Money Matters named Best Ethical Adviser
1 July 2021
For investors, choosing the best ethical financial adviser is a challenge. The Mindful Money Awards judges were faced with the very same challenge. The verdict is in, and it’s official; Money Matters are the best.
On June 29th Money Matters (MM) was honoured to receive Mindful Money’s first ever Best Ethical Financial Adviser Award. A celebration of the country’s leaders in ethical investing, the 2021 Awards highlight the role that ethical investing plays in making sure that the world’s money does a world of good. Now, when it comes time to judge which financial adviser to trust their money with, New Zealanders who see the value in investing ethically have even more proof that Dr Rodger Spiller and Money Matters are the right choice.
The Best Ethical Financial Adviser award was judged based on four key criteria.
An independent judging panel of respected industry professionals focused on the following areas; Know Your Client, Know the Ethical Options, Provide Advice in the Interest of Clients, and Ongoing Professional Development. The judges said that ‘the Money Matters entry stood out for the strong research and thought leadership by Dr. Rodger Spiller over many years. His approach is flexible and thorough to meet clients’ needs and aspirations.’
MM Founder and Principal, Rodger Spiller, explains that at MM: “We get to know our clients and how their money matters. Our in-depth discovery process explores where they are today, where they want to be in future, the resources to get them there, and their investment risk and ethical investment profiles.” MM’s application highlighted their experience, education, and ethics. It also covered the critical fact that, as expert and independent third-party specialists, MM’s clients can trust that the advice they receive will always be objective.
MM’s focus on Wayfinding highlights their thought leadership and a valuable point of difference.
Professor Chellie Spiller, from MM, explores the concept of Wayfinding in her Ted Talk and the book she co-authored, ‘Wayfinding Leadership’. Chellie’s Wayfinding work, combined with Rodger’s ethical investment PhD research and chapters, is fundamental to MM’s ethical investment approach.
Rodger and his team use Wayfinding to help clients work out their location, orient towards their destination, set a course to get them there, then dynamically respond to signs along the journey. “Ethical investment advisers and their clients are Wayfinders,” says Rodger. “We are transforming the finance system and financing the transformation needed for a sustainable future. To dis-cover the new is to pull apart the old map, explore new and uncharted territory, and journey towards true wealth and wellbeing.”
At the upcoming October Australasian Ethical Investment week, Chellie and Rodger will be taking a lead in this year’s theme, ‘Ethical Investment and Wayfinding’. They will be offering a podcast and article for investors as part of activities from the Australian-based Ethical Investment Adviser Cooperative, which MM is part of – so stay tuned for more details.
This award marks the latest in a long-held tradition.
MM was also recognised with another inaugural award in 1999, when Rodger won the Good Returns New Zealand Financial Planner of the Year Award. Judged by the then Retirement Commissioner Colin Blair, Reserve Bank deputy governor Rod Carr and financial journalist Mary Holm, the judges said Rodger was the clear winner. 1999 was also the year that Rodger submitted his PhD thesis on ethical investment, making it a particularly busy and successful end to the millennia. These moments of recognition reflect Rodger and the MM team’s ongoing commitment to not only empowering their clients to make money and make a difference, but making authentic ethical investment the new normal for the industry.
None of this would have been possible without our remarkable clients.
In his acceptance speech, Rodger thanked his team for their phenomenal dedication and service – and his clients for their unwavering belief in doing well and doing good. For over 30 years, MM has been fortunate to partner with clients who genuinely want to make their money matter. Their commitment to having a positive impact has been instrumental in creating the demand required for some of the leading ethical investment funds to exist. MM clients have made good money, and they’ve made a great difference. And for that, Rodger and his team extend their deepest thanks.
