Integrē Wealth Management Taps Wash DC Sustainability Expert

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - March 21, 2014 - PRLog -- Integrē Wealth Management, a financial services group of Raymond James & Associates, Inc., is pleased to announce that Jessica Higgins, based in Washington D.C., has joined the Integrē team to oversee the firm’s activities in socially responsible investing, known as its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) arm. Higgins will work from Integrē’s new D.C. office.

“We've had a socially responsible component in our investment portfolios for a long time,” says Mary Brooks, CFP®, founder of Integrē Wealth Management and managing director at Raymond James. “We reached out to Jessica for her extensive background in this area and we’re thrilled she’s joined the group. With the addition of Jessica, we’ve deepened our internal research capabilities—her expertise is reflective of the greater caliber of research that’s being done to determine not only what companies you don’t invest in, but, more proactively, discovering, through research, those companies that are leading the charge toward more sustainable operations.”

Higgins earned a double master’s from the University of Maryland, with a Master of Science in conservation biology and sustainable development, and a Master of Public Policy, with a focus on environmental policy. She earned her bachelor’s in wildlife biology from Colorado State University, and has been working in service to and on behalf of populations and the planet since she was a child. Prior to joining Integrē, Higgins worked for Humane Society International, managing animal protection programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, and served in the Peace Corps in Honduras.

“I’ve always been involved in ESG arenas,” says Higgins. “And now that I’ve joined Integrē—now that I’m on board—I can put my focus and specific expertise in sustainability issues to work full-time in support of Integrē's mission. That's a significant difference from other firms that might have financial planners who review sustainability issues on the side—and years ahead of firms that do no review at all.”

Higgins will provide critical research in two key areas, according to Brooks. “She’ll provide the research and documentation we need about companies and mutual funds that we want represented in our sustainable portfolio, and she’ll keep us on top of issues that are most important and that are going to impact a company’s sustainability.” Brooks adds, “Through extensive and compelling research, Jessica’s going to demonstrate that you can follow a sustainable business model in your investments and still realize excellent performance.”

Contact:
Mary S. Brooks, CFP®, Wealth Management Specialist
Founder, Integrē Wealth Management, Managing Director, Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
mary.s.brooks@raymondjames.com, 925.952.5258

www.raymondjames.com/integrewm

Integrē Wealth Management
Founded in 2009 by Mary S. Brooks, CFP®, a wealth management specialist and managing director with Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Integrē Wealth Management offers true wealth management by taking a consultative, team-based approach to financial services that examines all aspects of a client’s financial life. Through an understanding of the client’s whole life, the Integrē team is able to align the client’s investments with the client’s values. Integrē offers both comprehensive financial planning and investment consulting toward the goals of wealth enhancement, wealth protection, and wealth transfer, with a specialty in executive compensation planning. Integrē is a leader in sustainable and responsible investing with an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) arm, and proactively conducts research and analysis into companies that are influenced by these issues. Integrē Wealth Management’s relationship with Raymond James benefits clients by leveraging the expertise, tools, and resources of the multinational financial services firm. www.raymondjames.com/integrewm

Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC
Raymond James is one of the leading independent financial services companies in the U.S. Founded in 1962 by Robert James, Raymond James has grown to become a well-respected, widely recognized multinational firm with distinct business units that serve a variety of clients, from individuals and small business owners to municipalities and major corporations. By the numbers, Raymond James has more than 6,200 financial advisors, more than 2.5 million client accounts, more than 2,500 locations in the U.S. and internationally, and approximately $447 billion in total client assets. www.raymondjames.com