Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Introduces New Tool Kit to Effectively Integrate Investing and Catholic Values

Investors seeking to align their portfolios with holistic Catholic values now have innovative resources to help them.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Investing with Impact Platform is introducing the Catholic Values Investing Tool Kit. The Tool Kit is designed as a roadmap for Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors to use in empowering individual and institutional clients when selecting investments for a holistic portfolio consistent with financial objectives and guidelines put forward by the Catholic Church.

Further, as a key differentiator, the Tool Kit recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to Catholic values investing and offers a flexible framework to help investors customize their portfolios to align with their personal and institutional faith-based goals.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Investing with Impact Platform, launched in 2012, enables clients to align investment decisions and personal values without sacrificing potential financial performance.¹ The broader Investing with Impact Platform now offers more than 130 investment products capable of delivering positive environmental and social impact. Faith-based investors have long recognized that their capital can catalyze social and environmental benefits. As an integral part of Morgan Stanley’s Investing with Impact Platform, this Tool Kit provides a range of resources to deliver Catholic values investment solutions for individual and institutional clients.

“We are pleased to provide our clients with strategies to pursue risk-adjusted financial returns in tandem with faith-based objectives,” said Hilary Irby, Head of Morgan Stanley’s Investing with Impact Initiative. “There continues to be a growing range of investment choices and opportunities in the Catholic values space, across mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and separately managed accounts.”

The Tool Kit roadmap includes a primer for Catholic values investors who wish to invest in companies that, consistent with the guidelines of the Catholic Church as well as their own investor preferences, promote societal good through access to affordable housing, high environmental standards and other constructive policies. It also provides guidance to investors who seek to avoid companies that engage in discrimination, predatory lending or other activities inconsistent with Catholic values.

The Tool Kit explains how investors can activate an entire portfolio to meet their financial and Catholic values objectives, or opt to dedicate portions of a portfolio to achieve mission goals. To resolve these and other complex portfolio decisions, a Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor can create an appropriate, personalized approach.

According to Lily Scott, Director of Investing with Impact for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, “While financial value remains a key focus, Catholic values investment portfolios also seek to protect and promote the unique values and mission of faith-based investors.”

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, a global leader provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, banking services, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 43 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.