Lincoln Financial Group

Pennsylvania
Insurance

Risk Level:

Rating - Caution
Medium Risk

Summary:

Lincoln Financial Group has not publicly terminated business relationships due to views or beliefs. It does vet vendors for LGBTQ policies, discriminate against religious charities, and fails to provide viewpoint protections to its employees. Moreover, it funds the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Lincoln Financial utilizes ESG investing strategies, even as it acknowledges that ESG can underperform and miss opportunities to maximize financial returns. Lincoln Financial has not advocated for partisan ideological policies hostile to freedom of expression or taken political stances. For these reasons, Lincoln Financial Group receives a "Medium Risk" rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Lincoln National (including Lincoln Financial Group) received a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index from the HRC (1). Among other requirements, this means Lincoln Financial has pledged to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies. However, the company has not publicly terminated business relationships due to viewpoint disagreements.

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

The Lincoln Financial Foundation focuses on human services, education, and financial wellness. The Foundation “in general does not fund religious organizations” (1). The company’s employee donation matching program does not match donations to religious organizations, among other eligibility requirements (2).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Lincoln Financial does not protect its employees against viewpoint discrimination (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Lincoln Financial has not used its corporate reputation to advance ideological causes and organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Lincoln Financial is a Bronze Partner of the HRC (1). Lincoln Financial also utilizes ESG investing strategies with clients’ money (2). In its prospectus disclaimers, the company acknowledges that ESG investing “generally prohibits investment in certain types of companies, industries, and segments of the U.S. economy.” Thus this strategy “may (i) miss opportunities to invest in companies, industries, or segments of the U.S. economy that are providing superior performance relative to the market as a whole and (ii) become invested in companies, industries, or segments of the U.S. economy that are providing inferior performance relative to the market as a whole” (3)(4). 

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Lincoln Financial has not used PAC donations for ideological, non-business purposes hostile to freedom of expression (1).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 23, 2023

Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer

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