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Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: November 1 – November 15, 2018

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November 8, 2018 – An editorial in the Wall Street Journal entitled “A Green Ballot Trouncing” posits that the mid-term elections held on November 6 highlighted “that more voters like Donald Trump’s policies than like him.” This was based on the voters’ embrace of Mr. Trump’s pro-growth energy positions expressed in the form of a… Continue reading about Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: November 1 – November 15, 2018

Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: October 15 – October 31, 2018

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October 31, 2018 – The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (USSIF) released its 2018 Biennial Foundation’s “Report On US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends.” The Report, based on data collected and analyzed through the beginning of 2018, disclosed that assets linked to sustainable, responsible and impact investing (SRI) strategies have reached $12.0 trillion,… Continue reading about Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: October 15 – October 31, 2018

Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: September 16 – September 30, 2018

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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… Continue reading about Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: September 16 – September 30, 2018

Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: September 1, 2018 – September 15, 2018

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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… Continue reading about Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: September 1, 2018 – September 15, 2018

Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: August 15, 2018 – August 31, 2018

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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… Continue reading about Sustainable Investing Opinion Briefs: August 15, 2018 – August 31, 2018

Sustainable Funds Reporting Spotlight-August 2018

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Fund Name:  Putnam Sustainable Future Fund (Formerly Putnam Multi-Cap Value Fund) Investment Management Firm: Putnam Investment Management Annual Report: May 1, 2017 – April 30, 2018, filed June 29, 2018 Sustainable Research and Analysis Observations: Effective March 21, 2018, the Putnam Multi-Cap Value Fund changed its name to the Putnam Sustainable Future Fund. While the… Continue reading about Sustainable Funds Reporting Spotlight-August 2018

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