Proxy voting for investors is about to become a whole lot easier.
Envestnet and iconik, a voting technology provider, announced Monday they're teaming up to provide enhanced proxy voting solutions for those using Envestnet’s Sustainable Quantitative Portfolios.
The firms say the move, which comes after an increase in investor demand, will not only help advisors increase retention and wallet share but also personalize the client experience.
With iconik’s VoteForge engine, investors can create customized voting profiles tailored to their values, preferences and priorities. It also helps resolve operational hurdles related to proxy voting.
Alex Thaler, co-founder and CEO of iconic, said Envestnet offers the right tools for advisors to stay competitive.
"Through this partnership, advisors in the Envestnet ecosystem will have access to set-and-forget voting technology that uniquely connects clients' deeply held values with their investments,” Thaler said in a statement.
Brandon Thomas, co-founder and co-CIO at Envestnet, said VoteForge simplifies the process of voting proxies on issues that matter most to clients.
“We continue to hear about the democratization of proxy voting as an important development in the industry,” Thomas said in the statement. “Bringing this capability to advisors is the latest way we are helping them strengthen and customize the client experience.”
Iconik said its shareholder voting service offers an iterative process that advisors and clients can use to refine voting profiles to reflect individual investor views. Advisors can report on key ballot items and then access the outcomes through a dashboard, where relevant voting metrics can be seen.
To strengthen client engagement, voting results can also be shared with the relevant clients.
Kiley Miller, Envestnet’s principal director of sustainable investing, said the tool will allow investors to make their voices heard.
“It will establish and expand relationships with new and existing clients,” Miller said. “Through the innovative technology that iconik delivers, advisors and their clients not only have easier and more efficient access to voting, but investors are able to also play a more active role in the capital markets and connect more deeply to the companies in which they are invested."
By listening for what truly matters and where clients want to make a difference, advisors can avoid politics and help build more personal strategies.
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