Presenting on this occasion was meant to be David Jones of Dimensional Fund Advisors however, in a late substitution, his colleague Patrick Fogarty came to speak to members. In fact, this was something of a benefit as Patrick had done most of the research for the subject matter of the day, sustainable investing, so we got to hear it from the horse's mouth so to speak!

The meeting title "50 shades of Green" may have led to the good turnout, hopefully no-one was there expecting something more racy than sustainable investing! The discussion was split into two parts. First to be covered was defining sustainable investing (there are many different ways of doing this hence the title of the session) and why this should be considered for all investors not just those who express a preference. The second half of the session was given over to a more detailed examination of how the themes explored in the first part could be implemented on a practical basis by looking at real life example portfolios.

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The session prompted a lot of discussion amongst attendees and feedback was very positive. A particular point of interest was whether "green" companies are, by their nature, more risky than non-green ones, or whether running a company in a sustainable manner actually led to better shareholder returns. Much discussion ensued!

Bath branch chairman Andrew Page CFP said "Our thanks go to Patrick who was very knowledgeable on this subject and to Novia for hosting the meeting too. It was a definite advantage hearing directly from someone who had led the research into such an interesting and topical subject. Our branch next meeting is on 1 May, when we welcome Manchester branch chairman Steve Martin CFP. Steve will be talking us through how to deliver the perfect first meeting that sells true Financial Planning easily. Learning from our peers is always interesting, and with Steve's passion and enthusiasm for real Financial Planning, I'm sure we're in for a treat. Please come and join us!"