Rise of Islamic Finance Helps Muslim Family Offices Make Investments True To Faith

The Hajdari Group was recently mentioned in MarketCurrents article about Islamic finance. Hajdari Group President Zaim Hajdari was also quoted in the article.

Here is an excerpt:

However, the industry has yet to catch on in the United States, home to over 3.4 million Muslims. Muslim industry veterans such as The Hajdari Group’s Zaim Hajdari want to change that. The Hajdari group recently launched “InvestHalal” – a financial planning platform that screens financial assets to ensure shariah-compliance.

“Being a Muslim myself and having served many Muslim investors over my 25 years as an advisor, there has always been a high level of frustration with the lack of investment choices and guidance to Muslims in the U.S.,” says Hajdari.

According to his team’s research, a fifth of American Muslims earn more than $1 million, 81% of them are aged between 18 and 49, 65% have a college or post-graduation degree, and 69% pray at least once a day. “We feel that there is a high degree of probability that the same people who choose to live, eat and drink Halal (in compliance with shariah law)…would also choose to invest Halal given the opportunity to do so,” he said.

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Source: MarketCurrents

New York boutique wealth management firm targets Muslims with dedicated Shariah financial services

Despite rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in the US, a New York-based wealth management firm has begun offering Shariah compliant investment services; VINEETA TAN writes that this suggests that market players still see commercial opportunities in the niche Islamic finance industry.

Having served investors in the US over the last decade, boutique investment firm Hajdari Group has decided to cater to faith-conscious Muslim clients by launching a new financial planning platform, InvestHalal, which follows Shariah standards set by the Fiqh Council of North America and AAOIFI.

“Faith-based and socially responsible investing is very appealing for many investors. But access to faith-based investment strategies has generally been unavailable in the US to Islamic investors,” Zaim Hajdari, the president of Hajdari Group and former JPMorgan banker, explained. “We are proud to be a Muslim-owned, New York-based investment firm that has taken the time, effort and scholarship necessary to ensure Shariah compliant investment opportunities for those who wish to pursue them.”

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Source: Islamic Finance News

Hajdari Group President Zaim Hajdari was recently interviewed by WealthManagement.com to discuss the company’s new InvestHalal faith-based investment platform.

Here is an excerpt:

A new faith-based financial planning platform offers practicing Muslims the chance to invest in ways that adhere to their faith.

The Hajdari Group announced its new InvestHalal platform this week, ensuring Shariah-compliant asset management by working with financial planners who avoid heavily indebted companies, as well as companies that derive more than 5 percent of their income from products like alcohol, weapons or tobacco. Zaim Hajdari, the firm’s president, told WealthManagement.com that tools like InvestHalal were a sorely needed benefit for Western Muslim investors.

“While there was no shortage of faith-based investing, or for that matter ESG investing, there’s been a bit of frustration due to the lack of options available specifically as it relates to the Muslim community,” he said. “We work with a variety of Islamic scholars to ensure compliance, but it takes a bit of effort to screen these products to ensure they are meeting the prerequisites set by a lot of these organizations and Islamic scholars.”

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Source: WealthManagement.com

The Hajdari Group Unveils Newly Pioneered Sharia-Compliant Investment Strategies Option: ‘InvestHalal’ Wealth Management for American Muslim Investors

NEW YORK, May 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Hajdari Group (https://thehajdarigroup.com/) recently announced the creation of its newest, faith-based financial planning platform: InvestHalal. Utilizing the latest research in Sharia-compliant asset management, The Hajdari Group now offers completely exclusive asset-investment packages and counseling specifically tailored for Muslim investors.

InvestHalal: What is Sharia-Compliant Investing?

Until now, western discourse related to Sharia matters has focused largely on extremism and interpretation of strict penal codes. But pure Sharia is simply adherence to the Qur’an and the religious teachings of Islam. These codes can and have been applied to financial decisions and institutions, allowing Muslims to explore fiscal freedom without compromising their faith.

Assurance of Sharia-compliance includes working with financial planners who guard against heavily indebted companies, riba investments (interest), gharar transactions (chance, or insurance contracts) as well as any companies declared haram (forbidden). In financial planning, this is generally understood to be avoidance of companies that derive more than 5 percent of their total income from alcohol, weapons, gambling, tobacco, pork or other Sharia-prohibited sales.

Muslim clients, many of whom have avoided investment opportunities due to their own religious concerns, seek peace-of-mind investing. And that is what InvestHalal offers. Utilizing a strict code-of-ethics and series of standards established by prestigious global authorities like the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), and the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) — gold standards for Islamic financial advice — Hajdari Group investment planning ensures scriptural compliance through rigorous screening.

“Faith-based and socially responsible investing is very appealing for many investors. But access to faith-based investment strategies has generally been unavailable in the United States to Islamic investors. The Hajdari Group has finally remedied this oversight. We are proud to be a Muslim-owned, New York-based investment firm that has taken the time, effort and scholarship necessary to ensure Sharia-compliant investment opportunities for those who wish to pursue them,” said President of the Hajdari Group, Zaim Hajdari.

The Hajdari Group Advantage: Leveraged for InvestHalal

  • Specific, defined financial goals by in-depth reviewing of individual positions: Income, assets and liabilities, current portfolio, risk tolerance and investment time horizon are all examined as deciding factors.
  • Flexible account options that are crafted from traditional investment accounts to meet Sharia-compliance. Fee-based alternatives feature quarterly fees, in addition to low or no transaction costs.
  • Assistance with the heavy paperwork often associated with investing, along with accessing and evaluating up-to-the-minute market data, research reports and other relevant financial information.
  • Asset allocation and investment diversification options that can enhance client portfolios, along with discussing the time-frames and dollar amounts needed to meet retirement and other goals.
  • A wide variety of investment alternatives and services structured to individual needs: retirement, education, tax and estate planning, as well as other Sharia-compliant wealth allocation.
  • Working with other professional advisors like tax specialists and attorneys to help facilitate smooth financial coordination across the spectrum.
  • Consistent, reliable financial advisor availability enables clients to evaluate the performance of their investments on a regular basis, with assurance of Sharia-compliance and steady progress toward ultimate financial goals.

And finally, because clients must trust that their advisors will maintain discretion and professionalism at all times, The Hajdari Group has always considered client confidentiality to be among its highest priorities.

About The Hajdari Group

Based in New York City, the Hajdari Group is an independent, boutique wealth-management firm founded by Zaim Hajdari — an experienced former-JPMorgan Chase investment manager who oversaw $3 billion in client assets. The Hajdari Group provides financial planning and wealth-management services to middle and high-income individuals and families. Other services include 401(k) rollover advice, retirement planning, college planning and estate planning. Most recently, the Hajdari Group has expanded its services by creating InvestHalal, a Sharia-based investment platform exclusively for Muslim investors. Learn more at: www.TheHajdariGroup.com.

The Hajdari Group (“Hajdari Group”) is a registered investment advisor*.  Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Hajdari Group and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure.

*Registration of an investment advisor does not imply any specific level of skill or training. 

Contact:

Zaim Hajdari
212-381-0050
[email protected]