About Terror-Free Investing™
Millions of investors have no idea their retirement and investment accounts are invested in companies that indirectly help fund terrorism, nuclear proliferation and genocide. Terror-Free Investing™ makes those investors aware . and helps them take a stand.
Modeled after the successful anti-apartheid movement to divest from South Africa and the "green" investing movement, TFI was born in 2007, when Mark Langerman, Managing Director and CEO of Empowerment Financial Group, had a career-changing experience. Along with a client, Mark flew to Washington, D.C. for a symposium where he learned about the power of divestment movements in changing corporate behavior. At that time several State pension funds had mobilized and made the commitment to clean up their portfolios and liquidate stocks and bonds of companies doing business in Iran and other state sponsors of terror. Mark then realized that Americans had the power to reshape our world by using our influence as investors to impact state sponsors of terrorism. His eyes were opened to a new way of putting money to work.
Within months, Mark, his partner Paul Seidman and their team began to offer clients "a values-based investment strategy" via portfolios that were pre-screened to exclude the stocks and bonds of the more than 600 global companies, including many based in the United States, who still do business with countries deemed to be state sponsors of terrorism by the U.S. State Department - rogue nations like Iran, Syria, Sudan and North Korea.
How does Terror-Free Investing™ work, you ask? Consider the following:
The National Iranian Oil Company depends on foreign energy companies to effectively and efficiently explore and develop its oil fields. Once they're up and running, those oil fields create revenue that flows to the Iranian government, a major state sponsor of terror. Terror-free investors refuse to invest in oil companies that do business with Iran. This refusal weakens the ability of the National Iranian Oil Company to develop new wells, and, more importantly, restricts the flow of money from oil exporters to the Iranian government. With their chief source of revenue now in danger, the Iranian government might then consider changes to their policies on terrorism and nuclear proliferation.
Here's what Roger Robinson, president/CEO of the Conflict Securities Advisory Group and one of the world's foremost experts on Terror-Free Investing™, says about the movement:
"As more and more investors choose to take action and invest terror-free, it can be expected that scores of com¬panies, large and small, will . eliminate their business dealings with these countries. They are getting the message: If you wish to avoid the negative social and financial consequences of doing business with these adversaries, then take a stand now."
Taking a stand is the essence of TFI, but not the only benefit. Investing terror-free also potentially reduces shareholder risk by avoiding investment in volatile, terrorism-dependent economies (countries known as high "global security risks"). TFI is investment with a purpose, a movement meant to change corporate behavior and reward investors with a clear conscience.
