Aug. 8, 2023

Episode 69: Maureen Maguire - Can You Build Wealth Through ESG Investing?

Why are more people than ever investing in ESG companies and funds? Maureen Maguire, co-founder of Terra Blue Management, speaks to Jennifer Norman about values-driven financial planning and why her business is booming.


Maureen's Links:


The Human Beauty Movement Links:

Jennifer Norman Links:

Thank you for being a Beautiful Human. 

Transcript
1
00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,480
Hello Beautiful Humans.
Welcome to the podcast where I

2
00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,240
have juicy conversations with
beautiful humans for your weekly

3
00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:18,600
dose of inspiration.
I'm Jennifer Norman, founder of

4
00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,040
the Human Beauty Movement and
your host.

5
00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:24,160
This podcast counts on your
support, so I encourage you to

6
00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,400
hit that follow button, rate us
and review us and share this

7
00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:29,720
episode with your favorite
people.

8
00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:32,490
So it wasn't until later in
life, after I had over about

9
00:00:32,490 --> 00:00:36,010
$1,000,000 to invest, that I
decided to hire a financial

10
00:00:36,010 --> 00:00:38,490
planner.
And let me tell you, they aren't

11
00:00:38,490 --> 00:00:40,650
all alike.
While helping you meet your

12
00:00:40,650 --> 00:00:43,850
wealth management targets is of
course the ultimate goal, the

13
00:00:43,850 --> 00:00:48,050
way to get there varies greatly.
If you're a person that believes

14
00:00:48,050 --> 00:00:51,850
in achieving the highest yields
in a Machiavellian style,

15
00:00:52,090 --> 00:00:54,490
certainly that is one way to
invest.

16
00:00:54,690 --> 00:00:57,650
If, on the other hand, you
believe in the importance of

17
00:00:57,650 --> 00:01:01,730
investing and companies working
to build a regenerative future,

18
00:01:01,810 --> 00:01:04,450
that will certainly render a
different strategy.

19
00:01:04,610 --> 00:01:07,770
No doubt there's been a lot of
controversy lately about

20
00:01:07,770 --> 00:01:11,810
investment strategies that heavy
up on ESG sustainable

21
00:01:11,810 --> 00:01:14,410
businesses.
Is it fiscally prudent to put

22
00:01:14,410 --> 00:01:17,130
your money in environmental,
social and government

23
00:01:17,130 --> 00:01:20,050
investments?
Here to talk about that and more

24
00:01:20,090 --> 00:01:24,970
is Maureen McGuire, cofounder of
Tara Blue Wealth Management, an

25
00:01:24,970 --> 00:01:29,090
advisory firm that offers ESG
only investments.

26
00:01:29,170 --> 00:01:32,170
Welcome, Maureen.
Thank you very happy to be here.

27
00:01:32,290 --> 00:01:34,890
Nice to have an opportunity to
talk about what I feel so

28
00:01:34,890 --> 00:01:36,810
strongly about.
Absolutely.

29
00:01:36,810 --> 00:01:39,570
And I'm really excited to have
this conversation because it's

30
00:01:39,570 --> 00:01:42,690
an important one.
So first and foremost, why don't

31
00:01:42,690 --> 00:01:45,730
you tell us why you founded
Terribly Wealth Management?

32
00:01:45,850 --> 00:01:49,410
I have been doing financial
advising and financial planning

33
00:01:49,570 --> 00:01:54,610
for 30 some years and I was kind
of at the point where I was

34
00:01:54,650 --> 00:01:57,690
either going to retire or I was
going to fulfill my vision,

35
00:01:57,690 --> 00:02:02,410
which was to have an.
Exclusively ESG focused

36
00:02:02,450 --> 00:02:05,450
financial management firm, but I
needed to find the right

37
00:02:05,450 --> 00:02:09,610
business partner because I
didn't really have the energy to

38
00:02:09,650 --> 00:02:14,210
start over by myself.
So it took several years and

39
00:02:14,290 --> 00:02:18,050
then I met Vanessa Gillett who's
my business partner.

40
00:02:18,050 --> 00:02:21,410
We were both doing pro bono
financial planning for Santa

41
00:02:21,410 --> 00:02:25,810
Rosa fire victims back in 2019.
As we got to know each other

42
00:02:25,810 --> 00:02:28,690
over the course of a year or so,
we realized that we were very

43
00:02:28,690 --> 00:02:31,930
like minded and.
In terms of our passion for ESG

44
00:02:32,130 --> 00:02:35,610
and our interest in financial
planning and what that does for

45
00:02:35,610 --> 00:02:39,170
our clients, so went from
McGuire Wealth Management to a

46
00:02:39,170 --> 00:02:43,690
firm that we Co founded in 2020
just before COVID terribly

47
00:02:43,690 --> 00:02:47,490
Wealth management and our focus
is exclusively on ESG

48
00:02:47,490 --> 00:02:51,770
investments and we're very heavy
on the financial planning side.

