Invest with Values

The Investor's Gateway to Positive Change

The Investor's Gateway to Positive Change

5 things to know about our impact investors

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Biannually we ask our investors for their thoughts on our customer service and how how we’re doing on our mission overall. This year we expanded the scope of the survey to also capture more general information about our investors’ personal finances and investments. More than 530 people participated, and their responses yielded findings that are […]

Impact Measurement Can Drive Business Value

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August 26, 2016 Impact Measurement Can Drive Business Value    by Robert Kropp The Global Impact Investing Network surveys impact investors and learns that in addition to environmental and social benefits, measuring their investments can improve financial performance. SocialFunds.com — In a report published in June, the US SIF Foundation acknowledged that while “the work […]

New Book: Inhabiting Interdependence

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RSF Social Finance’s Vice President of Organizational Culture, John Bloom, published a new book this week titled Inhabiting Interdependence: Being in the Next Economy. In this collection of insightful essays, John explores approaches to transforming conventional habits of mind and practice that have led to an imbalance in our economic life. Acknowledging that money permeates […]

The Powerful Intersection of Mindful Finance and Impact Investing

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7 Questions for Solomon Halpern, President of Highlander Wealth In this increasingly complicated world we all receive advice from many channels, including our phones. Financial planning and investment advice is no different. We believe it’s important to step back, quiet the noise around you, and think holistically about your money – how you save it, […]

INVESTORS CALL ON G20 NATIONS TO RATIFY PARIS AGREEMENT SWIFTLY AND EXPAND LOW CARBON & GREEN INVESTMENT

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As leaders of the world’s largest economies prepare to attend the upcoming G20 meeting in Hangzhou, China, 130 investors (with over $13 Trillion AUM) from a coalition of six organisations(1) have written to the G20 heads of state urging them to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement this year and call on G20 nations to double […]

SRI Market Looks for Common Standards – The Minute

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Here’s a problem in search of a solution. A recent survey by TIAA Global Asset Management reports growing interest by investors in socially responsible investing. Almost one-third of the investors polled in the survey have made responsible investments. But here’s the twist: only five percent of financial advisors polled said that their clients were investing […]

Thinking Long Term About the Impact Investing Marketplace

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Why do we think impact investors will become increasingly active in backing solutions to global challenges? Because those investments represent some of the greatest wealth generating opportunities of our time. The trillions in investments needed to stave off the catastrophic effects of climate change, for example, will also underwrite the rebuilding of a new, clean […]

$1 Million Sold on Vested.org

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In October, 1995 Ken Scott became the first person to invest in a Community Investment Note. In those days our investors had to fill in an investment application and return it to us along with a check. Since then more than $1 billion has been cumulatively invested into the Note. The launch of our online […]

Impact Investing Comes of Age: ImpactAlpha Rounds up Nine Stories Shaping the Marketplace

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Editor’s note: NextBillion is collaborating with ImpactAlpha to highlight coverage of the top stories, leaders and trends in impact investing. In periodic NextBillion posts, their team will share the key stories and market activities that have crossed their desks in recent weeks. When global leaders launched the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 there was no well-developed way […]

SOCAP16 – where it comes together

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SOCAP16 takes place September 13th-16th at Fort Mason, in San Francisco, CA. Join more than 2,500 changemakers, impact investors, social entrepreneurs, and related thought leaders at the world’s largest conference dedicated to increasing the flow of capital toward social good. From emerging leaders to established players, SOCAP brings together global innovators, investors, foundations, governments, institutions, […]

The Smart Bet is on a Clean Energy Future

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  Power systems and the investment landscape are changing. Both at home and around the world, the ways that we produce and consume electricity and arrange fuel transportation are evolving. The many drivers of this transformation include public policy, consumer trends and demands, business models, and technological innovation. The ultimate outcome of the changes remains […]

Financial Stability Board to Review Governance Principles

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August 16, 2016 Financial Stability Board to Review Governance Principles    by Robert Kropp The international body, formed to promote financial stability following the global financial crisis, seeks to determine how its member jurisdictions have implemented the G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance. SocialFunds.com — When the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) published a concept release […]

SEC Urged to Strengthen ESG Reporting Requirements

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August 12, 2016 SEC Urged to Strengthen ESG Reporting Requirements    by Robert Kropp Ceres organizes an investor coalition calling for regulations to strengthen corporate climate reporting, while US SIF and ICCR issue a joint press release urging mandatory sustainability reporting. SocialFunds.com — In April, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published a concept release […]

The SEC Must Improve Disclosure of Material and Emerging Sustainability Risks

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is starting to take sustainability risks—and corporate reporting of those risks—seriously. The concept is straightforward: climate change, water scarcity, human and workers’ rights, and the ongoing global transition to a low carbon economy pose significant risks and opportunities to companies and the investors who own them. Under long-standing SEC […]

Trust is a leading indicator for Responsible Investing

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A recent Harvard Business Review article coauthored by Doug Conant, Campbell Soup’s former CEO and Stephen MR Covey, discusses the “Connection Between Employee Trust and Financial Performance” and references a model developed by Trust Across America-Trust Around the World, a program whose focus is creating tools to help organizations build trust. The quantitative and holistic […]

