TIIP, The Generation Foundation, and MMI hosted a webinar on Tuesday, July 21 to learn how to effectively address and mitigate the various risks brought on by income inequality – through any number of investment actions. Listen to the recording here.
Background
Income inequality is a defining issue of our time. In the United States, the top 1% of families earn nearly 27 times that of the other 99% of families. The richest 1% of families worldwide hold more wealth than the rest of the world combined. Beyond the obvious ethical concerns, income inequality is an extremely problematic issue for investors. Researchers link it to slower economic growth, increased frequency and intensity of economic busts, the rise of nationalistic populism, trade wars, and tendencies toward isolationism – and this was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018, The Investment Integration Project (TIIP) partnered with the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), to produce a report that outlined the why and what of income inequality for investors – why they should care about income inequality and what they can do to address the issue. In partnership with The Generation Foundation, TIIP is extending the analysis to provide investors guidance on how they can effectively address income inequality through any number of actions around: (1) labor relations and workers’ rights, (2) CEO compensation, and (3) corporate and financial services company tax policies and practices.
These efforts are complemented by the recently launched Understanding Systemic Social Risk: A Roadmap for Financial Industry Action, a collaboration between TIIP and the Moving the Market Initiative – a partnership between Humanity United, UBS Optimus Foundation, and The Freedom Fund – that is helping investors better understand and respond to the material risks to their investments that are caused by the deep interconnection between social and financial systems.
AGENDA
Introduction:
Tim Williams, Director of Education Initiatives, Money Management Institute
Moderator:
William Burckart, President, The Investment Integration Project (TIIP)
Presenters:
- Kelly Major Green, Financial Advisor and Institutional Consultant, Graystone Consulting, Morgan Stanley
- Kirsty Jenkinson, Investment Director, Sustainable Investment & Stewardship Strategies, California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS)
- Michael Musuraca, Independent Consultant and Strategic Advisor on ESG and Labor Practices
Closing:
- Grace Eddy, Director, The Generation Foundation
Duration:
50 minutes (including time allocated for Q&A)