Is greenwashing a problem in the ESG fund space? YES
Can you drive positive impact through investing in the public markets? ALSO YES
You've got to do your research and distinguish marketing efforts from impact thesis & work.
Sometimes, with cheap ESG, you get what you pay for.
If you want real impact integrated into your investments that takes real work, from real people, who should be paid fairly.
You can't change the extractive economy by using the same tools that got us here.
If markets never fell they wouldn't be risky and if they weren't risky they'd get really expensive and when they get expensive they fall. Rinse, repeat.
The #1 rule in personal finance is to remember that it’s personal. Comparing yourself to anything other than your own situation is a one way ticket to disappointment and endless frustration.
A6) Impact and sustainable investing MUST be able to do both to be viable. Not every client wants the growth part, but we need to be able to deliver growth if desired. #cogentchat
Q5) Traditional investing prioritizes financial returns, while Impact Investing lets you have your cake and eat it too with the potential for both financial returns AND measurable social impact. #cogentchat
@ALaGrangeCEO This is such a good point! Nonprofits and social impact orgs do important work YET impact investing has the potential to move larger sums of $ to make change.
@susan_hammel@Cogent_PBC Glad to be here Susan. Every single new client is asking for ESG these days - but they don't always use that term. Most often they ask for values aligned investments.
A3) ESG is an investing approach which takes into consideration measurable environmental, social and governance factors in determining investments. #cogentchat