Social(k) Adds Tobacco-Free Funds to 401k Retirement Platform
SPRINGFIELD, MA, October 19, 2009 -- Social(k), the nation's most diverse socially responsible (SRI) retirement platform, has now added the tobacco-free AHA Investments Funds to its roster of more than 150 socially responsible investment (SRI) funds in addition to 25 faith-based and 4000 traditional funds (most other retirement plans only offer one or two SRI funds). While several funds include tobacco in their social screens, the AHA Investment Funds are the first exclusively non-tobacco funds on the platform.
The AHA Investment Funds are a series of the CNI Charter Funds and are sponsored by the American Hospital Association (AHA. The Funds started in 1988 as a means to provide hospitals with tobacco-free investment opportunities and were opened to the general public in 2004. There are now five different investment options that are offered as part of the AHA Investment Funds ranging from conservative fixed income to all equity funds. For example, the AHA Socially Responsible Equity Fund incorporates both hard and social responsibility screening.
"With the addition of the AHA Investment Funds, Social(k) is expanding its offering of the nation's most broad selection of screened funds available on a retirement platform," said Rob Thomas, president of Social(k). "Indeed, hospitals using the AHA Investment funds in endowments can now offer those same funds to employees!"
"We are excited about working with Social(k) to expand our reach to the millions of people interested in both tobacco-free and environmentally friendly retirement investing," stated Chicago, IL-based Tim Solberg, AHA Investment Funds chief investment officer.
Due to the popularity of the Social(k) program, Thomas is a finalist for the SRI in the Rockies' 2009 SRI Service Award to be determined at the organization's annual conference Oct. 25-28, 2009, in Tucson, AZ. He will both attend and host a Social(k) booth at the event, joined by Eddie Griffin and Tom Zgainer, two representatives from ExpertPlan, Social(k)'s partner in retirement plan solutions. ExpertPlan offers retirement plan recordkeeping and administration services via their proprietary internet-based system that converts traditional paper-based tasks to automated processes.
"Advisors throughout the SRI world know that the Social(k) product is the product of choice if they want to offer their clients the opportunity to invest in screened funds, and we are proud to be the retirement plan recordkeeper for this product offering," said Julian Onorato, ExpertPlan CEO, noting that Social(k) is one of their top alliance partners.
New Social(k) clients in 2009 included organizations and companies from the environment, sustainability, and transportation sectors, including Active Transportation Alliance (Chicago, IL), Boreal Songbird Initiative (Seattle, WA), Pacific Environment (San Francisco, CA), and The Green Engineer, Concord, MA).
About Social(k)
Springfield, MA-based Social(k) is the nation's most diverse socially responsible retirement platform for 401k and 403(b) plans, offering more than 150 screened socially responsible funds, including Calvert, Pax, Parnassus, Portfolio 21, and Winslow Green Growth funds, as well as more than 2000 conventional funds to choose from. Nearly 400 financial advisors have registered with Social(k) so as to offer its unique retirement program to their clients as an alternative to the limited options normally offered through today's traditional sponsored programs. Social(k) is a founding B Corporation, Organic Trade Association affiliate, and member of Coop America and One Percent for the Planet.
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