1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 Advisers often say clients “aren’t interested” in sustainable investing but what if that’s really a confidence gap ? Max Tennant argues that adding an ESG overlay can be simpler than you think, and that the biggest shift isn’t performance… it’s the quality of the client conversation. Sustainable investing has been around long enough that it shouldn’t still feel controversial yet many financial planners still hesitate, often with the familiar refrain: “My clients aren’t interested.” In this episode of The GoodStock Tapes, we’re joined by Max Tennant, Partner of Advisory Services at GSI and Chairman of IFA Max, to unpack what’s really going on beneath that statement and what the profession can do about it. With more than 30 years in advice, Max has watched the industry adopt new ideas in waves: from passive investing, to factor investing, to what he sees as the next obvious step, an ESG overlay as a baseline part of modern portfolio construction. The provocative point he returns to again and again is simple: if the evidence doesn’t show a meaningful performance penalty, why wouldn’t you do it? Max shares how a single open question, “What do you want for society and the world at large?”,&amp;nbsp;reshaped his client process from 2005 onwards. He’s candid about early mistakes (including asking clients whether they wanted their investments to change, and getting predictable “no” responses), and explains the turning point: making sustainable risk integration the default, not the optional extra. The conversation also tackles a persistent confusion in the market: ESG integration vs impact investing. When these get bundled together, expectations become distorted and advisers become more hesitant than they need to be. If you’re an adviser who wants to serve clients more fully, build trust faster, and bring responsible use of capital into everyday planning this episode will give you a practical, optimistic route in. If this conversation resonates, follow the show and share it with one adviser who still thinks ESG has to be complicated. About Max Max Tennant is Partner of Advisory Services at GSI and Chairman of IFA Max, with over 30 years’ experience in financial advice. A regular conference speaker across the UK, Europe, and Southeast Asia, Max is known for making complex ideas practical — from practice management and delegation, to responsible investing and systemic portfolio design. Max began integrating sustainability into client conversations in 2005 after reshaping his consultative process around deeper, values-led questions, including the deceptively simple: “What do you want for society and the world at large?” Since then, he has applied passive and factor-based investment approaches alongside an ESG risk overlay, focusing on the idea that better-managed companies can lead to better long-term outcomes. His perspective is grounded in evidence, client experience, and a belief that financial planning can be both technically robust and socially constructive, without compromising on investment discipline. &amp;nbsp; The GoodStock Tapes Podcast https://sites.libsyn.com/611325 <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/40390495/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/199465255