49
00:02:51,770 --> 00:02:56,250
So it's worked out really well
far beyond my expectations.

50
00:02:56,250 --> 00:02:59,810
It just happened that the Airbnb
Ipo's were happening.

51
00:03:00,090 --> 00:03:03,050
As is a millennial, she
resonates very well with the

52
00:03:03,050 --> 00:03:06,810
millennial population.
And so she became very talked

53
00:03:06,810 --> 00:03:09,010
about in the bulletin boards,
shall we say with the tech

54
00:03:09,010 --> 00:03:11,450
sector and executives in the
tech sector.

55
00:03:11,450 --> 00:03:15,610
So terribly took off in spite of
COVID, it actually worked to our

56
00:03:15,610 --> 00:03:18,450
advantage.
I hate to say that, but to not

57
00:03:18,450 --> 00:03:22,890
have to meet in person with the
volume of new business coming in

58
00:03:22,970 --> 00:03:26,250
made it possible to keep up,
shall we say, with just starting

59
00:03:26,250 --> 00:03:29,570
out.
My background has been financial

60
00:03:29,570 --> 00:03:32,570
planning.
First, investment management as

61
00:03:32,770 --> 00:03:34,890
outcome of the financial
planning.

62
00:03:35,130 --> 00:03:37,890
I can't possibly design A
portfolio without knowing

63
00:03:37,890 --> 00:03:41,810
everything about my clients
before I make a recommendation.

64
00:03:41,890 --> 00:03:46,170
And a lot of my clients are
social justice oriented in my

65
00:03:46,170 --> 00:03:48,810
age group.
So civil rights activists, you

66
00:03:48,810 --> 00:03:51,480
know?
Going back to the 60s, that type

67
00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,560
of thing.
But there's also in my age group

68
00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:58,520
and older people who either
their parents or in some cases

69
00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,640
even themselves, are influenced
by the Great Depression.

70
00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:06,640
So for them, thinking about
financial security is more about

71
00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:11,240
accumulation, more is better,
and that's understandable given

72
00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,480
the scarcity that they
experienced or their parents

73
00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:16,880
experienced.
I myself didn't really

74
00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:19,480
understand what financial
security was.

75
00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,000
Until I entered this profession.
As I started to learn about it,

76
00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:27,040
I came from a blue collar family
and I was really interested in

77
00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,320
how people achieve financial
security.

78
00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:33,960
And it didn't take long for me
to realize that it had very

79
00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,000
little, if anything, to do with
how much money a person have.

80
00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,880
Yeah, because I work with
clients who live on what I

81
00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,160
consider very meager means, and
they're financially secure

82
00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:46,200
because they don't have a flashy
lifestyle.

83
00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,440
They're content within means.
I have another client.

84
00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:55,040
For 20 some years, who's a
lovely lady and she has $20,000

85
00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,000
of income a month that she does
not have to work for, does not

86
00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,280
have a mortgage and she has to
be on a budget.

87
00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:05,640
So financial security for her is
almost not achievable because

88
00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,520
the money is trying to fill a
void that you know they can't

89
00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,520
fill.
So I'm really interested in

90
00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,840
sufficiency and experience of
sufficiency.

91
00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:16,320
And that's really when I work
with a client.

92
00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,440
I really want that person to
understand that.

93
00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,360
Financially secure by
understanding their investments

94
00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:24,600
and understanding the role of
the investments in their life

95
00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:27,360
and their life choices.
So that all fits very well.

96
00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:31,760
The millennial group that
Vanessa tends to work with is so

97
00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,440
beautiful because they don't
have that Depression era mindset

98
00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,320
and many of them have come into
tremendous wealth early in life

99
00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:44,400
and they don't feel like they
have to show it off or

100
00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,160
accumulate more.
They're actually, there's a huge

101
00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,120
movement within that generation
of.

102
00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:54,480
To one, make sure their work has
purpose, but also their money

103
00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,640
and their capital and what it's
doing has a greater purpose.

104
00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,520
So it's not about accumulating
for the sake of accumulating,

105
00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,600
it's for having an impact and
being very deliberate about that

106
00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:06,800
impact.
So it's really a privilege to

107
00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:10,840
speak with this generation about
money from that perspective.

108
00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:14,120
In that context, it's just it's
really wonderful, amazing.

109
00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:18,240
So now what got you so
interested and passionate about

110
00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,800
ESG in the first place that you
would want to found a company

111
00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:24,360
that does nothing but ESG
Investments?

112
00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,840
Well, I come from the nonprofit
sector before I became a

113
00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:30,840
financial planner, and I worked
for an organization that was

114
00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:34,600
going to end world hunger by the
year 2000.

