Testimony to CalPERS 3/13/2023, Investment Committee Item 6b, by Jim McRitchie, a retired member. Note: Actual testimony was limited to 3-4 minutes. This version is slightly longer and includes links. (more…)
Tag Archives | Ceres
Trump Celebrates Labor Day
Trump celebrates labor day. Many who actually labor cringe at his repulsive words and actions. There are far instances too many to mention. Below are a few that are top of mind. (more…)
ESG Rulemaking by DOL
ESG Rulemaking by DOL – comments are in. Several investor organizations and financial industry firms released an analysis of the more than 8,700 public comments on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed rulemaking on the consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations in ERISA-governed retirement plans. There is overwhelming opposition to the “Financial Factors […]
MPT – Why Investors Might be Climate Allies: Corporate Governance Today
This is a bit daunting. I’m giving a lecture named after Adam Smith. In a college where the first Director of Studies in Economics was John Maynard Keynes. No pressure at all. Twenty-five years ago, I had an epiphany. I was, at the time, the New York City official in charge of investing the City’s […]
2020 ESG Proposal Lists
2020 ESG Proposal Lists Updated Our 2020 ESG proposal lists have been updated, thank to Lynn Jokela (bio) who posted something the other day at TheCorporateCounsel.net about how to find “other companies who are receiving the same shareholder proposals.” Presumably Jokela was focused on corporate counsel. Of course, our readers, primarily investors, also want to know who […]
Climate Policy Appeal to CEOs
A climate policy appeal was sent to the CEOs of corporate America urging them adopt a “science based climate policy agenda” in line with the IPCC and to lobby accordingly, as well as aligning their trade association’s advocacy. The letter also references the investor Climate Lobbying letter backed by investors with $6.5 trillion in AUM. […]
Rescind No-Action Policy
Investors ask SEC to rescind no-action policy recently announced. Additional resources and commentary regarding the new SEC No-Action Policy are included below the letter. Click for PDF. (more…)
Schwab: Invested
Charles Schwab chronicles the history of his namesake firm in Invested: Changing Forever the Way Americans Invest. I knew he led a technological revolution and was among the first to slash prices. From A Nation of Small Shareholders, I also knew Schwab was on a long-term mission to have every American share in our growing […]
Proxy Preview 2019: Better Every Year
Proxy Preview 2019 reveals intensified shareholder pressure on corporations across a wide range of ESG issues from climate and political spending to women. Investors with a conscience; we are having a bigger impact every year. Download the report and/or watch webinar here. (more…)
SEC Proxy Process Video 11-15-2018
SEC Proxy Process Video: November 15, 2018 In the interest of documenting important events in corporate governance, I am here bookmarking the SEC Proxy Process Video from November 15, 2018, for future reference. Read transcript by downloading the following pdf: SEC TranscriptShareholderProposalsRoundtable. (full day) SEC Proxy Process Video (Click to View) (more…)
Part 4 28th Annual SRI Conference
Part 4 28th Annual SRI Conference in San Diego. Search #AllinForImpact on Twitter to see more posts. See Parts 1, 2, and 3. Yes, I know, this conference was held months ago but I’m still digesting… maybe until the next one. I could spend a productive year just exploring links to the work of the speakers. Mark […]
Investor Response to Chamber: Don’t Gut Rights
Investor Response to Chamber: Letter Representatives of hundreds of investors with trillions of dollars in assets delivered a letter to the SEC on November 9, 2017, An Investor response to U.S. Chamber’s Proposal to Revise SEC Rule 14a-8 (report). We noted with interest the November 1, 2017, guidance contained in Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14I. […]
Deep Dive on Water Risks & iiWisdom
Water risks and and an Internet program from iiWisdom are the subjects of my last notes and photos from attending the Council of Institutional Investors Fall 2015 Conference in Boston. The Deep Dive on Water Risks was hosted by Ceres. The interactive Internet program from iiWisdom looks to be very handy for finding information contained in corporate proxies. Feel free […]
Give Thanks: SEC Allows Shareholders to Hold Mutual Funds to Account
Publisher’s note: I wasn’t going to publish anything today but I couldn’t resist this recent news from Sanford Lewis, Esq. and Sonia Kowai of Zevin Asset Management about a denial of a no-action letter that allows shareholders to hold mutual funds to account. Imagine what the world could look like if mainstream funds lived up […]
Citigroup Endorses Proxy Access Proposal
Citigroup (C) and shareowner activist James McRitchie, who publishes the popular website CorpGov.net, reached an agreement this week on a proxy access proposal that would allow shareowners to place their nominees directly on the corporate proxy. (more…)
Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing: Part 4
This is the third in a multi-part series on the main program of the 25th annual SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing held November 9–11, 2014 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. See also Video Friday: What is Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing?, Violating Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Increases Industry Risks, Surveys: Nonprofit Board Members & SRI 2014 Conference Attendees, 25th Annual Conference on […]
Proposals to Address Fugitive Methane Receive Strong Shareowner Support
A series of strong shareholder votes have sent a clear message that natural gas companies must do much more to address fugitive methane leakage and management. Shareholder proposals asking Houston-based Spectra Energy $SE, Tulsa-based Oneok $OKE, and Fort Worth-based Range Resources $RRC to issue reports on how they are managing high-climate-change-impact methane emissions have received favorable […]
My Notes from Ceres Conference 2013
Let’s just label these notes as “for entertainment purposes only.” Attending the conference was a real pleasure. Unfortunately, I was too busy catching up with people to take more than impressionistic notes at a few of the discussions. Prepare to be frightened about global climate change and our irresponsibly slow pace addressing the catastrophic consequences […]
Opportunity for Comment: Sustainability Listing Standards Proposed for Global Stock Exchanges
Yesterday, a group of investors announced a Consultation Paper with recommendations for integrating sustainability disclosure requirements into listing rules for U.S. and global stock exchanges. The draft recommendations were developed by nearly a dozen investors who are part of the Ceres-led Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR). BlackRock, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, and the […]
Ceres Ranked #6 on Global Journal's Top 100 NGOs List
Congratulations to Ceres and for providing Corporate Governance readers another reason for attending the upcoming Ceres Conference 2013, San Francisco, May 1-2. See my coverage of their 2009 conference. According to Global Journal: (more…)
The Blindness of Short-Term Thinking
‘Quarterly capitalism’ desperately needs tempering with long-term guidance This guest post by Mindy S. Lubber originally appeared in Pensions & Investments on Jun 25, 2012. (more…)
Water Threats for Investors: Friday Webinar
In response to increasing corporate exposure to global water supply threats and investment community interest in water-related issues, Ceres has released a new report and tool that investors and companies can use as a roadmap to enhanced water risk (more…)
Video Friday: "Say on Directors iPay" @ Apple
My say on director pay will be on the Apple proxy (embedded links added): 6 – Shareholder Say on Director Pay Resolved: Shareholders request that our Board of Directors adopt a policy that provides shareholders the opportunity, at each annual meeting, to vote on an advisory proposal, prepared by the Board of Directors, to ratify […]
Don't Be the Next JinkoSolar – Ceres Offers Aqua Gauge For Risk Management
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. got sued on 10/11/2011. The plaintiff firm is Sianni & Straite LLP. According to a press release dated October 11, 2011, the Plaintiffs allege violations of the federal securities laws in connection with false statements released surrounding its IPO. Based in the People’s Republic of China, the Company launched an IPO in the United States […]
Ceres is Hiring
Are you ready to change corporate, investor and business practices on climate change and other sustainability challenges? Do you have the strategic savvy to engage entire industries — the insurance sector, for example — to tackle the business impacts from global warming? Ceres is seeking the best and the brightest candidates. Ceres is a national […]
CorpGov Bites
What’s the difference between the role of advisors and a board of directors for a start-up? At what point in your development should you build each group? Tips for creating an Advisory Board or Board of Directors: choosing the right people, defining objectives and expectations and compensation issues (i.e. What’s in it for them?) Common […]
SEC Requires Disclosure of Climate-Related Impacts
The SEC issued new interpretive guidance that clarify companies must weigh the impact of climate-change laws and regulations when assessing what information to disclose to investors in terms of climate-related ‘material’ effects on business operations, whether from new emissions management policies, the physical impacts of changing weather or business opportunities associated with the growing clean […]
April 2009 Special News Supplement: Ceres 2009
I hadn’t been to a Ceres conference in far too long. This national network of investors, companies, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change is celebrating its 20th anniversary. While most continue using a model of unsustainable growth, Ceres members push forward. Just a few […]