Jeremy Blatch asks how we value people and how this relates to Charity.

How do we really value people? Many of us make wrong choices, and right choices in our lives, in the constant learning process of the ‘university of life’ and we are effected by those choices. But what of the people living on the margins of society who may not ever have had the luxury to be able to make a choice? Being born into abject poverty or with HIV aids or into a culture of drug abuse and prostitution as a way of life. What about these people? How do we value these people? Do they not deserve some opportunity to make some choices? What value do we put on these lives?

In our materialistic developed world, finding time for the family, self reflection and genuine rest and refreshment seems to be difficult.

Maintaining the equilibrium, between work, business, family and self is the challenge for most of us. Perhaps, in the way that we value others, in some way will determine how we apportion and evaluate our time and priorities. Some may argue that the cheap labour of the developing world, which allows business to grow globally, is allowing many in the developing world to at least survive albeit on a subsistence level. However that 80% of the world’s natural resources is held by 20% of the world’s population cannot surely in the long term be sustainable!

“If you never do more than you are paid for you will never get paid for more than you do”

Many would say that Charity begins at home. An aging parent a needy child or a lonely neighbour? And if we can value those people around us that we rely on and look to for help and assistance, how much more can we value those who are seriously disadvantaged through no fault of their own.

The Investors Forum www.investors-forum.com an association of professional firms based in Gibraltar, giving advice to the wealthy whilst distributing part of their fees to charity, has invited a team of experienced professionals to design a concept of an Investment Fund the “Solidarity Investment Fund” – hopefully to be launched in Gibraltar, along the same principles.

“The Solidarity Investment Fund”, is designed to offer the investor the opportunity to place capital under expert investment management and administration, whilst effortlessly directly making a difference to the seriously disadvantaged. The Solidarity Fund will be an umbrella of three sub funds, giving the investor three very different investment profiles to choose from.

The Investment Managers have ‘broken the mold’ of most money managers and will give up 50% of their fees to assist this charitable concept, whilst ensuring that the same professional standards apply to management of the investors capital. The Board of Directors and the other professional members of the Fund have also contributed in line with the charitable ethos of
the fund.

The Investment Managers are Credit Suisse Gibraltar and SG Hambros. Gibraltar, both leading investment specialists in their fields. The fund will offer investors a choice of three funds to invest in; a cash money fund; a fund where capital is guaranteed and a fund, which will invest to obtain optimum returns in the worlds financial markets.

The Money Fund and Open Fund will be actively managed by Credit Suisse who are leading investment specialists in this field and the guaranteed fund will be structured by SG Hambros Gibraltar who are market leaders in structured guaranteed investments.

The Directors of the fund, whose role is to represent the investors, are drawn from legal, fiscal, investment and banking professions and bring collectively over 100 years of professional experience together to direct the fund. Transparency and integrity have been a priority from the beginning and to this end Hassans International Law firm are advising the fund whilst the Fund Admistration is provided by The Quest Group based in Gibraltar. To complete the team of qualified experienced professionals running the fund a leading firm of accountants will be appointed to audit the funds accounts.

The overall objective of the fund is to deliver to the investor ‘what it says on the tin’ and from the growth of capital allow a distribution to be made to charity, thereby allowing the investor to effortlessly directly assist those in need as well as receiving a return on their investment.

A small part of the gain that an investor makes, 10 basis points for every percentage point of gain, will be distributed to International Charity.

This distribution is only made from the gain and not from the capital. Given that we need to place our capital somewhere to work for us, this concept allows the investor to do just that, with world recognised banks and investment professionals, whilst having the opportunity to at the same time make a direct difference to the seriously disadvantaged. Firms and entrepreneurs who need to ‘park’ their capital for short periods may find the money / cash fund of interest.

This Solidarity Investment Fund, when launched will allow an investor to grow his or her capital under expert management whilst going the extra mile and giving something back to those who desperately need it. Charity is about people, our most precious resource. It may begin at home but doesn’t end there.