People want to invest in alignment with their values. But there is a huge gap between what they want to do and what they feel confident doing. That’s the #1 reason we started Till Investors: we want to close the gap. We know from experience that there are good answers to the many questions people have about sustainable investing.
So that’s our job – to get the word out with good information and clear education. We’re building partnerships with organizations to better explain what sustainable investing is and how to find an approach that suits your needs. In this month’s newsletter, we are highlighting the types of questions we are trying to answer.
What Does “Sustainable Investing” Mean?
Why does Till Investors call it “sustainable investing” instead of ESG, socially responsible, or any of a dozen other names? Our latest blog hits on all the naming confusion around investing your values, and how to cut through the alphabet soup. An excerpt:
“That is why we have chosen “sustainable” as our word of choice. It reflects the desire to support businesses that make decisions based on enduring values. It also reflects the reality that our financial resources must sustain us and our families over time. In our view, sustainable investing captures an approach that is respectful, responsible, and productive – and more likely to build lasting financial strength.”
Can I Influence Corporate America without Money?
We’re excited to link up with Louis Marmon, founder of the shareholder advocacy group AdvanceESG. AdvanceESG is a smart nonprofit that is promoting sustainable business practices by meeting with company leaders and creating shareholder resolutions. You can join AdvanceESG totally free, and you don’t need to own any specific types of investments. Their membership numbers alone are enough to give them a voice in company boardrooms.
We shared our latest blog to Advance ESG’s web site for the benefit of their large and growing membership. We plan to continue working with Marmon towards his goal of building a powerful voice for shareholders.
Can I Use My Investments to Face Climate Change?
We recently tagged up with Mitch Ratcliffe and the people at Earth911 to talk about how people concerned over climate change can use their investments to express their views. We posted an article to their website that summarizes our core advice for getting started – from identifying your ESG “Fighting Style,” to avoiding greenwashing, to what to look for moving forward.
We also got the chance to talk with Radcliffe on his podcast, to talk in more detail about the role that investing can play in your fight against climate change. We know how many of you care about this issue – you can make a stand.
Is Sustainable Investing Real, or Is It All PR?
Speaking of podcasts – one of our goals when we partner with other media groups is to help listeners distinguish between real, well designed sustainability strategies and ones that don’t make sense. There is a difference!
We’ve collected our recent podcast appearances on our News and Insights page. We’re always thrilled to get our voices out there and share some laughs with people we have a lot of respect for. But what you’ll mostly hear in our podcast partnerships – such as this one with Toby Usnik’s the Caring Economy podcast – is that sustainable investing is absolutely legitimate if you know what you’re looking for.