115
00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:38,040
That didn't happen, but we did
bring relief organizations

116
00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:41,120
together to start thinking
proactively instead of just

117
00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:43,320
crisis management around world
hunger.

118
00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,280
And again, it goes back to that
sufficiency that there is enough

119
00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:49,480
to go around and we just need
to.

120
00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:51,840
Think in terms of taking care of
everyone.

121
00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:56,960
And so my background has been
more in terms of, again, what's

122
00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,080
it going to take for people to
feel safe and secure in this

123
00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:01,520
world?
Because I think that would do a

124
00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:04,560
lot more than weaponry for
peace.

125
00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:09,600
And that's the big picture.
But I also came to realize that

126
00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,360
where there's money, there's
power, there's influence.

127
00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:16,160
So the more I understood
capitalism and how it worked,

128
00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,680
and the political structure and
how it worked, the more I

129
00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:21,360
understood that.
The degree to which we can move

130
00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,600
capital in the right direction
and have a voice with our

131
00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,280
investments, and not only
probably more significantly how

132
00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,240
we spend our money, but
certainly how we invest our

133
00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,560
money now. 20 years ago, it was
started from the religious

134
00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,200
organizations wanting to do no
harm.

135
00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:42,840
So no alcohol, no tobacco.
It has grown significantly since

136
00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,320
then and I can assure you, back
20 years ago at the Conferences

137
00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,360
for Socially Responsible
Investing, there was plenty of.

138
00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,640
Alcohol going around.
So that wasn't really the screen

139
00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,040
you're concerned about.
But certainly the environment

140
00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,880
and social issues have risen.
And at that time, 20 years ago,

141
00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:03,480
we did not have research to say,
you know, this is not going to

142
00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:07,400
hurt performance because I had a
smaller realm of investments to

143
00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:09,800
choose from.
It was more exclusionary.

144
00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,960
You try to avoid the bad guys.
It was a much more challenging

145
00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,320
endeavor.
And I really had to say to a

146
00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:19,280
client in those days, I don't
know that I can.

147
00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:23,080
Match the indexes with your
portfolio or you will do you

148
00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,240
want to have your values
represented in your portfolio

149
00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,240
and it may be at the expense of
performance and some people

150
00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,920
would say yes.
Again we're talking to Greshan

151
00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:36,640
era investors, so not so much
but sometimes they would say I

152
00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:40,799
care more about having my values
represent I'm one of my clients.

153
00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:44,560
I just love her dearly.
She had very meager means and

154
00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:47,720
and I actually said to her, you
know, I think that we need to do

155
00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:51,320
something very careful here for.
You in terms of guarantees and I

156
00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,080
I don't have a socially
responsible way of doing this.

157
00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,960
And she said, why should I be
secure when people are hungry in

158
00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,560
the world?
So I learned from my clients

159
00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:04,760
that was, you know, she
literally did not see her needs

160
00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:09,280
as being more important than the
person in Africa trying to carry

161
00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,800
water to the family.
And she has held to that value

162
00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:14,400
in all the years I've worked
with her.

163
00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,880
Yeah, I think that's a lot of
people will say, OK, I care very

164
00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,760
much about nonprofits, good
about charity.

165
00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:24,600
And so they will give money or
they'll donate as part of maybe

166
00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:26,880
it's a tax exclusion or
something like that.

167
00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:30,960
But they don't necessarily think
that it is a longterm strategy

168
00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:34,280
for them to retire on.
They might have a bit of

169
00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:38,040
skepticism about whether or not
that is actually fiduciarily

170
00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:41,520
responsible or a way to get the
kind of growth and the goals

171
00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:44,360
that they want in order to
retire comfortably.

172
00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:45,920
What would you say to people
like that?

173
00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,360
OK.
So Fast forward to today, from

174
00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:52,240
that era and you'll.
Will find that not only does it

175
00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,920
make sense from a fiduciary
standpoint, but in fact it's

176
00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:00,000
possibly neglect on your part to
not take climate change for

177
00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,680
example into account.
So we've seen evidence of it in

178
00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:07,360
terms of during COVID.
The companies that treated their

179
00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,080
employees well are the companies
that's you know for the most

180
00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:13,600
part did well.
The companies who made their

181
00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,040
employees work when they were
sick got into big trouble.

182
00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:18,720
Reputational risk.
Wells Fargo is an example

183
00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,640
Volkswagen.
Intending to do the right thing.

184
00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:26,760
So to the degree that we are
holding companies accountable

185
00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,600
and more and more we are to do
the right thing by their

186
00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,840
community, by their employees is
a degree to which you have less

187
00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:40,480
risk exposure really to climate
change, to reputational risk, It

188
00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,280
just makes sense.
A company that is taking care of

189
00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:47,320
the larger community and not
just the CEO tends to be a more

190
00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:49,400
well run company.
So that.