Before You Invest: The Basics of Financial Due Diligence

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Interested in investing in a company that is raising funds under Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), Regulation A or Regulation D? That means doing your homework— understanding what you are investing in and making an “informed investment decision.  In other words, due diligence. In this article, we’ll explore the basics of financial due diligence, which includes […]

Today Is Earth Overshoot Day 2016

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 GENEVA, Switzerland, August 8, 2016 (Maximpact.com News) – Earth Overshoot Day this year falls on August 8.   Today, humanity’s demands on nature this year exceed what the Earth can regenerate before year’s end calculates the international sustainability think tank Global Footprint Network , the international conservation group WWF and more than 30 other partners. […]

Leapfrog Attracts Top Talent to Emerging Markets Impact Investing

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‘Follow the money’ is a good guide for tracking current trends in investing, but for hints about what may be coming next, ‘Follow the people.’ So it’s worth noting that the chief investment officer for one of Australia’s biggest pension fund is leaving his perch managing $71 billion in assets to join Leapfrog Investments, which earlier this year […]

Trillium Speaks to DNC Attendees at ASBC Policy Forum in Philadelphia

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August 2, 2016 – On July 26th, Trillium CEO Matt Patsky participated as a speaker on the ‘Policy Forum on the Business Case for a Sustainable Economy’, held by the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) and coinciding with the DNC Conference in Philadelphia.  Patsky spoke on a panel titled, “Responsible Capital – Investing in a […]

90+ Companies and Investors Call On Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Governors To Double Down On Their Efforts To Cut Carbon Emissions

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More than 70 companies and 20 institutional investors are urging Northeast and Mid-Atlantic governors to strengthen their efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the regions’ electric power sector. The call comes as the governors of nine states — Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont — meet to decide […]

Impact Investing Conference at the Vatican: New Perspectives From Both Sides

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In late June, the Second Vatican Conference on Impact Investing (VIIC) brought together leaders from the Catholic Church and impact investment communities to discuss the role of impact investing for the poor. Because the Vatican conference occurred during the Extraordinary Year of Mercy established by Pope Francis, the VIIC chose the theme “Making the Year […]

Faith-Based Investing Is The Bedrock Of Our Work

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Last month I attended the Second Vatican Conference on Impact Investing, where impact investing experts and Catholic leaders came together to explore how the Catholic Church can use capital to help achieve their social mission. Seeing the Pope officially endorse impact investing was inspiring, and it reasserted my belief that the work we do at […]

After the Conventions

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July 30, 2016 After the Conventions    by Robert Kropp While it seems implausible that investors concerned with environmental and social justice will vote for Donald Trump, some of the positions take by Hillary Clinton during her years of public service merit scrutiny. SocialFunds.com — Amid the bombast and outright demagoguery of last week’s Republican […]

Major Pension Funds Still Funding Deforestation

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July 29, 2016 Major Pension Funds Still Funding Deforestation    by Robert Kropp Friends of the Earth and As You Sow create a free online database to help educate individual investors about which retirement funds continue to invest in companies engaged in deforestation for palm oil production. SocialFunds.com — Facing increased scrutiny from sustainable investors […]

ESG Investment Strategies On the Rise

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There’s new evidence that interest in environmental, social, governance/socially responsible investing strategies continues to grow. “The {ESG/SRI] industry began to see more mainstream acceptance,” according to Benefits Pro, evaluating a report by research firm Cerulli Associates, “U.S. Products and Strategies 2016: Identifying Opportunities for Active Management.” The same report notes that the market share for […]

Sustainability: From Planning to Advice to Investments

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Sustainability is all the talk in wealth management these days. But how does one judiciously go about incorporating sustainability parameters into client portfolios? Earlier this year, we co-presented a seminar for clients in Seattle on sustainable wealth planning, management and investing.  We learned a lot from each other about what clients know, what they’re confused […]

Powerhouse Social Impact Investor, Nancy Pfund, Talks with Better Ventures About Making a Difference with Venture Capital

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Without a doubt, Nancy Pfund is one of the leading impact investors of our day. While not yet a household name, “over the last decade, Pfund has quietly built a reputation as the go-to venture capitalist for companies looking to make a social impact” (NY Times). With early investments and tremendous successes in clean energy […]

Investors Increasingly Use Their Dollars to Create Change

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Investing in the future means more than making money for retirement. Among everyone from millennials – who make up 34% of the workforce and recently became the largest age group employed in the US – to baby boomers, there’s a growing trend of “impact investing”. Practitioners of this method seek to generate not just long-term financial returns […]

ImPact Primer: How to Get Started with Private Equity Impact Investing

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The ImPact, a new investor network aiming to normalize impact investing among the world’s wealthiest families, concluded its series of asset class primers with the fifth primer: Private Equity and Impact Investing. Families can generate commercial financial returns and address pressing global challenges by making private equity investments. “Investors seeking to capitalize on the business […]

Missing the Target with Conservation Finance

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By Sean Penrith “Are we doing enough?” This was the question Patrick Westerlund of the Wells Foundation asked a packed room in a session titled “Missing the Target” at the 2016 Mission Investors Exchange (MIE) conference in Baltimore. He added that with just the money represented in the room, we could change the world. Based […]

