CFA Society Sri Lanka supports ‘Putting Investors First Month’

CFA Society Sri Lanka announced yesterday that it would join many of the 147 CFA societies worldwide to recognise May as the third annual Putting Investors First Month, a month-long global initiative focused on promoting the needs and rights of investors. 

CFA Society Sri Lanka will host a retail investor seminar with local speakers and webinars to mark Sri Lanka’s participation in this global initiative. 

In addition, the local society has committed to putting investors first by sharing the Statement of Investor Rights, a list of ten rights that any investor should expect from financial service providers.  

“‘Putting Investors First Month’ is an exciting global initiative of which we are proud to be a part,” said Murtaza Jafferjee, Advocacy Chair for CFA Society Sri Lanka. “We hope to raise awareness of the need for firms and investment management professionals to protect the interests of investors above all else. We want our members to support and participate in the effort using the #CFAdifference hashtag and to share the Statement of Investor Rights with their clients, colleagues and firms. The end goal for us is to build a stronger, more trustworthy investment management profession.” 

A central focus of ‘Putting Investors First Month’ is the Statement of Investor Rights, which investment management professionals are encouraged to share with their clients and communities. The list applies to financial products and services such as investment management, research and advice, personal banking, even insurance and real estate, and is intended to help investors demand that financial professionals abide by these rights. The document includes rights that investors are entitled to expect such as objective advice, disclosure of conflicts of interest, and fair and reasonable fees.

“Investors are expecting higher levels of transparency than ever before, holding their investment managers to the highest ethical standards, and are laser-focused on returns,” said Jafferjee.  “According to a recent report from CFA Institute, ‘From Trust to Loyalty: A Global Survey of What Investors Want,’ we see that despite an uptick on trust in financial services, investor loyalty remains fragile showing the need to put investors first is greater than ever.” 

For more information about ‘Putting Investors First Month,’ the Statement of Investor Rights, and From Trust to Loyalty: What Investors Want, visit www.cfainstitute.org.  

CFA Society Sri Lanka is the local member society of CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organisation is a champion for ethical behaviour in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. The end goal: to create an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow

‘Putting Investors First Month’ is a global initiative created to encourage financial professionals to place the interests of investors above their own, and build awareness of the fiduciary duty to protect investor interests. The event is presented by CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. 

‘Putting Investors First Month’ features a series of events and outreach throughout the month of May, hosted by hundreds of CFA Institute members and many of the organization’s 147 member societies worldwide. ‘Putting Investors First Month’ is part of the Future of Finance project, a long-term global effort to shape a trustworthy, forward-thinking financial industry that better serves society.