Original, independent, thought leadership

Research

Research and analysis to keep sustainable investors up to-date on a broad range of topics that include trends and developments in sustainable investing and sustainable finance regulatory updates, performance results and considerations, investing through Index funde and actively managed portfolios, asset allocation updates, expenses, ESG ratings and data, company and product news, green, social and sustainable bonds, green bond funds as well as reporting and disclosure practices, to name just a few.

Research and analysis to keep sustainable investors up to-date on a broad range of topics that include trends and developments in sustainable investing and sustainable finance, regulatory updates, performance results and considerations, investing through index funds and actively managed portfolios, asset allocation updates, expenses, ESG ratings and data, company and product news, green, social and sustainable bonds, green bond funds as well as reporting and disclosure practices, to name just a few.   

A continuously updated Funds Directory is also available to investors.  This is intended to become a comprehensive listing of sustainable mutual funds, ETFs and other investment products along with a description of their sustainable investing approaches as set out in fund prospectuses and related regulatory filings.

Chart of the Week – August 11, 2025: Top performing sustainable funds – July 2025

Sustainable Bottom Line:  Renewable energy/clean energy funds dominated the list of top performers in July, but their performance may not be sustainable given policy vagaries.  Notes of Explanation: Funds are listed in order of performance in July 2025.

Click to read »

Chart of the Week – August 4, 2025: Returns posted by sustainable and conventional indices

Sustainable Bottom Line:  The variations in the cumulative performance results achieved by sustainable indices versus conventional ones across asset classes over time have been narrow.

Click to read »

Sustainable Investing Monitor-July 1, 2025

Sustainable Bottom Line: Focused L-T sustainable funds ended June with $358.7 billion, two sustainable ETFs were launched while three of six selected sustainable indices outperformed.

Chart of the Week – July 21, 2025: Sustainable target-date funds

Sustainable Bottom Line:  Three focused sustainable target-date funds offer investors clear choices for evaluation based on their risk appetite, sustainability approaches and varying cost structures.

Click to read »

Chart of the Week – July 14, 2025: Shrinking sustainable municipal ETFs segment

Sustainable Bottom Line:  For investors interested in sustainable municipal ETFs, the availability of limited options suggests focusing instead on mutual funds or separately managed accounts.

Click to read »

Core questions to ask financial advisors during an interview

The Bottom Line:  Investors seeking to hire a financial advisor should interview multiple advisors before deciding and prepare a set of core questions in advance.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE


Sign up to free newsletters.


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Chart of the Week – July 7, 2025: Returns of sustainable international indices and funds bring bonuses or penalties

Sustainable Bottom Line:  Investors in sustainable international passive funds that consider ESG-related criteria should expect to realize performance bonuses or penalties relative to conventional benchmarks.

Click to read »

Chart of the Week – June 30, 2025: Making a direct impact via QCDs

Sustainable Bottom Line:  Qualified sustainable investors can make direct and potentially measurable impacts in the form of tax efficient charitable contributions via Qualified Charitable Distributions.  Notes of Explanation: Projections over the next five years are based on the calculated compounded annual growth rates from 2020-2024: IRA=8.5% and 401(k)=7.3%.

Click to read »

Research

Research and analysis to keep sustainable investors up to-date on a broad range of topics that include trends and developments in sustainable investing and sustainable finance, regulatory updates, performance results and considerations, investing through index funds and actively managed portfolios, asset allocation updates, expenses, ESG ratings and data, company and product news, green, social and sustainable bonds, green bond funds as well as reporting and disclosure practices, to name just a few.

A continuously updated Funds Directory is also available to investors.  This is intended to become a comprehensive listing of sustainable mutual funds, ETFs and other investment products along with a description of their sustainable investing approaches as set out in fund prospectuses and related regulatory filings.

Getting started

Many questions have surfaced in recent years regarding sustainable and ESG investing.  Here, investors and financial intermediaries will find materials that describe the various approaches to sustainable investing and their implementation.  While sustainable investing approaches vary and they have thus far defied universally accepted definitions, many practitioners agree that they fall into the following broad categories:  Values-based investing, investing via exclusions, impact investing, thematic investments and ESG integration.  In conjunction with each of these approaches, investors may also adopt various issuer engagement procedures and proxy voting practices.  That said, sustainable investing approaches will continue to evolve.

In addition to periodic updates regarding sustainable investing and how this form of investing is evolving, investors and financial intermediaries interested in implementing a sustainable investing approach will also find source materials that cover basic investing themes as well as asset allocation tactics.

Inesting ideas

Thoughts and ideas targeting sustainable investing strategies executed through various registered and non-registered sustainable investment funds and products such as mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs), closed-end funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Unit Investment Trusts (UITs). Coverage extends to investment management firms as well as fund groups. 

Independent source for sustainable investment management company research, analysis, opinions and sustainable fund disclosure assessments