Impact Investment – now a global movement

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‘Let’s do it – people’s lives depend on it.’ That was the opening line from Big Society Capital founder Sir Ronald Cohen, by video to the Global Impact Investment Plenary in Lisbon: a gathering of 250 people from many countries.  There is no doubt that the Social Impact Investment Taskforce, which launched three years ago when the […]

2016 Sustainable Stock Exchange report released

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The world’s largest companies are under-reporting sustainability policies and performance, hampering investors’ access to data that will allow them to play a full role in the transition to a low-carbon economy, according to a new report released today. The study, Measuring sustainability Disclosure: Ranking the World’s Stock Exchanges 2016, finds that of 4469 large companies […]

In Unprecedented Response, Investors Call On SEC To Improve Reporting Of Climate Risks And Other Sustainability Challenges

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In response to a formal review of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s corporate disclosure requirements, dozens of institutional investors have submitted letters to the federal agency requesting quick action to require stronger reporting of sustainability risks such as climate change, water scarcity and global deforestation. “Based on our experience with these issues, we believe it […]

For Crowdfunders, Revenue Sharing Can Have Benefits Over Equity

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When raising money through crowdfunding, one of the most important decisions entrepreneurs need to make is how to structure the offering. The appropriate structure will depend on a lot of factors, including the business’ stage of development, its performance to date, growth plans and the targeted capital source. But the options generally fall into one […]

ImPact Primer: How Global Trends are Driving Impact Investments in Real Assets

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Increasing urbanization in the developing world, resource scarcity, population growth, and climate change are creating investment opportunities in real assets. “Real asset impact investments provide families a physical, experiential alignment of their values and their investments,” write the author of Real Assets and Impact Investing, the latest report from The ImPact, a new investor network aiming […]

New Data Highlights Investor Preference for Sustainable Companies

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(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Sustainable investing is emerging as an important trend around the world. A growing number of investors now believe that a company’s sustainability performance is materially important to their investment decision-making. For investors, a company’s effective management of its ESG risks and opportunities can be an indicator that the company is a serious […]

Summer of Impact Investing: ImpactAlpha Flags 10 Recent Developments Shaping the Sector

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Editor’s note: NextBillion is collaborating with ImpactAlpha to highlight coverage of the top stories, leaders and trends in impact investing. In periodic NextBillion posts, their team will share the key stories and market activities that have crossed their desks in recent weeks.   Summer of Impact British voters have thrown a stick through the spokes […]

RSF Summer Quarterly & 2015 Annual Report

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In the latest RSF Quarterly, we focus on the connecting power of nature. The social enterprises showcased in this issue catalyze environmental conservation by bringing together people who are passionate about preserving landscapes or preventing resource waste. Starting on page 3, Elliot Hoffman, CEO of REV and founder of Just Desserts, describes how REV Circles™ […]

ImPact Primer: How to Get Started in Early-Stage Impact Investing

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Families looking for innovation and entrepreneurship can invest in mission-driven early-stage startup companies , either directly or through a fund manager. In the third part of its asset class series the ImPact explores the “sexy” world of high-risk, high-reward and yes, potentially high-impact early-stage impact investing. Here’s are a few highlights of the report: Direct Investment […]

Watch Matt Patsky Discuss Doing Good While Doing Well with John Hancock

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Trillium CEO, Matt Patsky, discuss the benefits of integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors with fundamental equity research. The video was released by John Hancock Investments following the recent announcement of the launch of two new mutual funds sub-advised by Trillium. Click here to read more on the announcement.   The post Watch Matt […]

Banking Lags on Human Rights

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July 08, 2016 Banking Lags on Human Rights    by Robert Kropp A report by the NGO BankTrack reveals that most major global banks are failing to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in their financing. SocialFunds.com — A recent report published by a group of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) revealed that […]

#Shifts: New Theses, Markets and Signals Guiding Impact Investors

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A new understanding of value and new investment theses are guiding impact investors. With this new lens, impact investors are targeting new sectors and geographies. This perspective requires new sources of data and information. ImpactAlpha’s #Shifts tracks the latest data and ideas guiding and informing impact investors. #Shifts is powered by ImpactAlpha’s #dealflow. THESES: Five investment propositions guiding new impact funds World positive companies. Obvious […]

Bill to Improve Regulation Crowdfunding Passes House

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The legislative process has been compared to sausage being made. That was certainly the case with Regulation Crowdfunding, the provision of the JOBS Act that allows for mainstream investment crowdfunding open to all investors. In their desire to protect mom & pop investors, lawmakers modified the original bill in ways that made it too cumbersome to be […]

Are Big Banks Ignoring Paris Climate Agreement?

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July 07, 2016 Are Big Banks Ignoring Paris Climate Agreement?    by Robert Kropp The seventh edition of the Fossil Fuel Finance Report Card reveals that while some progress has been made in exiting the financing of coal mining, global financial institutions are lagging badly in other extreme fossil fuels and human rights. SocialFunds.com — […]