Insights
Adviser Newsletter: February 2024
As we transition into a new year, hopes are hinged on interpretations of economic data, movements in interest rates and the performance of a new government. Here at Pathfinder, we’re intent on continuing the momentum of 2023 - delivering good returns from investing ethically.
Keep an eye out for new developments during the year, like a revamped adviser portal and webinars. As always, we look forward to helping you help your clients.
Changes to charitable giving
Our charitable giving is undergoing some changes that we will announce in early April.
Up until February we donated 20% of our KiwiSaver management fee to 19 charity partners. Since we started our KiwiSaver in 2019 the amount we have donated has equated to over $1.3 million. We’re extraordinarily proud of this result.
However, as of last week, we have removed the self-select option for charity on the application form. We are working on a new giving structure that will streamline our charity partners and involve a new strategy for how we calculate our giving. Our criteria for selecting charity partners is being reconsidered in line with our core values of respecting people, planet and animals.
Pathfinder Chief Investment Officer
This month we farewell our Co-founder and CIO, Paul Brownsey.
Paul Brownsey has recently resigned as Chief Investment Officer and we wish him all the best. During his tenure as CIO and co-founder of Pathfinder he helped create a range of innovative investments covering water, commodities, domestic & international equities & green bonds. He leaves Pathfinder in great shape, continuing to lead in the world of ethical investing.
Taking over as CIO is Wayne Ross, who has been responsible for managing diversified investment portfolios for Alvarium for the past three years.
Wayne co-founded Newton Ross, a private wealth management company that Alvarium acquired in 2021, where he was responsible for managed investments for clients from individuals and family trusts to large charitable organisations. Prior to Newton Ross, Wayne was General Manager of Investments for the Sovereign Group where he managed $3.5 billion on behalf of 600,000 investors.
Wayne has extensive direct portfolio management skills as well as fund manager selection, portfolio construction and asset allocation experience.
Update to our application form
We have made some changes to our application form, which should be beneficial to you as an adviser.
Using the same link you’ve always used; you’ll now be given the option to enter an “adviser email” on the landing page. Entering your email will automatically CC you in on all initial emails to your client. These emails include requests for extra documentation, confirmation of application emails and welcome emails (that include ESG numbers, fund choice etc).
After generating the request on the landing page you’ll find a single page sign up form. This will make it easier to navigate down to your disclosure and not have to skip back and forth through multiple pages.
Stocktake
Mint Innovation: A kiwi company that was recognised globally making a positive impact.
Mint Innovation, one of our private investments, has been recognised for their remarkable achievements towards industrial decarbonisation at COP28. Read more.
Nvidia stock reaches record high.
This American tech company is at the forefront of Ai and chip tecnology. Find out why we invested with them initally. Read more
Infratil - a stand out performer.Infratil has been a stand-out performer among the large New Zealand companies this year and is our top Trans-Tasman holding. Read more.
Simon heads up the distribution team at Pathfinder, setting strategy and managing third party relationships. This portfolio includes independent financial advisers, investment platforms and referrers, and corporate & community programmes. Simon is a purpose driven collaborator, holds an Executive MBA through Massey University, and lends his expertise to multiple charities on a board/committee level.
