Socially Responsible Investing
By Sojourner on 03-25-2008
“Socially responsible investing” and “corporate social responsibility” have been buzz words in the past decade in the US and Europe. According to the Report on Socially Responsible Investing Trends in the United Stated published by the Social Investment Forum (SIF), assets being managed in strategies consistent with social responsible investing have reached $2.71 trillion in 2007 and have increased by more than 18 percent between 2005 and 2007. They identified socially responsible investing through three dimensions, including socially and environmentally screened funds, shareholder advocacy based upon social and environmental issues, and assets placed community investing institutions. Similarly, the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group has a division that focuses on corporate social responsibility and promotes the sustainable economic development. This stems from the recognition that corporate social responsibility is beneficial to businesses and to economic development in the long-run.
What actions can you take to engage in socially responsible investing yourself?
- Screening: exclude certain securities based upon social/environmental concerns;
- Divesting: exclude certain stocks from your investment portfolio due to ethical considerations;
- Shareholder activism: if you are a shareholder, you may consider steering corporate management to conversations and discussions of social concerns. Sometimes investor relations firms may assist shareholders to push for corporate change.
Socially responsible investing is another way to make a positive social impact through your investment activities.
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Posted by mustang75 on Mar 29, 2008
Quote just for you Maddog "It's better to say nothing and look like a fool than open your mouth and prove it" |
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Posted by Badlands17 on Apr 3, 2008
Maddog's comment almost sounds sarcastic. No way any sane person could honestly say that oil is a renewable resource, or that the rainforests are not going faster than they spring back up, saying the UN is communist, or even that the ozone hole is a lie. |
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Posted by Malleeman on Apr 12, 2008
Agreed! |
Socially responsible investing? So is that what economists do nowadays, direct the sheeple to invest in what's politically correct rather than in what yields the best return? Let's see now: global warming has been proven to be a fraud; so has the hole in the ozone layer, the depletion of the jungles (rainforests), the DDT hoax, the peak oil theory, etc., etc. And since with just a little research anyone can find that the "sustainable development" sophistry has nothing to do with saving anything, rather it is a communist U.N. plan to eliminate property rights, I believe I'll invest in ANYTHING I see fit, thank you very much!