Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: September 16 – September 30, 2018
Sept. 29. 2018 – A UBS Investor Watch survey report covering more than 5,300 investors in 10 markets finds that for many investors there is “no trade-off between personal values and returns.” However, “return expectations vary significantly” across countries. Overall, 50% of respondents, on average, expect sustainable investments to outperform. The US is at the […]
Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: September 1, 2018 – September 15, 2018
Sept. 13, 2018 – According to Kate Beioley’s article in the Financial Times entitled “Robo advisors short circuit over ethical investors” a rift is emerging between rival robo-advisors in the UK over the suitability of ready-made ethical investment portfolios. According to the article, several platforms are arguing that the market is not mature enough to […]
Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: August 15, 2018 – August 31, 2018
August 29, 2018 – A survey by Chas. Schwab finds that the majority (more than 75%) of retail ETF investors “would invest more in SRI strategies” if funds were offered that “reflected the issues that are more important” to them. A similar sentiment is expressed by the survey’s respondents regarding SRI funds offered through brokerage […]
Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: July 31, 2018 – August 15, 2018
August 13, 2018 – Aon plc has introduced a new ESG manager rating scheme. The system, which rates managers on a 1 to 4 scale, is designed to evaluate how well managers integrate ESG factors into their investment processes. The ratings are based upon qualitative factors including a manager’s “responsible investment-related policies and procedures.” It […]
Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: July 16, 2018 – July 31, 2018
July 30, 2018 – In an Opinion article published in The New York Times entitled “More Cities and States Should Divest From Private Prisons,” Scott M. Stringer, comptroller of New York City and trustee for New York City’s Retirement Systems, along with Javier H. Valdés, a community organizer, made the case for divesting from private […]
Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: June 2018
Recent Article by Theodore Kupfer in the National Review Asks the Question “Does Socially Responsible Investing Work as Advertised?” June 28, 2018 – A recent article by Theodore Kupfer in the National Review, asks the question “Does Socially Responsible Investing Work as Advertised?” He believes that because sustainable investing “impose relevant constrains” on fund managers, […]
Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: July 1, 2018 – July 15, 2018
The Long-Term Performance Record of Vanguard’s FTSE Social Index (VFTSX) July 9, 2018 – An article in the Philadelphia-based Inquirer written by Erin Arvedlund reported that Dan Wiener, who publishes a monthly Vanguard newsletter, takes a dim view of ESG largely due to under-performance over a long period of time. According to Wiener, such investments […]