Dive Into a Values-based Financial Advisor: Jina Penn-Tracy of Centered Wealth

This is the second of a series of financial blog posts by?Megan E. Morrice, Head of Operations at ValuesAdvisor, on the community that works to support values-driven investors. See the first post?here.

ValuesAdvisor is driven to support values-driven investors and make it easy for people to change the way they invest. As an online platform that enables investors to search a database of values-aligned financial advisors, we partner with organizations that do similar work to help align investments with impact, like? RSF | Regenerative Social Finance . Of course, our financial advisors are our most important partners.

Jina Penn-Tracy , Senior Wealth Manager & Co-Founder of? Centered Wealth GBC , is a financial advisor listed on the ValuesAdvisor ?platform. She is passionate about leaving the world a better place. In addition to working with ValuesAdvisor, Jina also values the work?RSF Social Finance, and some of her clients have used their services, including their Donor-Advised Fund.

Jina shifted careers in 2004 because she wanted to become the kind of financial advisor she wished she could find. When she started her firm with her partner, Stuart Valentine, they thought deeply about what they want their clients to feel; “Centered” - rather than exclusively focusing on the topics traditional advisors focus on: taxes, estate planning, what you are saving, and what to invest in. Centered Wealth embraces an approach to building wealth that includes the well-being of the body, heart, mind, spirit, community, and world, in addition to finances.

Last year, Jina took RSF Social Finance’s?KindQ?quiz, a science-based, free measurement tool that generates a profile to help individuals better understand their values. In her profile, the type she was designated as was: “Analytical”.

Analytics have always appealed to Jina. She got a degree in Sustainability and Innovation in Business at the University of Minnesota and has been fascinated by studies showing that sustainable companies have better outcomes than traditionally managed ones (1). She formally studied the statistical increase in financial return for a company that starts a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program and how their profit margins go up, and the corresponding decrease in their cost of borrowing, and increase in innovation and employee satisfaction (2).

When working with clients, Jina does find that sometimes her women clients feel the need to spend a lot of time on analytics and research. Women typically won’t act until they consider themselves experts, but men are trained to “get on the field” and learn the research while doing it for the first time. For this reason, she is very passionate about getting more women into finance.

• “Community-Oriented”: is one trait of an Analytical, and Jina is energized when she is sharing her time and passion with a community of like-minded individuals. That's part of the reason she likes working with RSF Social Finance, since they work with the energy of money. Her partner Stuart comes from a transcendental meditation background, and she comes from a Jewish mysticism background. Both believe that the actions you take in the world affect your energetic direction spiritually. In Jewish mysticism, acts of loving kindness are what heal the brokenness of the world. Each action taken gathers its own energy in order to change people’s hearts and minds and ultimately the world.
• “Big Impact”: Jina is dedicated to systems change and is committed to positively making a difference in the lives of not just her clients, but larger society. She initially wanted to be a therapist but realized that money is a powerful leverage point. Since many are taught to not talk about money, she tries to encourage people to talk about it with her. She encourages her clients to stop her when she is talking about something they don’t understand and ask her to explain the concepts in a different way. Jina wants her clients to be empowered at the end of the day and not just do what she says. To have a “Big Impact”, her analytical side knows that she must reach more people in the world to energetically engage with their money.
• “Knowledge First”: One of the top Analytical traits is to be “Knowledge First”, and to take a strategic, methodical approach to solving societal problems. Jina likes to combine the pragmatism of giving her clients very tangible actions they can take with their money, and while still focusing on the larger community to try to shift the mindset and create broader change.

Recently, Jina took the RSF KindQ Profile again, and this time her results were “Thoughtful.” She thinks this profile also is a good description of her, as she enjoys focusing on helping families and individuals grow their wealth in a?thoughtful?way. Investing your money is a practice that should be driven by thoughtful impact and social responsibility.

Having a financial advisor who cares about similar things to you is important because it helps ensure that your investment portfolio and financial plan align with your personal values and goals. If you value investing with social and environmental impact, it's important to work with a financial advisor who shares this value and can help you build a portfolio that reflects it. If you don't, you may end up with investments that conflict with your ethics and leave you feeling uncomfortable. If your current advisor doesn't understand or support your goals, you may not receive the guidance and support you need for a successful investment strategy.

Working with a financial advisor who cares about similar things to you can help ensure that your investments and financial plan align with your values and goals and that you feel confident and comfortable with your financial decisions. If you’re curious to learn more about Jina’s firm, her values-aligned investment services, and her team’s philosophy and communications, send us a message or email?[email protected]?for a copy of her ValuesAdvisor profile.

1. Calvert Research and Management.?How Accounting for Impact Can Deliver the Real Value of ESG?(2022)
2. https://www.sia-partners.com/en/insights/publications/how-csr-improves-employee-well-being-and-bottom-line?(2022)

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Centered Wealth is not a registered broker-dealer nor a registered investment advisor. Centered Wealth and Vanderbilt Financial Group are separate and unaffiliated entities.*Jina Penn-Tracy?is a registered financial advisor under?Vanderbilt Advisory Services. Vanderbilt Financial Group is the marketing name for Vanderbilt Securities, LLC and its affiliates. Securities offered through Vanderbilt Securities, LLC. Member FINRA, SIPC. Registered with MSRB.

Clearing agent: Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions. Advisory Services offered through Vanderbilt Advisory Services & Consolidated Portfolio Review. Clearing agents: Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions, Charles Schwab & TD Ameritrade. Insurance Services offered through Vanderbilt Insurance and other agencies.

Supervising Office: 55 Main Street, Suite 415 Newmarket, NH 03857 603-659-7626

For additional information on services, disclosures, fees, and conflicts of interest, please visit?www.vanderbiltfg.com/disclosures