191
00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:52,160
Said will it outperform at all
times?

192
00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:56,680
Not necessarily, if you're not
doing traditional energy stocks.

193
00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,000
The recent history is a good
example.

194
00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:05,520
Yeah, Prior to 2022, not having
exposure to all of the oil

195
00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:09,080
stocks that are in the index
worked well in our favorite

196
00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:11,680
those stocks were really
depressed.

197
00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:15,400
Then the COVID hits.
Oil and gas companies have an

198
00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,520
opportunity to raise prices and
increase their profits hugely.

199
00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:22,600
Essentially, significantly.
And now it's somewhat of a

200
00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,800
disadvantage to be less exposed
to the energy sector.

201
00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:30,200
So there's always going to be
shortterm periods of time where

202
00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:35,320
the ESG focus may be somewhat to
an advantage or to a

203
00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:40,080
disadvantage of the whole
concept to ESG, which we, you

204
00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:42,800
know, spoke to 20 years earlier
but we couldn't prove.

205
00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:47,160
Now we have evidence for a lot
of research showing that having

206
00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:49,320
a perspective that is based on
the.

207
00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:55,000
Longterm outcome rather than
shareholder returns quarter by

208
00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,040
quarter.
If you just think about running

209
00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,920
a household based on what
happened this quarter, next

210
00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:01,640
square, you know, do we have
enough money in?

211
00:12:02,230 --> 00:12:04,030
Oh, we can go to Disneyland.
We have money now.

212
00:12:05,390 --> 00:12:07,670
That's just not how you run a
company.

213
00:12:07,870 --> 00:12:10,590
You need to be thinking in terms
of both.

214
00:12:10,590 --> 00:12:13,590
We have turnover that is
expensive.

215
00:12:13,630 --> 00:12:17,510
It takes a lot of resources to
bring in new employees, so we

216
00:12:17,510 --> 00:12:19,350
better take care of the
employees we have.

217
00:12:19,470 --> 00:12:23,710
That may not show up and from
1/4 to the next, but long term

218
00:12:23,710 --> 00:12:26,350
it does show up.
Likewise, if you're taking into

219
00:12:26,350 --> 00:12:30,550
account the toxic waste the
impact is having on your

220
00:12:30,550 --> 00:12:32,150
community and what can we do to
make sure?

221
00:12:32,230 --> 00:12:35,750
Or it isn't harming the drinking
water for our town.

222
00:12:35,790 --> 00:12:38,390
That may not show up quarter to
quarter, but eventually it

223
00:12:38,390 --> 00:12:42,070
catches up with you and you end
up having to pay for your cents

224
00:12:42,070 --> 00:12:44,910
if you're not paying attention.
Yeah, I was going to say like

225
00:12:44,910 --> 00:12:48,710
recently with the, you know,
financial upset that we've had

226
00:12:49,390 --> 00:12:52,030
and a lot of people
unfortunately are pointing to

227
00:12:52,030 --> 00:12:55,510
Silicon Valley Bank as being an
example of, well, you know, they

228
00:12:55,510 --> 00:12:59,590
put all their eggs in their
basket and DEI and ESG and look

229
00:12:59,590 --> 00:13:01,270
what happened.
It was risky.

230
00:13:01,310 --> 00:13:04,510
So a lot of people are using
that almost to scapegoat the

231
00:13:04,510 --> 00:13:07,470
fact that, you know, maybe ESG
isn't where you want to put your

232
00:13:07,470 --> 00:13:08,710
money.
What would you say to that?

233
00:13:08,710 --> 00:13:12,110
You know, I think it's a
compliment that there is so much

234
00:13:12,110 --> 00:13:15,990
pushback to ESG and it's because
we're having an impact, we're

235
00:13:15,990 --> 00:13:18,630
making a difference.
We're putting pressure on CEO's.

236
00:13:18,670 --> 00:13:21,510
They do not like having their
compensation looked at.

237
00:13:21,830 --> 00:13:25,390
They do not like having to be
held accountable for the impact

238
00:13:25,390 --> 00:13:27,190
they're having on the
environment or how they're

239
00:13:27,190 --> 00:13:31,230
treating their employees.
So it's like so much else people

240
00:13:31,310 --> 00:13:34,150
understand.
And that just accumulating

241
00:13:34,150 --> 00:13:36,710
profit for the sake of
accumulating profit isn't going

242
00:13:36,710 --> 00:13:41,510
to cut it in the long run.
And people want to have money

243
00:13:41,670 --> 00:13:45,670
deployed in a way that is more
fair to everyone and not just to

244
00:13:45,670 --> 00:13:49,750
the 1%.
Now the media is fed, mainstream

245
00:13:49,750 --> 00:13:53,510
media is fed by that 1%.
So we don't get that

246
00:13:53,510 --> 00:13:55,830
perspective.
What we get is distractions and

247
00:13:55,830 --> 00:13:58,270
stories.
I mean to say that Silicon

248
00:13:58,270 --> 00:14:01,670
Valley Bank went under because
they were so focused on DEI that

249
00:14:01,670 --> 00:14:04,710
they.
Shows a total misinterpretation

250
00:14:04,830 --> 00:14:09,230
and lack of understanding of how
banks work and what went into.

