BrightPlan Launches New Capabilities to Support Responsible Investments for Employees

ESG portfolio helps employees achieve their financial goals while investing in companies that align with their personal values

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BrightPlan

Nov 16, 2021, 09:04 ET

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BrightPlan, a leader in Total Financial Wellness, today announced the launch of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) portfolio and new enhancements to its investing capabilities, continuing to drive financial wellness innovation in the market. ESG criteria are a set of standards for a company's operations that values-driven investors may use to screen potential investments. BrightPlan's new investing capabilities are core to enabling employees' financial well-being by providing them with more choices to invest for their life goals in a way that aligns with their values.

The company's expanded investing features directly address the needs of employees and empower them to achieve financial success by investing in the right way to grow their money. Recent survey results show 82% of employees seek employer-provided investing tools to help achieve their financial goals―making it the top financial wellness feature employees are asking for, along with financial education.

"Supporting the development of employees' holistic financial well-being includes growing and building wealth through investing," said Marthin De Beer, founder and CEO of BrightPlan. "In a world of cryptocurrency and meme stocks, employees who are ready to invest in a way that aligns with their values need a solution that guides them in the right direction. Through an investment strategy that is personal goals-based, in your best interest and reflects best practices, we are meeting those demands."

More information on the new BrightPlan investment strategies available to clients:

Environmental, Social and Governance Portfolios

Employees enrolled in BrightPlan can now invest their money in a way that better aligns with their personal values through the ESG portfolio. It invests in funds that use various ESG criteria when choosing which companies to invest in. For example, an employee who cares about climate change may want to invest in portfolios that include companies with a lower carbon footprint or have sizable investments in renewable energy. Likewise, an employee who cares about social issues may want to invest in portfolios that include companies that perform well on gender diversity or have ethical supply chains.

In the stock portion of the portfolio, BrightPlan uses funds managed by BlackRock that give greater weights to companies leading their industry in ESG practices. BrightPlan also utilizes TIAA-CREF to strategically allocate to bonds with direct and measurable impact.

As the war for talent rages on, HR practitioners continue to look for ways to support their employees' holistic financial well-being, which includes helping their employees achieve life goals such as buying a home, on-time retirement, or building wealth to pass on to their children―all objectives that can be better achieved through investing.

Index Portfolio

BrightPlan's new index portfolio allows employees to invest their money in an assortment of index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) customized to their risk tolerance and time horizon. Many employees don't know where to start with investing or are afraid of making a mistake. Offering an index fund option as the default for employees aligns with best practices in investment management.

This "passive" investment approach is BrightPlan's simplest, lowest cost option that emphasizes broad diversification through minimizing fees and taxes.

Invest for Growth

Many employees have money in their savings account accumulating little to no interest. They have a general sense that the money is for long-term wealth building but have not earmarked it for a specific goal such as a house down payment, child's college education or retirement.

By answering a few simple questions about their investing timelines, BrightPlan will recommend and select the best strategy complete with a customized portfolio based on their responses. Guidance provided by BrightPlan follows the best practices of investment management by customizing investment portfolios according to an employee's goal, risk tolerance, time horizon and other preferences, while minimizing costs and maintaining global diversification.

One of the best predictors of investment performance is the fees a mutual fund or an ETF charges; the lower the fee, the better the expected investment performance. BrightPlan's investment strategy consists of high quality, low-cost funds and ETFs from leading companies like Vanguard, BlackRock and Dimensional Fund Advisors, ensuring employees have the best options for investing. BrightPlan manages these funds and ETFs with a thoughtful and diversified portfolio customized for each employee's goal, risk tolerance and preferences. BrightPlan's annual fees for this managed service is one of the lowest in the industry at 0.25% of invested assets.

As an SEC registered investment advisor BrightPlan has a fiduciary duty which includes a duty of care and a duty of loyalty to clients. In addition, the company's commitment to the fiduciary standard via its annual certification by the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX), ensures that BrightPlan adheres to fiduciary standards and provides financial advice that is independent and objective.

To learn more about BrightPlan's ESG and Index investment strategies, read this blog post from our Chief Investment Officer Peter Lazaroff.

About BrightPlan
BrightPlan is a leader in Total Financial Wellness. BrightPlan provides a comprehensive solution that addresses all aspects of employees' financial health at every stage of life, and empowers HR teams to enhance the employee experience and better attract, retain and engage talent. Its unique combination of digital platform and human advisors enables employers to deploy at scale while delivering personalization for employees. The company is the first financial wellness solution certified for fiduciary excellence by the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX). For more, visit brightplan.com.

Media Contact: [email protected]

Disclosure: BrightPlan's investment strategy was developed in close partnership with Plancorp, an established wealth management firm with more than $5 billion of assets under management. Employees need a minimum of $10,000 invested to be able to invest in the BrightPlan ESG portfolio and $500 to be able to invest in the BrightPlan Index portfolio. BrightPlan's ESG portfolio includes the following funds and ETFs: ESGU, USXF, ESGD, DMXF, ESGE, EMXF, TSBIX, SUSB. Investment holdings, performance relative to the market, and other information pertaining to the funds and ETFs are available in each fund's prospectus (linked) or from third-party research sites. BrightPlan's Index portfolio includes the following index mutual funds: VFIAX, VEXAX, VTMGX, VEMAX, VBTLX, VTABX. Investment holdings, performance relative to the market, and other information pertaining to the funds are available in each fund's prospectus (linked) or from third-party research sites.