In this edition of our “Member Spotlight” blog series, we interviewed Nikki Turosky, founder of Greenwell Financial. 

In addition to being a registered advisory firm that offers advising and investment management services, Greenwell Financial was one of the first benefit corporations to be established in Connecticut.

The firm’s mission is to make financial planning and socially responsible investing easy and affordable for everyone, while also doing its part to “pay it forward” by advocating for social investing and financial literacy.

What inspired you to start Greenwell Financial?

“I was working for a traditional investment advisory firm for about a decade, and one day I realized that my bag of groceries said more about my values than my portfolio did. Since I manage portfolios for a living, I decided that I needed to start a firm for socially responsible investing.”

Why did you choose to become a member with reSET?

“When I went to visit reSET, I was blown away by what you guys have going on. I thought that the programs and resources that you have for companies like mine are great.”

How do you see Greenwell Financial positively impacting the community?

“I really want people in Connecticut to be aware of the power they have to effect change through their investments, and I want Greenwell Financial to be the firm that helps people realize that. There are many different vehicles that are available for investors to effect change, and the movement for socially responsible investing has grown substantially over the last twenty years. Whether it’s by buying funds that you believe in or by selling off funds you don’t believe in, there are many ways to go about creating a socially responsible portfolio.”

What do you want your company to look like five years from now?

“In five years I hope to have several offices around the state. I hope to be the number one firm in Connecticut, and I hope to continue to teach financial literacy around the state. That part of my mission means that I’ll be encouraging girls and young women to participate in the financial planning industry.”

Why did you start your company in Connecticut? What do you hope to give to and to gain from the community here?

“I have a young family of my own and being close to my family here is important. Starting a benefit corporation in Connecticut has been very flawless; everyone I’ve interacted with has been extremely helpful and the process went so fast. I’m looking to do my business with folks that care about the environment, care about their communities, and want to see the world be a little bit better. People in Connecticut care about those things, but not many other financial firms here are specializing in socially responsible investment. One of the reasons I chose to become a benefit corporation here is that I think it’s so important for the financial planning industry to have as much transparency as possible, and being a benefit corporation forces my company to be transparent. We have to produce an annual report and make it available to the public, and there are steps laid out with a formula that we have to follow. It’s much harder to do that without being registered as a benefit corporation.”

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received about being an entrepreneur?

“I read an article recently with a quote from Elon Musk’s ex-wife about being successful where she says: “Shift your focus away from what you want and get deeply, intensely curious about what the world wants and needs.”

For more information on her work, contact Nikki Turosky (nikki@greenwellfinancial.com).