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About Us

Effective Assets is committed to helping responsible investors use their capital to reach their financial goals while prioritizing social impact.

Pioneers in Impact


History

Effective Assets was founded with a single mission: to help investors reach their personal financial goals while effecting sustainable and socially responsible change in the world. Today, from our offices in Berkeley, CA and Michigan we serve clients from across the country, carrying on the important work started by our founders more than thirty years ago.

Our Team

Justin Martello

Justin Martello, CFP®

Principal Advisor, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner

“Every investment has an impact. Ultimately, I want to help my clients secure a more prosperous and sustainable future for themselves, their families, people and the planet.” – Justin Martello

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and dedicated environmentalist, Justin Martello has always regarded socially responsible impact investing (SRI) as a way to help clients integrate their personal, social, and environmental values with their financial objectives. In addition to his specialty focus on SRI portfolio management, Justin’s expertise areas include values-based retirement, long-term care, and life planning. 

Justin holds a B.S. in Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources. He served as President and Board Treasurer of the Sustainable Business Alliance, a membership organization for companies committed to greater environmental and socially responsible business practices. In 2009, Justin helped organize a coalition of SRI managers and environmental NGOs with the goal of raising awareness around the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for natural gas. Today, the fossil fuel divestment movement has gained serious momentum, with over 700 institutions in 76 countries pledging to divest from fossil fuel companies.

In addition to advocating for the environmental issues he’s passionate about through the Sierra Club and other volunteer work, Justin is an avid cyclist, regularly participating in the 2-day Waves to Wine ride to raise money for people living with MS. He enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors camping and hiking with his wife and daughter.

Thuan Tran

Client Services

“It’s inspiring to work at a company where co-workers and clients are all concerned for each other’s well-being, the future, and the planet… not just profit.” – Thuan Tran

With 11 years as Office Manager at Effective Assets, and a total of seventeen years’ experience as an investment back office representative and customer service associate, Thuan Tran understands exactly how to keep the complex administrative processes associated with financial services on track and running smoothly.

With early professional experience at a traditional, profit-driven investment firm in San Francisco, Thuan is regularly moved by her work at Effective Assets, where ethical investing in sustainable companies and organizations that support disadvantaged communities, women and children are the norm. Outside of her work at the office, Thuan enjoys going on Bay Area adventures (weather permitting, of course) with her two children.

Lincoln Pain

Remembering our founder: Lincoln Pain

1945-2023

Lincoln founded what would eventually be called Effective Assets in the late ‘80s after working as a television producer prior to that.  As the story goes, he interviewed a woman whom he would eventually marry about socially responsible investing (SRI) for a news story.  Apparently, he was so inspired by the possibility of changing the world through investing that he decided to start a new career.

Many of our clients began working with Lincoln not long after this in the ‘90s, choosing to be a pioneer in SRI just like him.  Lincoln recognized early in his life that people were motivated by a desire to be effective and to make the world better, so success was measured differently than a traditional investment firm.  So, from his funky office in Walnut Square where he was fueled by the original Peet’s Coffee nearby, he, along with our clients, helped make Berkeley the heart of SRI.

Lincoln went on to become very involved with shareholder activism and work with several progressive organizations including Amnesty International and MoveOn.org, eventually being awarded the SRI Service Award in 2016.  Much more than this though, Lincoln valued people and was uniquely able to support and connect with each person he interacted with in the way that person needed. With his kind heart, warm spirit, and infectious sense of humor, he was a great friend and mentor to many. Through this, he inspired others to be better, and that will be Lincoln’s greatest legacy.

Contact Us

To make an appointment for a consultation, or for more information on our services, please contact us via phone or email. We’d love to hear from you.

Effective Assets, Inc. (“Effective Assets”) is a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. The presence of this website on the Internet shall not be directly or indirectly interpreted as a solicitation of investment advisory services to persons of another jurisdiction unless otherwise permitted by statute. Follow-up or individualized responses to consumers in a particular state by Effective Assets in the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation shall not be made without our first complying with jurisdiction requirements or pursuant an applicable state exemption.

All written content on this site is for information purposes only. Opinions expressed herein are solely those of Effective Assets, unless otherwise specifically cited.  Material presented is believed to be from reliable sources and no representations are made by our firm as to another parties’ informational accuracy or completeness.  All information or ideas provided should be discussed in detail with an advisor, accountant or legal counsel prior to implementation.

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