At Impact Investors we are incredibly fortunate to be supported by an active Advisory Board. The Board is comprised of long-time pioneering members of the Socially Responsible Investment industry, bringing vast knowledge and influential networks that help us and our clients succeed. At our annual meetings, Board Members offer their insight into the overall strategic direction of the firm, and help foster key relationships with other industry veterans, including social and environmental activist leaders, investment product specialists, tax and estate attorneys, academic authorities, and political representatives who are defending our shareholder rights.
Ken Jacobs is one such Member of our Advisory Board. He is a recently retired SRI advisor and many of his clients are now with Impact Investors. He has remained involved representing both Impact Investors and the SRI industry in a variety of ways since his retirement. We thought this would be a great way for those that know Ken to hear what he is up to and for everyone else to get to know members of our extended team.
From Ken:
Maybe I’m flattering myself, but perhaps some of my old friends and clients wonder what the heck I’ve been up to since I retired late last year. I can report that life is good, though to this point I hardly feel “retired.” My commitment to staying involved with sustainability and social justice issues is intact. Here’s a quick rundown on a few things I’ve been involved with:
- I wrapped up my term as Chair of the City of Golden’s Sustainability Board in February, after City Council adopted our ambitious goals to reduce non-renewable energy, waste, and water use. The goals, honestly, were the easy part. I’ll remain on the board to help develop and advocate for the strategies that will actually make fulfilling the goals a reality.
- I represented Impact Investors throughout the Colorado legislative session as a member of ,Good Business Colorado (GBC). Having helped found GBC last year, I’m committed to staying involved here as well. We’ve grown to 146 member businesses in just over one year! We lobbied many bills, and given the change in Colorado’s political landscape, were successful on many fronts. A thriving economy and sustainable environment for all Colorado communities is fundamentally what good business is supposed to be about! Two bills that I was particularly involved with were:
- HB 1261, which (assuming the Governor’s signature) will put greenhouse reduction goals into law, and;
- SB 173, which funds a study of putting a retirement plan in place for the employees of any employer in the State with five or more employees who does not already offer such to their employees. Hopefully, this will lead to hundreds of thousands of Colorado workers beginning to save for retirement who haven’t been in a position to readily do so until now.
If you’re a small business owner and I haven’t harangued you about joining GBC, consider yourself harangued!
- Still wearing my Financial Advisor hat, a couple of weeks ago I represented Impact Investors and introduced a shareholder resolution filed by CALPERS, the California public pension system, at Echostar’s annual shareholder meeting here in Denver. The resolution proposed changing the company’s election of Directors to a simple majority vote – boring stuff, but the basic work of improving the governance of corporations.
On a personal note, I did manage to get in about 25 days of skiing, despite breaking my collar bone just as the season was getting started, crashing off the new bike I bought myself as a retirement present. And we got a new puppy, Ruby, just to make sure all remaining free time is fully consumed. And most especially, Nancy (Ken’s wife) and I are looking forward to being grandparents come September!
Retirement, at least so far, is NOT boring.
If you are an old client, friend or would like to know more about Ken, his email is ,ken@theimpactinvestors.com
Here is a picture from the bill signing:
