US SIF, College for Financial Planning® release updated and expanded Chartered SRI CounselorSM (CSRIC®) curriculum

    WASHINGTON, DC, July 21, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment today announced the release of updated and expanded curriculum for the Chartered SRI CounselorSM (CSRIC®) designation program, which is available through education partner the College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company.

The CSRIC® program provides financial advisors and investment professionals with foundational knowledge about the history, definitions, trends, portfolio construction principles, fiduciary responsibilities, and best practices for sustainable investments.

US SIF and the College for Financial Planning first introduced this program in 2018. Between 2018 and 2020, total U.S.-domiciled assets under management using sustainable investment strategies, grew 42%, to $17.1 trillion, up from $12 trillion, according to US SIF. The expanded curriculum reflects the growing and changing field of sustainable investment and includes additional educational content and opportunities for interested advisors to expand their knowledge on a variety of sustainable investing topics. The new content in the curriculum includes:

• Material discussing ESG's role in mitigating market risk and ways that financial advisors can provide information on impact to their clients and their portfolios.
• A chapter specifically devoted to "greenwashing" – understanding what it means and ways that financial advisors can take steps to avoid it.
• Updated research methodology from MSCI, Morningstar and other ESG data providers.
• Resources to help financial professionals stay current in ESG, including books to read and additional education programs to consider.

As of December 2021, there were 750 graduates of the program. The course can be taken at any time via on-demand classes or live online classes which are offered three times a year.

"The updated and expanded curriculum will help meet consumer demand for advisors who are knowledgeable on topics relating to sustainable investing," said Michael Young, US SIF's Manager of Education Programs. "The new curriculum adds significant resources on topics such as shareholder engagement and its place in sustainable investing."

US SIF also offers additional educational tools for advisors interested in learning more about how they can incorporate sustainable investing into their practice. The Foundation's course on the Fundamentals of Sustainable and Impact Investment, an introductory resource for investment advisors, financial planners and other financial professionals who want to learn the basics of sustainable investment and to incorporate it into investment portfolios and client conversations, will be held virtually on Sept 14, 2022.

About US SIF and the US SIF Foundation

US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment is the leading voice advancing sustainable investing across all asset classes. Its mission is to rapidly shift investment practices toward sustainability, focusing on long-term investment and the generation of positive social and environmental impacts. US SIF members include investment management and advisory firms, mutual fund companies, asset owners, research firms, financial planners and advisors, community investing organizations and nonprofit associations.

US SIF is supported in its work by the US SIF Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization that undertakes educational and research activities to advance the mission of US SIF.

Learn more at ussif.org.

About the College for Financial Planning

Founded in 1972, the College for Financial Planning®—A Kaplan Company provides accessible and flexible degree, non-degree, and continuing professional education programs to students nationwide. Shortly after its founding, the College introduced the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification, which is now the world's most recognized and respected financial planning credential with more than 92,000 certified professionals.

In addition to its CFP® Certification Professional Education Program, the College also offers a master's degree in personal financial planning and financial analysis, and professional designation programs that provide more in-depth knowledge of the finance industry, with specializations ranging from asset management and retirement planning to sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investments. The College for Financial Planning is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. More than 195,000 students have graduated from the College's programs. For more information, visit www.cffp.edu.

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