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.
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.