251
00:14:09,470 --> 00:14:13,710
It's much more technical and and
just an understanding of taking,

252
00:14:13,710 --> 00:14:16,590
having longterm money invested
and then people wanting their

253
00:14:16,590 --> 00:14:20,550
money all at once with bonds.
I mean it has nothing to do with

254
00:14:20,550 --> 00:14:23,510
DEI, but you know it's an
interesting distraction.

255
00:14:23,510 --> 00:14:27,350
It's an easier way to talk about
it, even the way we measure our

256
00:14:27,350 --> 00:14:29,630
economy.
If you think about it, GDP,

257
00:14:29,630 --> 00:14:32,150
gross domestic product, that's
based on consumer.

258
00:14:32,230 --> 00:14:33,790
Terrorism, that's all it's based
on.

259
00:14:33,790 --> 00:14:37,510
So, and we're only doing well if
we keep spending more money and

260
00:14:37,510 --> 00:14:40,870
we keep consuming more money.
Ultimately, is that really a

261
00:14:40,870 --> 00:14:44,950
measure of how our economy is
doing when so many people are

262
00:14:44,950 --> 00:14:47,310
going hungry?
When we have the highest infant

263
00:14:47,310 --> 00:14:51,550
mortality rate of any developed
country, how can it possibly be

264
00:14:51,550 --> 00:14:54,350
a measure of the wealth of our
country and the health of our

265
00:14:54,350 --> 00:14:57,430
economy?
So well after the Depression we

266
00:14:57,430 --> 00:15:01,110
had something called democratic
capitalism, where the role of

267
00:15:01,110 --> 00:15:04,150
the government was.
To provide a safety net as well

268
00:15:04,150 --> 00:15:06,910
as a healthy economy and
opportunity for the

269
00:15:06,910 --> 00:15:08,670
entrepreneurs and the risk
takers.

270
00:15:08,750 --> 00:15:13,910
And it worked really well.
But in the 1980s it became more

271
00:15:13,950 --> 00:15:18,750
of a focus of less government,
more profits, and less control

272
00:15:18,750 --> 00:15:22,430
of the media than could you
imagine today, trying to make a

273
00:15:22,430 --> 00:15:26,230
case for tobacco and smoking
being dangerous to your health.

274
00:15:26,470 --> 00:15:29,470
You could not do it because
there's no regulation around

275
00:15:29,470 --> 00:15:34,350
truth versus lies with the FTC.
It's much easier to create

276
00:15:34,350 --> 00:15:37,470
distraction, but really we look
around and we see the

277
00:15:37,470 --> 00:15:40,910
homelessness on the street, so
we know that so many people can

278
00:15:40,910 --> 00:15:44,630
be doing so well, making so much
money when so many people are

279
00:15:44,630 --> 00:15:46,790
suffering.
This is not a healthy economy.

280
00:15:48,590 --> 00:15:52,710
Let's switch gears and talk
about the kind of clients that

281
00:15:52,750 --> 00:15:55,870
are attracted to you talked
about, you know depression era,

282
00:15:55,870 --> 00:15:58,630
you talked about millennials,
but you offer a number of

283
00:15:58,630 --> 00:16:01,790
different services, not just
like longterm financial wealth

284
00:16:01,790 --> 00:16:04,510
management.
Who would you say is your ideal

285
00:16:04,510 --> 00:16:07,310
client?
Our ideal client and we're tend

286
00:16:07,310 --> 00:16:10,590
to be drawn to us, our clients
who are concerned about the

287
00:16:10,590 --> 00:16:15,350
longterm impact of their
spending, their activities,

288
00:16:15,350 --> 00:16:19,310
their investments as well.
And so we're not imposing

289
00:16:19,310 --> 00:16:20,910
something, it's just a belief
system.

290
00:16:20,910 --> 00:16:24,190
It's an understanding that we're
part of a bigger picture and we

291
00:16:24,190 --> 00:16:27,390
want to make a contribution or
we certainly don't want to being

292
00:16:27,390 --> 00:16:31,750
harmful to the environment or to
people in third world countries

293
00:16:31,750 --> 00:16:33,790
who are.
Suppliers to the companies that

294
00:16:33,790 --> 00:16:36,350
we work with.
We want to have a voice in how

295
00:16:36,350 --> 00:16:40,110
our money is deployed.
We also like working with people

296
00:16:40,110 --> 00:16:42,750
and people are drawn to us who
want to understand their

297
00:16:42,750 --> 00:16:45,230
finances, not just be told what
to do.

