Honestly Financial LLC announces a unique approach to ethical investing for retail clients
VANCOUVER, BC – SEPTEMBER 30, 2026 – Clients of Honestly Financial LLC choose the industries they will not fund, and companies in those industries are left out of their portfolios rather than held at a reduced weight.
As of now, there are very limited options for investors who would like to incorporate their own socially responsible values into their investments. Typically, the widely available options for people interested in ethical investing / socially responsible investing is through ESG funds, or SRI funds.
Here lies the problem.
These funds are designed to be managed under a mandate set out by the fund company, not the investors’ personal morals or values. This means that what lies inside the fund may be misaligned with what an individual would want to support.
By allowing people to remove entire problematic sectors and industry groups from their portfolio investors can be confident that their portfolios are values-aligned.
The list of potentially problematic industries clients can remove include: Oil and gas, mining, thermal coal, palm oil, pesticides and GMO. Under social and lifestyle: gambling, alcohol, tobacco, animal testing, and fur and specialty leather. Under weapons and defense: controversial weapons, small arms and military contracting.
“Most people who care about this have one or two things they genuinely will not fund,” said Benjamin Bondar, CEO of Honestly Invest. “Maybe it’s palm oil. Maybe it’s small arms. A typical ESG fund, or Socially Responsible fund has already made that call for you, and you don’t get to easily see how it was made. We empower people to make these choices themselves, and allow them to see every company they own.”
Portfolios are built from individual stocks rather than fund units, so clients can see each holding by name. Client assets are held at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. as custodian.
The firm charges 1% of assets under management per year. There is no setup fee, no trading fee and no minimum investment. Rebalancing, portfolio monitoring and access to a human advisor are included.
“You shouldn’t need a large balance to talk to an actual person about this,” Bondar said. “That’s usually where the trade-off sits. Either you get software with no advice, or you get advice with a minimum most people can’t meet.”
Honestly Invest is a member of the XY Planning Network, an organization of independent, fee-only financial advisors.
The exclusion list and the sample portfolio builder are available from ethical investing advisor Honestly Invest at honestlyinvest.com
About Honestly Invest
Ethical investing advisor Honestly Invest builds custom stock portfolios around exclusions its clients define, with full visibility into every holding. Advisory services are provided by Honestly Financial LLC, an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (CRD 338758). More information is available at Honestly Invest.
Disclosures
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. is not affiliated with or endorsing this advisory firm. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. Registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) does not imply a certain level of skill or training, and does not constitute an endorsement by the Commission.
Media Contact
Company Name: HONESTLY FINANCIAL LLC
Contact Person: Benjamin Bondar
Email: Send Email
Country: Canada
Website: https://honestlyinvest.com/
