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6 Great Ways To Invest Ethically And Help Others

How To Invest With Ethics In Mind

While looking to find the right combination of risk and return for your investments, you might also be interested in a third criterion: ethics. It will require a little more work to find one, but there are ethical investments that provide an acceptable rate of return. It's possible to be a successful investor and help others at the same time!

The common term used to describe ethical investing is socially responsible investing (SRI). Adding social responsibility to your investment criteria will reduce the number of investment opportunities you can consider. But there are still many socially responsible companies with solid financials and a bright future. See how you can invest and be of help to others as you read on.

1Examine The Company's Products

Does the company you're planning to invest in cause death or disease? What is the impact on the environment? How does the company treat people? How are the products used?

Many ethical investors avoid tobacco and alcohol companies due to the negative impact these products have on health. Mining, logging, and chemical companies often harm the environment. Other types of companies and industries that ethical investors avoid include gambling, weapons, pornography, and fossil fuels.

2Make Your Personal Values A Criterion

Think about your personal values and determine if the company is in line with them. There are numerous websites and other resources that rate the quality of a company or mutual fund from an ethical perspective. A lot of information is also available for evaluating the "greenness" of investments.

To date, socially responsible investing is increasing in popularity. Look for companies that are helping people or the environment. You can make your personal values a criterion for choosing companies to invest in.

3Assess The Investments By Mutual Funds

Are you looking at mutual funds and retirement funds? If you are, take a look at the investments that these funds make. A fund might have an altruistic name.

However, it might just be a marketing ploy. Do your homework. There are many mutual funds designed with the ethical investor in mind.

4Drop Your Unethical Investments

If you're going to invest in a socially responsible manner, think about removing any investments you currently have that don't meet your new criteria. But there is an alternative. You can attempt to influence the company or mutual fund to change its activities.

Retirement funds have been known to redistribute their portfolio. This is due to the pressure from the shareholders. Maybe you can do the same.

5Make A List Of The Issues That Matter

You probably have a few causes that are near and dear to your heart. Are you concerned about water pollution? Destruction of the rainforests? Search for companies that combat the challenges that are most meaningful to you.

Be sure to include companies that are also preventing issues. For instance, a company that makes solar power panels is helping the environment indirectly. A company that makes batteries for electric cars is doing the same.

6Keep Your Profits In Mind

There are many investments that might be great from an ethical standpoint but horrible from a financial standpoint. Just because a company is benefiting the world doesn't mean that you can't lose your shirt. Search for ethical investments that are also financially sound.

Socially responsible investing seeks to combine successful investing without causing harm. You can vote with your dollars by investing in companies that avoid adding to the world's challenges. You can also go a step further and seek out companies that help the world. It's not necessary to support companies engaged in activities that violate your ethics.

Examine your portfolio today from an ethical perspective. And remember to also keep an eye out for the profits you seek. You'll feel greater satisfaction when you know you're building a secure future for both you and the generations to come.



About Author

Jackie Wing

Jackie Wing is an Alaska native, who enjoys snowboarding more than is probably socially acceptable. She lives in Anchorage with her two dogs Reese and Peanut, or as she likes to call them "Thing 1" and "Thing 2."