Page 28 - Investment Advisor September 2022

These efforts include The Mom Project, a nonprofit platform back to employees, advisors and the communities that [it] serves.
helping women remain active in the workforce, and Mogul, a The authenticity of this commitment is at such a level that I am
global talent ecosystem for minorities. In addition, the CAIS in frequently moved to tears by the generosity and vision of the
Common initiative “creates frequent opportunities for employ- staff, advisors and leadership of the Commonwealth community.”
ees to lead diversity-centric events, echoing CAIS’ commitment
to empowering equity and inclusion across fintech,” it noted. CUNA Mutual Group
“It’s my duty and honor as an officer and
CAPTRUST the head of annuity distribution at CUNA
“Community is essential to Mutual Group to help people of color to get access to a brighter
CAPTRUST,” according to the firm. “In fact, it is so deeply career future,” said Martin Powell, vice president of Annuity
rooted in our culture that it is a part of our mission statement Distribution states for CUNA. In the role, he and other execu-
…, [and] the CAPTRUST Community Foundation (CCF) is the tives have served on the CUNA Mutual Group Executive DEI
full embodiment of this commitment to serving our communi- Council, participated in a six-week course (hosted by the
ties.” CCF was founded in 2007 and provides grants to chari- Inclusion Institute) focused on race and racial healing, joined
table organizations across the country that serve the mission in companywide discussions about the killing of George Floyd
of enriching the lives of children in need. In 2021, it donated and how to be an inclusive leader, facilitated sexual harassment
$1.054 million to nonprofits and raised an additional $630,000 training for executives and served as mentors across the orga-
for its endowment. CAPTRUST has over 1,000 employees and nization to help underrepresented employees, for instance.
oversaw about $85 billion in assets under management and
$660 billion in assets under advisement as of Sept. 30, 2021. Edelman Financial Engines
Over the past year, the most
Carson Group notable results of the firm’s DEI initiatives include “an
As the firm moved into its new $80 increase in underrepresented groups by more than 19% among
million headquarters this past year, investment advisors, 12% in director level and [higher] roles,
Carson Group sought to continue to advance its diversity, and 10% among client service associates,” it said. “The com-
equity and inclusion efforts “inside our new walls, and further pany also saw an overall increase among female and Hispanic/
efforts beyond them in our local community,” it said. “To do Latino representation by 1%.”
this, we furthered efforts through the Carson IDEA (Inclusion, The firm also set up the CFP Diversity Scholarship, award-
Diversity, Education and Action) Council, our Omaha Chamber ing four scholarship recipients with up to $5,000 in funding for
CODE membership, a ‘raise-the-baseline’ campaign for stake- preparation and exam costs. Plus, last year it launched its We
holders, and our Choir-Certified Excell Conference.” Aspire Financial Planner Development Program “to help popu-
late a diverse pipeline of candidates into the profession,” it said,
Choir and “the program has already led to nine promotions.” The firm
Created by Sonya Dreizler and Liv Gagnon, Choir plans to expand this program to external parties by year-end.
launched this year “as the first conference diversity certification
and diversity-tech platform for financial services,” according to Envestnet
the organization. “Choir is on a mission to make conference stag- Since Envestnet’s inception over 20
es and media headlines reflect the world we walk around in every years ago, the company says it has
day, lifting the expert voices of women, non-binary people and “endeavored to not only be the best financial services tech-
people of color in an industry where they have been historically nology provider in the industry, but also be the best for the
underrepresented and underestimated. With three distinct levers industry.” It notes that it is committed to “developing financial
— the Choir Certification, the Choir Pledge and Choir Voices — literacy and an understanding of the financial services industry,
this new tech- and accountability-driven venture is challenging to enable the future of financial wellness. A few of its initiatives
the entire financial industry to ‘change who we are listening to.’” have its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee; continued
support of the Black Wharton Undergraduate Association;
Commonwealth Financial Network Envestnet Institute on Campus; and the Women’s Initiative
Commonwealth has “clearly taken on the challenge Network (WIN), which is a part of the employee resources
of DEI as a top priority in 2020,” according to group created in conjunction with the IDEAS (Inclusion,
Maureen McGuire, co-founder of Terra Blue Wealth Diversity, Equity, Allyship and Storytelling) Council.
Management. “As a female advisor with Commonwealth, I have
personally experienced the increased level of support and drive Financial Alliance for Racial Equity (FARE)
for gender equality. I am proud to be an advisor with a broker- Formed in late 2020 and led by
dealer that continually demonstrates its commitment to give Nationwide, the Financial Alliance for Racial Equity (FARE)

24 INVESTMENT ADVISOR SEPTEMBER 2022 | ThinkAdvisor.com