Fidelity and Vanguard customers: You can vote now on genocide-free investing

An important message from Investors Against Genocide:

Reflect on the Holocaust. The killing fields of Cambodia. The massive slaughter in Rwanda. After each of these horrifying genocides, world leaders and private citizens joined in a collective promise – “Never again.” Now, this summer, customers at two of America’s largest mutual fund companies have the unique opportunity to help keep that promise.

For the second year in a row, Fidelity customers have an opportunity to vote on a question concerning genocide. Fidelity has begun distributing proxy ballots that include our genocide-free investing shareholder proposal for thirteen Fidelity funds. A vote FOR Question 3 on the Fidelity ballot indicates that shareholders do not want their savings invested in companies that substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity.

Similarly, for Vanguard shareholders of 30 of its funds, a vote FOR Question 3 indicates they do not want Vanguard to invest their family savings in companies that substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity.

HELP US “GET OUT THE VOTE”

Whether or not you are a customer, we need your help to get out the vote. Please use other means such as social networking sites, blogs, group meetings, and bulletin boards to spread the word. We need to reach as many voters as possible since many people ignore proxy ballots assuming they contain no issues of interest.

See www.GenocideFreeFidelity.net and www.GenocideFreeVanguard.net for more information.

VOTE YOUR SHARES

Please vote your conscience on this important issue. Look for Question 3 on the ballot page.

Fidelity opposes Question 3. The key section of their statement of opposition says, "If adopted, this proposal would limit investments by the Fund that would be lawful under the laws of the United States. For this reason, the Board of Trustees recommends that you vote AGAINST this proposal." We know that in the face of genocide, ordinary Americans expect more from their investment managers. In a 2007 study, 71% of respondents said companies should take extreme cases of human rights abuses, such as genocide, into account rather than base investment decisions solely on economic criteria. Last year, despite Fidelity’s active opposition, our proposal earned as much as 31% of the votes, an unusually strong result for an issue of social concern. Read more at www.GenocideFreeFidelity.net.

The Fidelity voting will remain open up until the shareholders meeting on July 15. All shareholders can change their vote to be FOR Question 3 right up until the meeting. If you have questions about the proposal or about voting, please feel free to contact us at info@investorsagainstgenocide.org.

Vanguard opposes Question 3 and claims that the shareholder proposal, if adopted, would simply result in a “duplicate” of Vanguard’s existing procedure. We strongly disagree. The shareholder proposal requests that the Vanguard board “institute procedures to prevent holding investments in companies that, in the judgment of the board, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity.” In contrast, the practices and procedures outlined in Vanguard’s statement of opposition consist of a “formal procedure for regular reporting to the trustees on portfolio companies whose direct involvement in crimes against humanity or patterns of egregious abuses of human rights would warrant engagement or potential divestment.” Read more at www.GenocideFreeVanguard.net.

The Vanguard voting will remain open up until the shareholders meeting on July 2. All Vanguard shareholders can change their vote to be FOR Question 3 right up until the meeting.

Thanks so much all you’ve done and continue to do for the cause of genocide-free investing.

The Investors Against Genocide Team

PS – If you haven't already joined us, please volunteer to submit a shareholder proposal for any mutual fund you have held for over a year and in which you have at least $2,000 invested. We’ve made the process very easy and completely confidential. Becoming a volunteer costs nothing, extends the reach of the campaign, and helps to force a vote and increased public attention on the problem of financial firms investing in genocide.


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