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Proxy Voting Choice Empowers Investors

The State Street Investment Management proxy voting choice program empowers clients, including those with eligible segregated accounts and who own eligible ETFs and mutual funds, to direct the proxy voting of shares held in the eligible funds and segregated accounts they own.

State Street Investment Management is now offering a proxy voting choice program pilot for a selected number of sub-funds in the SSGA Luxembourg SICAV fund. Learn more.

Why Voting Choice The Power to Choose

We believe all investors deservethe opportunity to build investmentportfolios matched to their goalsand preferences.

That’s why we’ve given clients the power to choose — to select the voting policy that directs the proxy votes of shares held in the eligible funds and segregated accounts they own.

Investors want to express their voting preferences with respect to their investments. Clients in segregated mandates already had the ability to do so. Now, technology makes it possible for investors in pooled/commingled funds to direct how shares are voted and clients in eligible segregated mandates to select form a range of proxy voting policies offered through the State Street Global Advisors proxy voting choice program. We’re excited about what that means for the future.

"As the pioneering force behind many of the world’s first ETFs, we are proud to present yet another innovation that amplifies our ongoing mission to democratize investing. By empowering individuals with greater choice to direct how their shares are voted, we are placing a powerful tool directly in their hands."

— Yie-Hsin Hung, President and CEO, State Street Global Advisors

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About the program Proxy voting choice program at a glance

Our proxy voting choice program covers over 81% of the eligible index equity assets1 we manage, including all US institutional index equity funds and a broad range of US index equity SPDR® ETFs and mutual funds.

Voting policy options

Eligible clients can exercise choice in one of two ways:

1
Clients who opt in can choose the voting policy that best aligns to their views.

This option gives clients the ability to direct the votes of  shares held by their eligible segregated accounts and the eligible funds in which they are invested, by selecting a third party proxy voting policy offered as part of the program.

2
Clients can continue to rely on State Street Global Advisors to vote their shares, or continue to directly vote proxies if they have not delegated proxy voting to State Street Global Advisors.

Clients who do not opt into the State Street Global Advisors proxy voting choice program will continue to have State Street Global Advisors’ Asset Stewardship team vote the shares held by the funds or segregated accounts in which they are invested in accordance with State Street Global Advisors’ proxy voting policy or, for clients in eligible segregated accounts that have not delegated proxy voting to State Street Global Advisors, continue to directly vote proxies.

Asset Stewardship A Commitment to Maximizing Long-Term Value

By choosing not to opt into the State Street Global Advisors proxy voting choice program, investors in eligible funds and eligible segregated accounts that have delegated proxy voting to State Street Global Advisors can continue to have State Street Global Advisors’ Asset Stewardship team vote the shares held by the funds in which they are invested or held by their eligible segregated accounts in accordance with State Street Global Advisors’ proxy voting policy.

Committed to maximizing long-term shareholder value, the Asset Stewardship team takes proxy voting and the stewardship of assets seriously.

Questions? For more information? Professional investors can contact their State Street representative. Individual investors can contact their investment advisor, broker, or custodian.

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