It can be described as SRI (socially responsible investing), ESG (environmental, social, governance), sustainable investing, or socially screened investing.
While there are many names for this rapidly growing segment of the investment world, they are all based on the desire to make money and do good at the same time. At The Humphreys Group, we heartily endorse the increased interest in investing to promote social good —it’s one of the most effective ways we can vote with our dollars.
Examples of ESG criteria used by sustainable investors include:
Impact investors can be anyone from individuals and family offices to universities, foundations, pension funds, nonprofit organizations and religious institutions.
There has long been an argument that impact investing requires a “give up” on the performance side of the equation, but the numbers simply don’t bear that out. We have long held investments in the impact investing realm, and we are thrilled that the interest in this area is growing.
One of our favorite, widely held funds is the Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Leadership Fund. We’ve owned this fund from the very beginning (2005) when it was called The Women’s Equity Fund. Fast forward to 2014 when there was a change in ownership and a reorganization, when we decided to maintain our investment with the new fund managers.
Pax Ellevate’s mission is to invest in publicly traded companies that have greater gender diversity in upper management and on boards. Why? Because it’s profitable. When you take a look at the performance of corporations with greater gender diversity, the metrics are just plain better, almost across the board. Pax Ellevate is not making a men vs. women argument. Its investment thesis is that more diverse perspectives and points of view are better than fewer. And happily for investors, the proof is in the pudding.
The Adasina Social Justice All Cap Global ETF is a broadly diversified fund that allows investors to align their portfolios with social justice values. The fund seeks to track the Adasina Social Justice Index, using impact data on how publicly traded companies participate in gender, racial, economic, and climate justice.
In addition to the factors traditionally considered for ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing, the fund screens companies based on the Adasina Social Justice Investment Criteria, which excludes certain public companies that directly or indirectly support values that contradict the themes of social justice.
We offer an ESG Fund Criteria chart to show you how ESG funds we hold are positively and negatively screened. We also provide an ESG Questionnaire so you can identify your social concerns and values.
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