using to impact
change is the Heartland Charitable Trust. The Heartland Charitable Trust is a distinctive,
donor-advised public charity. Founded in 1996, it provides a simple and convenient method for
individuals and businesses to make charitable gifts while receiving the maximum income and estate
tax benefits available. In contrast to some of the larger gift funds, Heartland is one of the only
institutions to develop a gift fund that offers SRI screening options.
Yet another
distinctive service offered by Heartland Financial is a retirement plan for socially conscious
companies. This service not only helps individuals meet their retirement planning goals, but also
achieves results by using screened investment options. A recent Nobel Peace Prize recipient was one
of the first clients to benefit from this unusual opportunity.
While the world of nice
guys who finish first continues to experience unprecedented growth, the nice guys at Heartland
Financial still hold a distinguished position. Their unusual organizational structure, along with
their long-standing commitment to SRI, has helped them earn their own place of fame within the
investing world. They may not have the grit to manage a baseball team, but when it comes to
managing assets, they have the expertise and attitude to take their clients all the way to the top.
For more information contact Heartland online at- http://www.htlf.com
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MISSION
STATEMENT
The GreenMoney Journal encour-ages and promotes the awareness of socially
& environmentally responsible business, investing and consumer
resources in publications & online.
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of The GreenMoney Journal / Cliff Feigenbaum
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