C A S T L E F I E L D
Castlefield
INSIGHTS December 2020 Issue 1
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GOOD WITH YOUR MONEY? What does it mean to be good with your money?’ – something that we’ve been exploring in all its interpretations since we took part in ‘Good Money Week’ in October. With a mission like ours of ‘Gathering assets to do good’ it’s certainly a question that sits right at the core of what we do here at Castlefield. More than ever, we realise that, although nothing is more valuable than one’s health, the power and influence of the world’s money markets on every one of us is inescapable. 2020 has seen dramatic global events like no other year in our collective social memory, and we’ve witnessed the toll on our economies in ways we could not have imagined. But the future’s looking a lot brighter - the manager of our CFP Castlefield BEST Sustainable European fund, Rory Hammerson, explores this in our November Market Update (p.5): What can
COVID-19 SURVEY
we expect from a post Covid-19 vaccine and post Trump 2021? With money an increasingly rare resource to many, those of us who are able are reminded to protect our money and make it not only do good, but also work efficiently for us. We've produced a handy breakdown of the most common tax bands for 2020-21 here, to help you understand how tax may affect you. Looking beyond what our money can do for us, more and more people are asking how their money can do good for wider society. There are ways to invest that can benefit the world, with minimal ongoing input required by the investor. If we choose carefully, we can make our pensions and savings work just as hard as we do. So, if you choose to invest in this way what can you expect? Is there a decision to be made between investing your money to do good, in a sustainable way, and your money
WINNERS & SPINNERS REPORT
We provide thematic re regularly on our website, and we’ve selected one that considers climate change in a Covid-19 world. -p.3
gaining value and generating a return? – or can you achieve both? Our co-owner Anthony Kiantos examines the longstanding discussion around ethics and investment returns, and how they interact (p.4). The world of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scrutiny is no longer solely the domain of leaders in the field, like Castlefield, as it becomes an increasing focus of the investment industry as a whole. Leadership and responsibility go hand in hand– in our Winners and Spinners report we shine a light on the ESG industry and mark out those of our peers who are upholding the ESG torch admirably, as well as those whose flame doesn’t burn quite as brightly as it might seem at first glance.
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MARKET UPDATE In these times of change, our November Market Update reaffirms our dedication to the companies who share our goal of a more sustainable future. -p.5
Our Winners and Spinners Report 2020 highlights evidence of ‘greenwashing’ in this year’s review of the thoughtful investment market -p.6