298
00:16:45,230 --> 00:16:49,470
But they're lifelong learners
like we are and aware of their

299
00:16:49,470 --> 00:16:53,510
choices and how the decisions
that people make today have

300
00:16:53,590 --> 00:16:56,750
tremendous impact on where, what
the opportunities will be for

301
00:16:56,750 --> 00:16:59,310
them when they're 20 years from
now, 30 years from now.

302
00:16:59,350 --> 00:17:04,910
So ongoing conversations that.
Are deep and meaningful and take

303
00:17:04,910 --> 00:17:08,790
into account both the very
personal needs of a person, but

304
00:17:08,790 --> 00:17:11,270
also how that fits in with the
larger picture.

305
00:17:11,470 --> 00:17:13,230
OK.
And then in terms of the

306
00:17:13,790 --> 00:17:17,829
companies and the types of
portfolios that you bring on,

307
00:17:17,829 --> 00:17:20,470
how are they vetted?
Do you have another company or

308
00:17:20,470 --> 00:17:23,790
set of companies that actually
go in and look and evaluate

309
00:17:23,790 --> 00:17:26,950
these companies based upon a
specific set of criteria?

310
00:17:26,950 --> 00:17:29,830
Are there different ones for
different packages of

311
00:17:29,830 --> 00:17:31,590
portfolios?
Can you tell us a little bit

312
00:17:31,590 --> 00:17:32,910
about that?
Great question.

313
00:17:32,950 --> 00:17:37,230
Yes, we do not do stock picking.
We have someone on our team that

314
00:17:37,230 --> 00:17:41,310
does do stock picking and does
that through the ESG lens, but

315
00:17:41,310 --> 00:17:45,270
that's because he's a specialist
in option trading and for a few

316
00:17:45,270 --> 00:17:47,230
people that's an appropriate
fit.

317
00:17:47,390 --> 00:17:51,270
Otherwise we work with EFT
managers and mutual fund

318
00:17:51,270 --> 00:17:54,630
managers and they're, as most
people know, there's a lot of

319
00:17:54,630 --> 00:17:57,710
what's called greenwashing going
on where people say that they're

320
00:17:57,790 --> 00:18:01,070
ESG, but it's a marketing
technique and does not mean

321
00:18:01,070 --> 00:18:03,990
they're necessarily.
Doing anything with regard to

322
00:18:03,990 --> 00:18:08,110
ESG are very little.
I could give examples, but what

323
00:18:08,110 --> 00:18:10,430
we do is we have a very strict
criteria.

324
00:18:10,430 --> 00:18:14,550
We do don't work with any fund
manager that isn't doing

325
00:18:14,550 --> 00:18:17,910
shareholder activism because
that's really where the impact

326
00:18:17,910 --> 00:18:22,470
is, is where you take the many
dollars that all the investors

327
00:18:22,470 --> 00:18:26,470
together gives you a seat at the
table where you can say, hey, we

328
00:18:26,470 --> 00:18:29,350
want you to measure how you're
doing in terms of your carbon

329
00:18:29,350 --> 00:18:32,150
footprint and gender equality
and.

330
00:18:32,510 --> 00:18:35,390
As they say, what gets measured
gets managed.

331
00:18:35,510 --> 00:18:39,550
So they may not measure up in
every you know in every regard,

332
00:18:39,630 --> 00:18:43,230
but we can hold them accountable
and try to move the needle a

333
00:18:43,390 --> 00:18:44,950
little bit.
Then we also use a lot of

334
00:18:44,950 --> 00:18:49,430
research around the impact and
we can actually measure exactly

335
00:18:49,470 --> 00:18:53,110
how much of our dollars are
exposed to private prison

336
00:18:53,110 --> 00:18:56,870
industry of an example we
discovered we had a lot more

337
00:18:56,950 --> 00:19:00,590
exposure to that than we wanted
and when we looked into it also

338
00:19:00,590 --> 00:19:04,270
with palm oil and then we.
That well for example with the

339
00:19:04,270 --> 00:19:08,470
prison industry is very hard to
not have exposure if you take

340
00:19:08,470 --> 00:19:11,870
into account that they're
feeding the prisoners and if we

341
00:19:11,870 --> 00:19:14,190
invest in a company that
provides the food for the

342
00:19:14,230 --> 00:19:18,150
prisoners or the phone contact
are we you know indirectly we're

343
00:19:18,150 --> 00:19:21,710
participating in the private
prison industry but and then we

344
00:19:21,710 --> 00:19:24,990
came away and decided that's
acceptable we want prisoners to

345
00:19:24,990 --> 00:19:27,230
have good food.
So.

