Parkland. Sandy Hook. Orlando. Vegas. Virginia Tech.

Do we need to continue?

The truth is that unless something changes the only thing that will continue is gun violence. Gun violence is considered among many to be a public health crisis – it’s this violence that has taken so many innocent lives and caused millions of others to live in fear of attending a movie, concert, religious gathering, and even school. And yet, year after year, very little changes in regulatory or manufacturer obligations to combat violence.

The majority of Americans agree with common-sense gun control. In fact, recent polls have shown that greater than 95% of citizens agree with universal background checks. In addition, the majority of Americans also agree that owning a weapon is considered a constitutional right and should be protected.

We know that we need change. And it’s frustrating because there is a high level of consensus across America on the sort of common-sense safety measures that need to be brought up and passed. Among gun owners — and I’m a gun owner myself — 97 percent support expanded, universal background checks so we don’t have the gun-show loophole so that we don’t have the internet purchases that don’t go through a thorough background check. – Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Senator

So, where do these values merge and how can we come together to help stop the violence that plagues our streets, gatherings, and schools on a daily basis?

After the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand, not only did the government immediately ban semi-automatic weapons, but NZ Super Fund administrators made the decision to divest their funds from gun manufacturers.

Yet in the United States, where American citizens are ten times more likely to be killed by guns than those from other developed nations, profit is put over people. Lobbying and deep pockets from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and gun and weapons manufacturers have all but halted any government-led efforts to regulate gun sales and combat gun violence.

Change can start from numerous places. And it can start small.

Did you know that many 401(k) plans invest your retirement money into companies and manufacturers that either are involved in the direct manufacture of guns and weapons or profit after a shooting takes place?

At Invested Interests, our Peace Portfolio divests (removes your investments) from companies that drive their revenue from the manufacture or sales of weapons and weaponized technology. It also removes your investments from those profiting off of the sales of weapons and ammunition across the world, putting weapons into the hands of terrorist organizations or repressive regimes. Helping to eliminate humanitarian crises, such as those currently occurring in Yemen {link}, as well as helping to prevent further gun violence at home in the United States.

Your investments are a reflection of your values. Advocate for your values with the companies you have trusted with your investments. Interested in reviewing ESG factors as they pertain to your values? We offer many different socially responsible portfolios and offer custom screens including Shareholder Advocacy, Community Impact Investments, Employee Relations, Environment, Product Safety, Corporate Governance, Military Contracting, Alcohol, Nuclear Power, Tobacco, Gambling, Animal Testing, and avoidance of Repressive Regimes.

Want to learn more about impact investing and how you use your money for good? Start building your portfolio today!

As impact investors, a lot of emphasis is put on reviewing ESG (environmental, social, and governance) factors as they pertain to investments. ESG factors are what separate impact investments from traditional investment options. When reviewing options with their advisers, many new impact investors choose to focus on the first two factors. Environmental and Social. Why? Because they are easiest to understand.

For many investors, Environmental factors are what brought them to impact investing in the first place. This factor allows advisers and their investors to review companies with environmental missions. They could be focused on combatting climate change, reducing waste, eliminating pollution, or creating alternative energy sources. It also helps them remove companies from their stock portfolio that are doing damage to their local environments or are a major source of pollutants entering the atmosphere (think oil and gas companies).

Social factors showcase companies that have a strong socially responsible outlook. They may contribute back to organizations and causes either locally, nationally, or globally that help combat hunger, stop the spread of disease or other worthwhile causes that make a difference on our planet.

Governance, however. Governance is a factor that is often overlooked but equally as important. Governance factors illustrate whether a company operates with accountability, integrity, and equality in all of its practices. Governance is often reviewed independently by referring to the policies and procedures a company follows not only when addressing reports and shareholders but in their day-to-day operations.

Companies with strong governance factors often have a racially and gender diverse board of directors, fair and ethical work standards (think equal pay for equal work), and a code of conduct that is practiced among all levels – from interns, to executives, to the board itself.

Many corporations with high governance factors have executive pay-caps and bonus reviews, are transparent about political spending and candidate backing, and contribute a percentage of their earnings back to their community in some way.

Your investments are a reflection of your values. Advocate for your values with the companies you have trusted with your investments. Interested in reviewing ESG factors as they pertain to your values? We offer many different socially responsible portfolios and offer custom screens including:

• Shareholder Advocacy
• Community Impact Investments
• Employee Relations, Environment
• Product Safety
• Corporate Governance
• Military Contracting
• Alcohol
• Nuclear Power
• Tobacco
• Gambling
• Animal Testing
• Avoidance of Repressive Regimes.

Want to learn more about impact investing and how you use your money for good? Start building your portfolio today!

While countries around the world agree to partake in clean energy solutions, the United States government has made the startling decision to remove itself from global climate change and environmental sustainability efforts. Many of the recent administration changes have rolled back Obama-era policies positioned at reducing environmental carcinogens and pollution, combating the ever-increasing  (and real) threat to our climate, and placing trust in fossil fuels and energy methods that have no promise of long-term significance. The plans are, at best, short-sighted.

Here are the facts.

97% of climate scientists agree that climate change is occurring. And you guessed it. The cause is human activity.

There are detrimental impacts of climate change. And we’re just starting to see them.

Climate change and global warming can be stopped. But we have to start now.

We know how to mitigate and adapt. We have the tools: renewables.

