What is a Chartered SRI Counselor?
Your ideals can affect various parts of your life, from your everyday household purchases to your investments. Understanding what a Chartered SRI Counselor is and the power of this accreditation is a step to help you find a financial advice professional that can help turn your investments into a positive impact. By using a Chartered SRI Counselor, you can make investment choices that grow your savings that also correspond with the positive, sustainable change you want to see in the world.
Investment Counselor

An investment counselor’s job is to recommend the best investments, savings plans, insurance, or retirement planning for their client while considering potential profit and risks. These investments can be in stock, bonds, real estate, and other potential assets and the counselor can work in either public or private fields. Usually, an investment counselor would work with a client to build various investment plans and incorporate investment strategies for contingency and profit.
Investment counselors need to have significant knowledge of current trends, often requiring lots of research. Many investment counselors are specialized to be especially informed in certain industries and practices so their advice can be more precise. In addition to having industry knowledge, investment counselors also have to be able to take into account their clients’ current assets – such as loans, insurance, savings, and more – to recommend the best course of action.
As a client, you can always choose to find a more specialized investment counselor, one that has more background knowledge of the company and field you are investing in, as well as what impacts the company, and therefore your investment will have. When investing, it is important you are supported by financial professionals with your interests and values at heart.
Chartered SRI Counselor

A Chartered SRI Counselor is an accredited designation developed by the U.S. Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment to create a valuable and trusted credential for investments in sustainability and positive impact. The intention of a Chartered SRI Counselor (CSRIC) is to help clients align their investments with their values and their goals for positive social impact. This designation is recognized all across the industry and is the first of its kind. It’s especially recommended for mid-career investment counselors looking to build a specialization in socially responsible investing.
To understand what a Chartered SRI Counselor is, we have to focus on what is at the core of this investment strategy and mindset, the SRI. SRI often stands for sustainable, responsible, and impact investment strategies. Including SRI as a criterion for investment means looking at the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts of a client’s investment.
ESG looks at the potential outcomes in different areas of impact of the investment: environmental considerations would include impacts on climate change, how much pollution the investment would produce, and how much energy the company or investment will use; social considerations would include how the investment would support human rights or a commitment to worker’s rights, and an evaluation of the company’s policies and practices on labor; governance considerations would include evaluation of how a company treats their workers of different ethnicities and if the company conducts its businesses and practices ethically. With the ESG framework as the pillar guiding investment, the goal of a Chartered SRI Counselor is to provide a holistic assessment of the community benefits and risks of an investment.
A Chartered SRI Counselor will have the foundational knowledge and background in history, modern trends, portfolio construction, and the best principles and practices for SRI investment while screening for the impact of an investment. This broad background will help Chartered SRI Counselors guide investors to socially responsible and sustainable investments.
SRI Education

Becoming a Chartered SRI Counselor requires special SRI education, namely completing the CSRIC graduate-level course in the Kaplan company’s College for Financial Planning to earn the CSRIC certification. Education includes learning about the history and trends of various investment impacts, as well as portfolio construction, fiduciary responsibilities, and the best practices for sustainable investments.
Classes are offered online in two formats. Live Online Classes have a structured schedule and are instructor-led. Classes take place in real-time, giving this format its own sets of advantages, such as active class discussions, more direct interactions with the instructor, and activities that help counselors efficiently apply their new skills to their client base. However, due to the time-sensitive format, live classes start at certain times of the year. Counselors looking to gain a CSRIC accreditation despite having a busier or less flexible schedule can take the On-Demand online classes, which are self-paced. Recorded lectures and online modules will be provided.
Regardless of the SRI education format, the learning includes online modules, class quizzes, an electronic textbook, as well as a practice exam. In order to complete the course and earn a CSRIC certification, counselors must score over 70% in the final exam: a three-hour long test consisting of 70 multiple-choice questions. Around 135 hours must be invested in completing course material. Those in the class are expected to complete it within one year of enrollment.
Achieving an SRI education comes with a few key benefits. Earning the CSRIC accreditation often leads to an increase in salary, recognition throughout the industry, a larger client base, and the skill set required to be able to better meet the needs of your clients while making positive social change. To maintain the designation, at least 16 hours of continued education are required every two years. Additionally, Chartered SRI Counselors will have to pay an annual fee of $95 to maintain their status.
Invest in Your Values
At Egéa SRI, we believe that sustainable investing can make a difference. Because consumers directly influence the market, investing in companies that align with our client’s values can create a shift in the market, produce profit, and create positive change. Request a free consultation today and let us know your ESG preference and a Chartered SRI Counselor can help guide you towards sustainable, responsible investing.
Disclosure:
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) / Environmental Social Governance (ESG) investing has certain risks based on the fact that the criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for non-financial reasons and, therefore, investors may forgo some market opportunities and the universe of investments available will be smaller.
This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal or investment advice. If you are seeking investment advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.