346
00:19:27,230 --> 00:19:30,390
But so nothing is in the
research is still somewhat

347
00:19:30,390 --> 00:19:33,910
nascent, and there's some.
Agreement research in both in

348
00:19:33,910 --> 00:19:36,910
terms of impact that you're
having and how you're measuring

349
00:19:36,910 --> 00:19:40,270
that as well as what's called
exclusionary.

350
00:19:40,270 --> 00:19:43,870
You know, companies that are not
doing harm an imprecise science,

351
00:19:43,990 --> 00:19:47,830
but it's something that we keep
working on and keep improving

352
00:19:47,830 --> 00:19:50,430
and there's more and more
research becoming available in

353
00:19:50,430 --> 00:19:53,550
Europe is way ahead of us.
They have much higher standards

354
00:19:53,670 --> 00:19:55,870
for accountability than we have
in this country.

355
00:19:56,510 --> 00:20:00,990
So can you identify some of your
favorite companies that might be

356
00:20:00,990 --> 00:20:03,790
like outstanding within?
Portfolios that you say, Oh, I

357
00:20:03,790 --> 00:20:05,910
see them across a number of
different.

358
00:20:05,950 --> 00:20:08,110
Are you asking about individual?
Yeah.

359
00:20:08,510 --> 00:20:12,190
These are the fund managers,
wealth companies I think to

360
00:20:12,190 --> 00:20:13,470
start.
Well.

361
00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,720
What's most intriguing to me
right now, and I can't tell you

362
00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,320
exactly what the companies are,
but I know that with

363
00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:23,240
infrastructure, Bill, that it
has opened up tremendous

364
00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:26,800
opportunities around
environmental impact,

365
00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,560
innovation.
And as you can imagine, there's

366
00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:33,200
a lot going on in that regard.
But now there's funding for it

367
00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:35,640
and it's huge.
And so there are companies that

368
00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,520
have been starting out, they're
not just starting, they've been

369
00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:41,240
doing this work for a while, but
now they have funding to take it

370
00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:43,760
to the next level.
So I really want to.

371
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:46,440
Learn more about what those
which companies they are.

372
00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:51,320
But we work with Lord Abbott and
their bond fund exclusively.

373
00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:55,640
It is not just avoiding the oil
companies, but looking to the

374
00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,640
companies that are doing,
reversing carbon footprint and

375
00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:02,160
catching up with what they're
doing in Europe really.

376
00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:05,240
And Europe is also then seeing
us take the lead with the

377
00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:08,320
infrastructure bill.
They're also upping their ante.

378
00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:10,600
And so there's the opportunities
abroad as well.

379
00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,560
So that's the sector that I'm
most excited about at this

380
00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,160
point.
Me apparently and B does a

381
00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,800
fabulous job of treating their
employees well.

382
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,720
I know they get bad press with
the party scene and all of that,

383
00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,880
but they really do.
I mean during COVID they made

384
00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:30,480
housing available to people.
They offer all benefits to their

385
00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:34,240
employees that above and beyond
what you see in most companies.

386
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:36,840
So they bring an example.
An example?

387
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,840
What has surprised you most
since you've opened your doors?

388
00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:43,320
Since we switched to.
Terrible versus McGuire Wealth

389
00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:46,280
Management.
I think the demand for what we

390
00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:50,720
do, the fact that I mean it is
become very, very popular as

391
00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:52,840
they say to the point where
there's greenwashing that wasn't

392
00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,440
quite as robust in 2019 when we
started.

393
00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:01,560
So I'm surprised.
And also as I say the, I want to

394
00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:05,520
say magnanimity word, I don't
use very often, but I'm the

395
00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:08,400
millennial generation, their
understanding, their leadership,

396
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:14,150
their clarity is so inspiring.
I have to agree absolutely.

397
00:22:14,230 --> 00:22:18,030
Now you decided to certify Tara
Blue as a B Corp, Can you tell

398
00:22:18,030 --> 00:22:19,470
us a little bit about that
decision?

399
00:22:19,670 --> 00:22:22,830
Sure, I learned about V Corpse,
I don't know, maybe 15 years

400
00:22:22,830 --> 00:22:25,190
ago.
And as when I had my own

401
00:22:25,230 --> 00:22:28,190
company, I didn't really have
the resources to go through that

402
00:22:28,190 --> 00:22:30,110
certification, but it was high
on the list.

403
00:22:30,150 --> 00:22:33,670
So when Vanessa and I joined
forces, within a year we started

404
00:22:33,670 --> 00:22:37,910
that application process.
And I really like to be in the

405
00:22:37,910 --> 00:22:41,110
company of other business owners
who share this.

