James Frazier, CFP®

I help progressive investors achieve their long-term financial goals while creating a more just and sustainable world using Socially Responsible Investing.

Now, more than ever, the world needs solutions. As investors, we can help make them happen!

Services | Portfolio Management (minimum $2m) and Financial Planning/Consulting for Portfolio Management clients

Locations | I serve a nationwide clientele, and am based on the West Coast (Seattle area & Hawaii).

Are you a socially and environmentally conscious person who wants meaningful investments in your portfolio?

Often, my clients first approach me because they are not happy with the companies in their portfolio.  Their financial advisor does not share their values or know how to help them. Are you seeking a like-minded financial advisor that offers inspiring investments and a genuine personal connection?

As a Certified Financial Planner™, my goal is to understand your whole financial situation and offer you customized opportunities for both positive impact and investment returns. I listen closely, getting to know you and the issues that are most important to you. I give thoughtful, personalized recommendations, designing and managing an investment portfolio that you can feel great about.  One that offers real solutions to the challenges that we face today, without compromising on meeting your needs.

Contact me to arrange a free initial consultation.  Let’s explore how I can help re-imagine your portfolio and achieve your most important life goals.

Why do I do this?

Nature has been a source of inspiration and perspective for me since childhood.  Growing up, I was deeply influenced by my family’s summer trips to California, when we hiked the Sierra Nevada and the Pacific Coast.

I spent my college years in Philadelphia earning a degree in finance.  Afterwards, I worked briefly as a trader on Wall Street, where I quickly discovered that investing for profits at any cost wasn’t in line with my values.

Heeding the call of the West Coast and its rugged beauty, I moved to Seattle in 1999.  I co-founded an investment fund where I was the general manager for the next eight years.

During this time, I discovered an inner zeal for more sustainable, healthy lifestyles, sparked by an unexpected encounter.

Walking to work one fall day, I found my path blocked by massive protests against the World Trade Organization (WTO).  I detoured around, but my interest was piqued, and later that day I followed the protests through the city.  This was a big wake-up call for me that capitalism is not working for everyone.

I began learning about social and economic justice and discovered an emerging passion for helping communities thrive.  My world expanded rapidly as I dove into permaculture, organics, herbal and alternative medicine, natural building, woodworking, renewable energy, travel, and community organizing.

All of this helped prepare me for a major shift.  In 2007, I left my old career behind, and was soon offered the opportunity to merge my investment expertise with my passion for sustainability and social justice by joining Natural Investments, a leader in Socially Responsible Investing since 1985.  Eager to help my clients address all aspects of their financial lives, I earned my Certified Financial Planner™ designation, which requires comprehensive education in retirement planning, investments, taxes, estate planning, insurance, and more.

In 2008, while living in Port Townsend, Washington, I was invited to join a group of citizens who wanted to invest more of their money locally.  Together, we created the pioneering Local Investing Opportunities Network (LION), which drew nationwide attention for its success in connecting investors with local small businesses and nonprofits, keeping money in the community, and building a more prosperous and resilient local economy.  To share the best practices I learned from this and other successful initiatives, I founded the non-profit Local Investing Resource Center, an education and advocacy website dedicated to helping local investing take root in communities everywhere.

 

My vision is a more just and sustainable world.

With our society and biosphere reaching a tipping point, a sense of urgency is setting in for the human race.  If we want a future worth living in, we must collectively evolve our approach to civilization.  Doing the vast and varied work needed to discover, scale, and spread solutions to our challenges is going to take a tremendous investment of human and financial resources in the times to come.

That’s where we come in.

We are called to grow beyond simply caring for ourselves and the ones closest to us, and start considering in our thoughts and actions the well-being of communities both near and far, other species and the ecosystems that support them, and the oceans, air, and lands of our planet.  I invite you to join me – us – on this journey.

I believe that by investing responsibly for the social and environmental benefit of all, we can start to address our biggest challenges and create the world we want to live in.  I believe we can do this without compromising on living a sustainably abundant and inspired life. That is why I am passionate about what I do, and I walk my talk.

I offer two types of service:

  1. Portfolio Management for investment assets of $2 million or more. I work with you collaboratively to design and implement a custom, diversified portfolio that reflects your personal values and priorities, and your financial goals. I monitor and refine your portfolio over time, adapting to changing market environments and periodically bringing you new opportunities that I believe will be a good fit for you. In addition to stock and bond funds that screen their holdings for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues and engage companies to improve their practices through shareholder activism, we can explore alternative impact investments when appropriate, such as:
    • Community development loans that finance affordable housing, education, healthcare, small businesses, and much more, all through the lens of social and racial justice.
    • Renewable energy facilities that generate tax-free income and help the climate by reducing fossil fuel consumption.
    • Venture capital funds that invest in promising high-growth companies that are building the green economy of the future.
    • Regenerative agriculture, organic farmland, and sustainable forestry funds.

    I am passionate about divesting from fossil fuels and investing in “net zero” carbon solutions to climate change such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, environmental remediation, pollution control, green buildings, water & waste technologies, and more!

    Each quarter, I provide you with investment reports and our original Natural Investments newsletter. Fees are charged quarterly and are based on a percentage (generally under 1% per year) of the assets I manage. I also provide discounted financial planning and retirement projections (see below) as needed.

    If your investment assets are under $2m, I want to support you to invest with your values, too. E-mail me and I will do my best to provide you with helpful guidance and/or referrals to other advisors who can help you.

  2. For portfolio management clients, I also offer Financial Planning consultations on an hourly basis. I analyze your financial situation to help you plan effectively and make key decisions about retirement, investments, taxes, budgeting, and more. I can generate long-term retirement and other financial projections that can give you more clarity about the future. My standard rate for families and individuals is $300 per hour, and I can provide project estimates upon request.

Let’s talk!

Do you have any questions about my services? Are we a good fit for working with each other? Please contact me to set up a free initial consultation. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

I work from my home office in upcountry Maui, Hawaii, and can meet via phone and video (Zoom).  I occasionally travel to the Seattle area and the East Coast for in-person meetings as needed.  Since 2012, I have offset 100% of my estimated business and family carbon emissions, and I’ve used the Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s carbon offset program since 2015.

Note: Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™ and CFP® in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

My mailing address is PO Box 901311, Kula, HI  96790.

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