The Job Myth

The government is basing their position on economic and job opportunities. We can absolutely be on board with that. If it made sense. Promises to create more coal jobs remain unfulfilled. Pipeline and drilling efforts remain blocked in litigation. Although, how these jobs are best for worker, consumer, or environmental health is an entirely different story. The reality is that jobs are coming from technology. Not from non-sustainable industries.

Around 50,000 individuals are working in the coal industry. There are over 250,000 employed by the US solar energy industry. In the last decade, solar has grown at an annual rate of over 50%. Cities across the country are adapting their own environmental policies in the absence of national and international ones. Faced with increasing extreme weather events, cities are investing in the sustainable infrastructure in terms of agriculture and clean drinking water, power and electricity sources, temperature increases, and disaster mitigation.

Solar is just one option. Most involve sunlight in some fashion – billions of years old, it’s not going anywhere.  But others, like wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass sources are just barely being scratched. Learning how to use these sources correctly, cost-effectively, and getting them mainstream offers unlimited possibility for future job positions.

Adoption

Another big myth to renewable energy consumption is cost. In fact, the cost to install solar has dropped by more than 70% over the last decade. Imagine what the industry could do with government-backing, media involvement, and consumer adoption.

Now take Tesla as a fantastic experiment in consumer advocacy and the power and influence of the oil industry. Even through tremendous amounts of exaggerated, negative publicity, Tesla has managed to not only create a sustainable automobile, they’ve managed to create one that has high value and adoption by the average consumer. With the recent release of their Model 3, they’ve also seen to create at a price point that rivals (and often beats) the average of most automobile makers in America. Again, imagine how the industry could change with support.

The reality is that all change has to start somewhere. The most effective way to make a change is to support the companies changing the world for good. In our environmental portfolio, we’ve identified companies that profit from fossil fuels and non-sustainable practices. You won’t find them. Instead, you’ll find technology-driven and fast-growing companies with a mission to not only succeed in their industry but environmental efforts as well.

Want to learn more about impact investing and how you use your money for good? Get in touch.

We believe in empowering our investment clients by allowing them to not only invest in companies that have strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards but also to maintain advocacy by promoting change from within the organization. Owning at least one share of a company’s stock allows any one person, company, or institution to be referred to as a shareholder, or stockholder.

In publicly traded companies, shareholders maintain a certain degree of ownership to the company. If the company does well, the shareholder benefits from increased stock valuation, and if the company does poorly, the stock then loses value and the shareholders, in turn, lose money.

There can be many additional benefits, depending on the corporation, that shareholders can participate in. Since you likely started impact investing, or investing your money according to your values because you wanted a say in how your money was being used, you likely care even more so about the decisions companies are making on a day-to-day or year-to-year continual basis.

This raises the question: as a shareholder of a company, how can you advocate for your values?

1. Let start with the obvious off the bat. Invest. By investing in companies that you feel strongly about from either a revenue or purposes standpoint, you’re taking a risk that the company will succeed. The more you invest, the more the company will be able to continue its mission as a business and in their socially responsible practices.

2. Vote. As a shareholder, you have the opportunity to vote on matters important to the organization. For instance, if you value equality & diversity in corporate governance, place your vote when the company chooses its board of directors annually. Or, if the company is considering a merger in the future, do your research on the potential merging company’s environmental or human rights records.

3. Attend the company’s quarterly or annual meetings. This is the single best way to learn about a company’s performance and business growth plans. Unable to attend a meeting in person or via conference call? Review the company’s quarterly or annual report, which should be available to all shareholders. Let this guide your investment decisions. Consider sharing concerns or research with appropriate personnel if your research warrants.

Your investments are a reflection of your values. Advocate for your values with the companies you have trusted with your investments. New to impact investing? We offer many different socially responsible portfolios and offer custom screens including Shareholder Advocacy, Community Impact Investments, Employee Relations, Environment, Product Safety, Corporate Governance, Military Contracting, Alcohol, Nuclear Power, Tobacco, Gambling, Animal Testing, and Repressive Regimes.

Want to learn more about impact investing and how you use your money for good? Start building your portfolio today!

Offer expires April 12, 2019.

Why Open an IRA

Let’s start with the basics. Anyone can contribute to an IRA, or individual retirement account, regardless of additional employer-sponsored retirement accounts, or 401k(s). As long as you make an income from your wages as an employee or business owner, you are allowed to contribute to an IRA.

A few things to take note. For 2018, the IRA contribution limit is $5,500. This is per person, not per account. Those contributors age 50 and older can provide a catch-up contribution of $1,000 making their limit $6,500. These limits are increasing for 2019, but you are still eligible to take out Roth or Traditional IRA accounts before the tax filing deadline of April 15, 2019. One month, folks.

Not only can your IRA contributions give you a tax break, but over time, saving additional for retirement in the form of an IRA can grow to quite a healthy nest egg. The earlier you start, the larger it will be – based on a historically average return of around 7%!

Learn more about the various types of IRAs.

Or

Get Started. We’ll even help you out. When you contribute a $50 minimum to your 2018 IRA through Invested Interests before April 12, 2019, we’ll match your $50. Boom.

Make money. And make an impact.

At Invested Interests, we practice impact investing. Impact investing is an investment strategy that considers both financial returns and social responsibility. When you open an IRA with us, not only will you be contributing to your financial future, we’ll help you ensure your funds are helping out our world in the meantime.

We offer many different socially responsible portfolios. For more information on all of our portfolio options, click here.

Impact investing isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.

Want to learn more about impact investing and how you use your money for good? Get in touch.