Amy Pender

From re-visioning our public education system to directing our money toward making a better world, my mission is fostering social justice.

My passion for SRI has grown out of a long-held commitment to advancing social justice. I’m probably the only Certified Financial Planner® you’ll meet who got their start as an opera singer; yet my love of music and the voice wasn’t enough to satisfy a deeper longing to make a difference in the world. Turning toward mission-driven service, I left the stage and took to the classroom, teaching in the public schools for several years and then working in the non-profit sector.

This experience led to nearly a decade as Director of Arts in Education at the New York State Council on the Arts, where I spearheaded a project to bring the state’s non-profit cultural organizations into our schools, using the arts as a tool for improving public education. During this time, I saw that many worthy initiatives are undermined by the lack of a solid financial plan, and this spurred me to set out on a new mission to help people make better financial decisions.

Since then, I’ve been circling, step by step, ever closer to the heart of the financial planning world.

In 2010 I became a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch, where my interest in socially responsible investing began. Here was something I could really believe in! In 2013 I fully embraced SRI and joined the First Affirmative Financial Network as an Investment Advisor Representative, and in 2015 I cofounded SRI Investing LLC, serving as Chief Compliance Officer. Having united my financial skill-set with the deeper goal of doing good work in the world, and fueled by a desire to offer my clients an even broader array of innovative investment opportunities, I joined the Natural Investments team in early 2017. This collaborative group of independent advisors feels like the home I was always looking for, a place where the heart is fully engaged as we expand the leading edges of SRI while being rooted in decades of solid experience.

I’m still committed to tackling issues of social justice — which is why I remain deeply involved with arts organizations that share this purpose.

I’m pleased to serve as Chair of the Board for The Vanaver Caravan, an internationally acclaimed world-folk dance troupe that is literally working on world peace by allowing communities to celebrate their own traditions while learning about and honoring the traditions of others. They use the arts to break down the cultural barriers that so often divide us, and they are really good at it. And I love singing in the Kairos Consort, which is artist-in-residence at the Holy Cross Monastery here in the Hudson Valley; proceeds of our concerts help feed hungry families in our community.

I look forward to working with you to bring your personal and social justice goals to life within your investment plan.

We’ll begin by getting on the same page about how your money can support your short and long-term goals, as well as your values. Then we’ll explore the many ways that Natural Investments can help get you there.