Vanguard Investor Program Grows With Little Impact on Voting
In a pilot program involving about 40,000 individual investors in Vanguard Group s index-tracking funds, roughly 25% chose to vote their shares in line with recommendations from proxy adviser Glass, Lewis & Co. on ESG-related issues. The majority, however, followed the companies or Vanguard s stewardship team s recommendations. Despite the program s intention to give clients a voice in the voting process, it had little impact on changing the overall vote count on ESG matters during a period of Republican-led pushback against investment strategies. John Galloway, Vanguard s global head of investment stewardship, expressed that the program succeeded in empowering investors to align their investment portfolios with their personal preferences. The firm plans to expand the program to more US equity index funds. The pilot program offered four voting options to investors: following the companies recommendations, supporting Vanguard s stewardship team, abstaining from voting, or aligning with Glass Lewis s stance on ESG shareholder resolutions. Of the 40,000 investors, 30% followed the companies recommendations, 43% went with Vanguard s team, 2% decided not to vote, and 24% aligned with Glass Lewis. Rob Du Boff, a senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, praised Vanguard for giving its clients options and not forcing them to follow the firm s voting policy. However, he noted that the program had little impact on changing the overall vote tally. Similarly, BlackRock Inc. and State Street Global Advisors also allow investors in index funds to direct proxy voting. However, the approval of environmental and social proposals declined at BlackRock, with the firm voting for only 4% of the proposals in the 12 months ended June 30, down from 7% a year earlier. The drop in support at BlackRock represents a gap between what many leading asset owners think and how big managers are voting on resolutions. According to Heidi Welsh, executive director of Sustainable Investments Institute, climate change management and dem
Source: wealthmanagement.comPublished on 2024-09-17
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