TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Purpose Investments Inc. (“Purpose”), the innovative asset management firm and investment arm of Purpose Financial, is pleased to announce that its assets under management (AUM) have surpassed $10 billion, marking a significant milestone in its eight-year history. In the last 12 months alone, the firm’s AUM have increased more than 25 per cent (as at December 15, 2020).
“When we founded Purpose, we set out to measure our success by the happiness of our clients, not by how many assets we managed,” said Som Seif, CEO and founder of Purpose Financial. “Our team and products at Purpose Investments have helped and will continue to help real people reach their financial goals by upholding our principles of proactive risk management, meaningful outcomes, sustainability and transparency. We’re proud of this AUM milestone because it reflects the fact that we are having a positive impact on our clients and their investing experiences.”
Since launching in 2012, Purpose Investments has been driven by its core principles. Purpose has earned its success through its dedication and approach to risk management, outcome-oriented investment strategies, accessibility, transparency and sustainability. These principles are a clear reflection of Purpose’s belief in the need to think differently to make a lasting impact for investors and on the asset management industry itself.
“We create success for investors by caring about the same things they do,” Seif continued. “Not only are we leading a different way to think about investing, we’re showing how a modern investment firm can discover different ways to think. Ultimately, we’re creating the types of investment experience we want for ourselves. And every time we set out to create a new product or improve our existing investment processes, we hold our ideas up against our principles to ensure that what we’re setting out to achieve is in the best interest of our clients.”
By putting clients first, Purpose is a leader in the asset management industry, providing meaningful innovations and industry firsts. Purpose was the first in the Canadian market to offer true liquid alternatives, corporate class ETFs, high interest savings account ETFs, as well as structured equity strategies to provide access to structured notes outcomes, to name a few. Purpose was also among the first asset management firms in the world to implement a unified Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factor as a core part of all of its investment processes.
“We look forward to building on our achievements and expanding our position as a true leader and innovator in the industry through unwavering dedication to success. We truly believe the best is yet to come, as we make preparations to embark on several significant endeavors in the coming year, including innovation in retirement solutions and private assets, while also further enhancing our existing capabilities for managing risk,” added Seif.
As part of this milestone accomplishment, Purpose Investments will be donating $100,000 to Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue charity. In addition, the Purpose team is committing to contribute at least 1,000 hours of volunteer time to different charities and organizations in our communities.
“We have always believed as a firm and as a team in giving back to our communities. This milestone gave us an opportunity to re-commit to this goal, especially at a time that our community organizations need help more than ever,” said Seif. “But we also recognize that it’s about more than just a financial contribution. It’s about rolling up our own sleeves and pitching in, too. We believe that by putting our time and efforts in our communities, we are investing in compassion and kindness with our neighbours, many of which unfortunately need more help in this difficult time.”
“Second Harvest is excited to partner with Purpose Investments over the next four years to help reduce avoidable food waste while feeding people in need,” added Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest. “Now more than ever, partnerships like this are critical to help ensure our work is sustainable. We are incredibly grateful to Purpose Investments for their commitment to supporting our communities during this time of great need.”
The Core Principles of Purpose Investments
Outcomes over benchmarks: Life isn’t based on beating a benchmark. We help clients realize success through the individual outcomes that matter to them. Our team of investment professionals has seen it all, so we know that long-term outcomes are more meaningful than short-term metrics.
Proactive risk protection: We guard our clients against risk by adding a layer of care in everything we do. We all know that markets will rise and markets will fall. None of us can change this. However, we can give you more comfort along the way.
ESG always: A modern investment firm doesn’t need to compromise superior returns for social responsibility. We’re one of the first firms in the world to embed Environmental, Social and Governance at the foundation of how we build products and manage money. This means when we allocate capital on behalf of our investors, we both drive incredible performance and support companies they believe in.
Transparency and choice: Our investment strategies, approaches and results are open for you to see. Find a strategy that suits you best: whether it’s a mutual fund or ETF, we’re agnostic so investors can choose how they want to invest.
Value for money: When you focus on meaningful outcomes and the person behind the investment, a quality strategy will always be worth it in the end. We continuously look to offer our clients attractive fees and, most importantly, we know our products are priced fairly for the quality of the strategy they offer and the strength of returns they deliver.
Your take home: Ultimately what matters is the dollars that end up in our clients’ pockets. Our funds are structured to maximize tax efficiency, using elegant and proven approaches.
About Purpose Investments Inc.
Purpose Investments Inc. is an asset management company with more than $10 billion in assets under management. Purpose Investments has an unrelenting focus on client-centric innovation, and offers a range of actively managed and quantitative investment products with a focus on risk management and defined outcomes. Purpose Investments is a division of Purpose Financial, a technology-driven company focused on innovating within financial services.
For more information on Purpose Investments, its history, its products and its expertise, please see www.purposeinvest.com
About Purpose Financial
Purpose Financial is an independent financial services company with an unrelenting focus on customer-centric innovation, delivered through technology-driven solutions. Led by entrepreneur Som Seif, the company is developing a diversified product platform aimed at addressing historically underserved segments of the market. Purpose Financial's businesses includes Purpose Investments, Purpose Advisor Solutions, Purpose Banking Solutions, which includes Thinking Capital and Ario, and Purpose Strategy & Innovation Labs, its fintech innovations group.
About Second Harvest
Second Harvest is the largest food rescue organization in Canada and a global thought leader on food recovery. Working across the supply chain – from farm to retail – the charity captures surplus perishable food before it ends up in landfill negatively impacting our environment. Their mobile app FoodRescue.ca also connects businesses with surplus food to local charities ensuring good food gets to people. With the global pandemic, Second Harvest is leading the Food Rescue Canadian Alliance (FRCA), bringing together government, industry, indigenous communities and non-profit sector to ensure food reaches the most vulnerable members of our communities, from coast-to-coast-to coast.
To learn more, visit https://secondharvest.ca.