406
00:22:41,230 --> 00:22:45,510
Vision, this sense of obligation
to the larger community and as

407
00:22:45,510 --> 00:22:48,790
rigorous as the process was to
become certified.

408
00:22:48,790 --> 00:22:50,790
I believe you're V certified as
well, right?

409
00:22:50,790 --> 00:22:54,950
So you're very familiar with it.
It was very time consuming, very

410
00:22:54,950 --> 00:23:00,470
demanding, but I was very
revealing as well because we, as

411
00:23:00,590 --> 00:23:04,350
every V Corp does, I think
strives to get the highest score

412
00:23:04,350 --> 00:23:06,950
possible.
Started out thinking we deserved

413
00:23:06,950 --> 00:23:08,790
a higher score that we actually
got.

414
00:23:09,590 --> 00:23:11,110
We're still in a very
respectable.

415
00:23:11,630 --> 00:23:17,190
Highest 17% of financial
services V corps score wise, but

416
00:23:17,190 --> 00:23:18,950
we know what we can do to
improve.

417
00:23:18,950 --> 00:23:23,030
So the continuous quality
improvement we can strive to do

418
00:23:23,030 --> 00:23:26,190
better and we're already doing
that and just working with other

419
00:23:26,190 --> 00:23:28,750
big corps has been really,
really fantastic.

420
00:23:28,950 --> 00:23:32,670
Yeah, when we're talking about
values minded business and for

421
00:23:32,670 --> 00:23:36,270
financial planning and for
wealth management it is, it's

422
00:23:36,270 --> 00:23:39,070
actually pretty extraordinary.
I don't think that there's very

423
00:23:39,070 --> 00:23:44,750
many of you that really are, you
know, in that place where the

424
00:23:44,750 --> 00:23:48,230
transparency, the value
proposition, the way that you're

425
00:23:48,230 --> 00:23:52,630
operating is really, you know,
very much involved in social as

426
00:23:52,630 --> 00:23:56,910
well as environmental impact.
And so, yeah, congratulations on

427
00:23:56,910 --> 00:23:58,590
that front.
I think part of that is the

428
00:23:58,590 --> 00:24:03,230
transition of thinking about
capitalism as being something

429
00:24:03,230 --> 00:24:06,390
other than for the very, very
wealthy and for the benefit of

430
00:24:06,390 --> 00:24:08,870
the very, very wealthy for
capitalism to work.

431
00:24:08,870 --> 00:24:11,070
But I think we really have to go
back to what it was we.

432
00:24:11,190 --> 00:24:16,030
Where the movement towards
deregulation occurred and where,

433
00:24:16,070 --> 00:24:18,270
I suppose it was born of the
Depression, where there was an

434
00:24:18,270 --> 00:24:22,190
understanding that social
capitalism is what works, where

435
00:24:22,190 --> 00:24:27,070
there is a an obligation beyond
the shareholders, it's Milton

436
00:24:27,070 --> 00:24:30,910
Friedman made a whole argument
in favor of those corporations

437
00:24:30,910 --> 00:24:33,190
exist only for the benefit of
the shareholders.

438
00:24:33,350 --> 00:24:36,190
I think we're bumping up against
the limits of that model.

439
00:24:37,190 --> 00:24:39,790
Really has to serve the larger
community for sure.

440
00:24:39,790 --> 00:24:43,950
Well, Maureen McGuire, cofounder
of Terra Blue Wealth Management,

441
00:24:43,950 --> 00:24:49,550
making the argument for going
all in on ESG for your wealth in

442
00:24:49,550 --> 00:24:52,110
the future.
And it does make good sense to

443
00:24:52,110 --> 00:24:54,710
put your money where the
sustainable business is.

444
00:24:54,710 --> 00:24:58,910
And if people and the planet are
prospering, then so can you.

445
00:24:59,190 --> 00:25:01,150
Thank you so much, Maureen, for
joining me today.

446
00:25:01,230 --> 00:25:02,630
Thank you so much for the
opportunity.

447
00:25:03,310 --> 00:25:06,430
Thank you for listening to the
Human Beauty Movement podcast.

448
00:25:06,470 --> 00:25:10,630
Be sure to follow, rate and
review us wherever you stream

449
00:25:10,630 --> 00:25:12,790
podcasts.
The Human Beauty Movement is a

450
00:25:12,790 --> 00:25:16,110
community based platform that
cultivates the beauty of

451
00:25:16,110 --> 00:25:18,870
humankind.
Check out our workshops, find us

452
00:25:18,870 --> 00:25:22,190
on social media, and share our
inspiration with all the

453
00:25:22,190 --> 00:25:25,510
beautiful humans in your life.
Learn more at the Human

454
00:25:25,510 --> 00:25:29,590
beautymovement.com Thank you so
much for being a beautiful

455
00:25:29,590 --> 00:25:29,990
human.