Gosh, I hate to turn on the news anymore. It seems like everyone is mad about something. Climate change, equal pay for equal work, discrimination based on race, color, sexual preference, automatic assault weapons, saving the humpback chub, or the humpback whale. How do they express that anger? Kneeling during the national anthem, using the spotlight for their political agenda, blocking off lands so that others can’t enjoy them, attending protests and rallies. I say, put your money where your mouth is.
If you own stock in a company, remember that you are an owner of that company and owners bear responsibility for that company’s direction. If you are a bondholder in a company, you are a lender to that company and have the right to loan them your money or not. My point here is, if you believe that the earth’s climate is changing and you believe that fossil fuels are the main cause, then why do you own an energy stock? Why do you own stock in a company that produces a product that is what you perceive to be the cause of global climate change? Or why do you own a mutual fund that owns energy stocks? There are alternatives. Why not sell your energy stock and buy stock in a company that produces electric cars? If the company is successful in their mission, cars will run on electricity, not fossil fuels.
If it’s your thing to promote diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace, why not seek out those companies that have policies in place to promote that? The information is out there, you just need to look for it.
The fact is, more and more people are looking to invest that way. Socially Responsible Investments are growing in popularity as are investments focused on companies that are environmentally focused or those that eliminate alcohol, tobacco and firearms.
It used to be that investing was primarily focused on making money. Now it is becoming more the way where people focus on investing their money in things they believe in and want to promote, and making money is somewhat secondary. There’s an old saying, that money talks. If that’s the case, then investing for the dual purpose of supporting your beliefs and making money may just continue to grow.
These are the opinions of Mike Berry and not necessarily those of Cambridge, are for informational purposes only, and should not be construed or acted upon as individualized investment advice.
Mike Berry is a Registered Representative offering securities through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Legacy Wealth Management, LLC and Cambridge are not affiliated. Cambridge does not offer tax advice.
Copyright ©2019 Mike Berry. All Rights reserved. Commercial copying, duplication or reproduction is prohibited.
