NEI Announces New Global Equity Fund and Modified Exclusionary Screening Program

TORONTO, June 27, 2024 /CNW/ - NEI Investments ("NEI") has announced its updated prospectus changes that includes an expansion of its fund offering with the launch of a new global equity fund, the NEI Global Corporate Leaders Fund, and modifications to its exclusionary screening program.

New NEI Global Corporate Leaders Fund

The new NEI Global Corporate Leaders Fund (the "Fund") seeks to achieve long-term capital growth by investing primarily in equity and equity-related securities of companies that provide products and services benefitting society, including housing, education and health.

The Fund includes businesses that demonstrate a strong corporate culture that have often been correlated with stock price outperformance, including low employee turnover, gender-diverse leadership and inclusive business practices. The Fund's investment process selects companies that are positioned to deliver long-term investment growth.

This Fund is sub-advised by Impax Asset Management, a globally renowned investment manager dedicated to investing in the transition to a more sustainable economy.

"The new Global Corporate Leaders Fund is amongst the first of its kind in Canada," said John Bai, SVP and Chief Investment Officer. "We are proud to be collaborating with Impax's global expertise as we believe this fund combines proprietary corporate culture metrics and long-term social trends, two areas that the market has underestimated as investment opportunities." 

Modification of exclusionary screens

Effective June 28^th, 2024, NEI will remove the following exclusions from its screening program: gambling, fossil fuels, and nuclear power.

NEI is also clarifying in its prospectus that in addition to excluding companies with sustained revenues over ten per cent generated from the distribution of automatic or semi-automatic weapons intended for civilian use, it also excludes companies with sustained revenues over ten per cent generated from the manufacture of military weapon systems and/or tailor-made components for those systems. This is not a new exclusion.

The removal of the exclusionary screens does not mean companies in those industries will necessarily enter the affected funds. Companies that would have been excluded due to the screens will now go through our long-standing evaluation process in order to be permitted to enter the relevant fund. If a company in one of these industries does not meet our standards, it will be deemed ineligible for investment. All other exclusions remain the same.

For more information, please consult the 2024 NEI Simplified Prospectus.

About NEI

Part of the asset management arm of Aviso, one of Canada's leading wealth services suppliers, NEI Investments holds over $11 billion in asset under management. NEI adopts a differentiated approach to achieving investment returns for Canadians, leveraging a unique structure that includes a global network of money managers, proprietary investment management and asset allocation and a dedicated responsible investing team. This structure is designed to optimally respond to the dynamics of our changing world, uncover unique investment opportunities, and deliver a broad array of investment outcomes with financial growth at the core.

About Aviso

Aviso is a leading wealth services provider for the Canadian financial industry, with approximately $130 billion in total assets under administration and management. We're building a technology-enabled, client-centric wealth management ecosystem. Our clients include our partners, advisors and investors. We're a trusted partner for nearly all credit unions across Canada, in addition to a wide range of portfolio managers, investment dealers, insurance and trust companies, and introducing brokers. Our partners depend on Aviso for specific solutions that give them a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving, highly competitive industry. Our dual-registered investment and mutual fund dealer and our insurance services support thousands of investment advisors. Our asset manager oversees a growing lineup of investment solutions, including NEI funds and portfolios, and separately managed accounts with our Managed Assets Program. Our online brokerage, Qtrade Direct Investing®, empowers self-directed investors, and our fully automated investing service, Qtrade Guided Portfolios®, serves investors who prefer a hands-off approach. Aviso Correspondent Partners provides custodial and carrying broker services to a wide range of firms. Aviso is backed by the collective strength of our owners: the credit union Centrals, Co-operators/CUMIS, and Desjardins. We're proud to power businesses that empower investors. For more information visit aviso.ca.?

Aviso Wealth Inc. ('Aviso') is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aviso Wealth LP, which in turn is owned 50% by Desjardins Financial Holding Inc. and 50% by a limited partnership owned by the five Provincial Credit Union Centrals and The CUMIS Group Limited. The following entities are subsidiaries of Aviso: Aviso Financial Inc. (including divisions Aviso Wealth, Qtrade Direct Investing, Qtrade Guided Portfolios, Aviso Correspondent Partners), Aviso Insurance Inc., Credential Insurance Services Inc. and Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Aviso Correspondent Partners is a division of Aviso Financial Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aviso Wealth Inc. Online brokerage services are offered through Qtrade Direct Investing. Mutual funds and other securities are offered through Aviso Wealth. Qtrade Direct Investing, Qtrade Guided Portfolios and Aviso Wealth are divisions of Aviso Financial Inc. Aviso and Aviso Wealth are registered trademarks of Aviso Wealth Inc. NEI Investments is a registered trademark of Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Qtrade Direct Investing and Qtrade Guided Portfolios are trade names and registered trademarks of Aviso and its subsidiaries.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated

NEI Investments is a registered trademark of Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. ("NEI LP"). Northwest & Ethical Investments Inc. is the general partner of NEI LP and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aviso Wealth Inc. ("Aviso"). Aviso is the sole limited partner of NEI LP. Aviso is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aviso Wealth LP, which in turn is owned 50% by Desjardins Financial Holding Inc. and 50% by a limited partnership owned by the five Provincial Credit Union Centrals and The CUMIS Group Limited.

SOURCE NEI Investments