Sustainable Investing

What is Sustainable Investing?

Sustainable investing is a strategy that strives to align your personal values with your investments while making a positive social and environmental impact. This can also be done for investment funds of Non-Profit organizations and Foundations to match and support their missions.

Sustainable or Socially Responsible Investing incorporates Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) analysis. 

One aspect of fiduciary financial planning is investment management, which includes sustainable investing. Our fee-based investment services focus on including your goals and values in your investment decisions. Every dollar you put towards retirement can make a difference when you use it to invest in companies that are environmentally sustainable and socially conscious. 

Sustainable investing helps preserve the environment for the future. Socially conscious investing helps build a better world. Businesses have a huge impact on social and environmental factors, which is why we should reward the ones that make a difference in the world and in their local communities. In fact, companies that use ESG principles to make business decisions often perform better than their counterparts that don’t.

ESG Analysis Enables us to Gain Insights into a Company's:

Environmental Focus

Resource Management, Climate Change, Emission Reduction

Social Issues

Workplace safety and equity, Product Integrity, Community Impact

Governance Practices

Executive Comp, Reporting, Board Structure, and Accountability

High Impact Portfolios (HIP)

Our High Impact Portfolios aim to align your investments with your social and environmental values and are comprised of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and Exchange Traded Funds (ETF's) that can serve as a cornerstone of a well- balanced portfolio. Our High Impact Portfolios have a dual objective of providing competitive returns while pursuing a positive impact on society and the environment.

There is a growing base of evidence that suggests environmentally sustainable companies, socially responsible, and have positive screens for corporate governance and diversity in executive leadership outperform funds that do not share this focus. We help clients set and implement clear goals aligned with their needs, values, and objectives. We strive to be a leader in sustainable and responsible investing.

Environmental Social Governance (ESG) investing has certain risks based on the fact that the criteria excludes securities of certain issuers for non-financial reasons and, therefore, investors may forgo some market opportunities and the universe of investments available will be smaller.

What You Need to Know about ESG Investments

ESG stands for environmental, social, and governance. These 3 criteria are used to select investments from companies that make a difference in their communities and meet the ESG criteria. They are environmentally conscious, limiting their carbon footprint and using renewable energy sources. 

They’re socially conscious, being mindful of diversity, inclusion, and the gender pay gap. They also support the LGBTQ+ community and don’t discriminate against gender or sexual orientation when hiring or promoting staff. And the company holds upper management and board members accountable through best governance practices.

When you invest in businesses that prioritize every aspect of ESG, you have a chance to make a difference through your investments. You don’t have to support companies that exploit people or follow shady business practices to earn a profit in your portfolio. Instead, you can invest using your personal value system.

What Are Examples of Sustainable Investments?

A business that pays attention to the impact it has on the environment is an example of a sustainable investment. The company itself may use clean technology, produce renewable energy sources, focus on reducing carbon emissions, and prioritize water conservation. The company may also take active steps to combat climate change, which could be something as simple as planting trees or lobbying to preserve green spaces.

Why Socially Responsible Investing Matters

Socially responsible investing is your opportunity to make a difference with every dollar you invest in your future. It doesn’t mean that you have to give up profits, either. Socially responsible businesses can perform just as well or better than their counterparts that don’t concern themselves with the impact they have on society and put profits before everything else. And if you have the option to make a difference, why wouldn’t you?

FAQs about Sustainable Investing

What Are the Strategies of Sustainable Investing?
When you focus on sustainable investing, you narrow your investment criteria to companies that follow best ESG practices. You may dedicate a portion of your portfolio to companies that focus on renewable energy production, but we still make sure your investment holdings are diversified and meet your other criteria, such as financial objectives, timelines, and risk tolerance.

Is Sustainable Investing Profitable?
The goal of investing is profitability. When we choose your investments, we always vet them from the profitability standpoint in addition to evaluating them under the ESG criteria. There’s no guarantee of profits with any investment, but sustainable investing can be just as profitable as any other type of investing. We’ll continue to monitor the performance of all your investments and make recommendations to help you reach your financial objectives.

How Are ESG Factors Considered in a Fund’s Investment Process?
Investment funds use a set of predetermined criteria to select assets. For example, a fund that focuses on ESG investments chooses companies that are attempting to be sustainable and avoids companies that don’t consider their environmental impact. It’s not always easily quantifiable how companies prioritize ESG, which is why different funds may have a different selection of stocks, based on their specific investment criteria.

Talk to Us about Your Investment Goals

Our LGBTQ+ sustainable financial advisors are ready to help you reach your investment goals without sacrificing your values. Through your investments, you have a unique opportunity to make a difference in the world while pursuing your financial goals. We can help you create a portfolio that’s in line with what matters most to you. Call us today to schedule an appointment to discuss your investment goals.

Ready to Get Started?

Schedule your Initial Meeting Here

Schedule your Initial Meeting Here

Our Investment Planning Process:

Our Investment Planning Process starts with getting to know you. Investing is personal, so before we set up an investment portfolio for you, we want to get to know you. We want to know your financial goals and personal values that you may want to incorporate into your investments. It is also important for us to understand your time horizon for these funds and your tolerance for volatility and risk. This all starts with a conversation to get to know you.

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