A Framework for ESG Implementation

Watch as Lori Keith, Director of Research, Portfolio Manager, Parnassus Investments, discusses Greenwashing and ESG risks that investors need to consider before buying an ESG fund with WealthManagement.com.

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Speakers

Diana Britton

Managing Editor, WealthManagement.com

Diana Britton is the Managing Editor of WealthManagement.com, covering asset management and independent broker/dealers from all angles. A native of Los Angeles, she now lives in Queens, N.Y.

Lori Keith

Director of Research, Portfolio Manager, Parnassus

Lori Keith is the Director of Research and Portfolio Manager of the Parnassus Mid Cap Fund with responsibility for portfolio management for the firm’s Mid Cap strategy. She joined Parnassus Investments in 2005 after serving as a Parnassus research intern. Before joining the firm, Ms. Keith was a Vice President of Investment Banking at Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance LLC and was a Senior Associate in Robertson Stephens & Company's investment banking division. Prior to that, she worked in the management consulting practice at Ernst & Young. Ms. Keith received her bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and her master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

Founded in 1984, Parnassus Investments is an investment management company based in San Francisco, CA. The firm invests responsibly to build wealth for its clients by selecting businesses that the investment team believes have increasingly relevant products or services, sustainable competitive advantages and quality management teams for their high conviction portfolios. Every investment must meet rigorous fundamental and environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.

Environmental, Social and Governance Guidelines: The Fund evaluates financially material ESG factors as part of the investment decision-making process, considering a range of impacts they may have on future revenues, expenses, assets, liabilities and overall risk. The Fund also utilizes active ownership to encourage more sustainable business policies and practices and greater ESG transparency. Active ownership strategies include proxy voting, dialogue with company management and sponsorship of shareholder resolutions, and public policy advocacy. There is no guarantee that the ESG strategy will be successful.

Investments involve risk and principal loss is possible.

The Fund’s share price may change daily based on the value of its security holdings. Stock markets can be volatile, and stock values fluctuate in response to the asset levels of individual companies and in response to the general U.S. and international market and economic conditions. In addition to large cap companies, the Fund may invest in small and/or mid-cap companies, which can be more volatile than large cap firms. Security holdings in the fund can vary significantly from broad market indexes.

© 2021 Parnassus Investments, LLC. PARNASSUS, PARNASSUS INVESTMENTS, and PARNASSUS FUNDS are federally registered trademarks of Parnassus Investments, LLC. The Parnassus Funds are distributed by Parnassus Funds Distributor, LLC.

Before investing, an investor should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a fund and should carefully read the prospectus or summary prospectus, which contains this and other information about the fund. A prospectus or summary prospectus can be obtained on the Parnassus Investments website, www.parnassus.com, or by calling (800) 999-3505.