The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is undergoing a radical transformation of its role as a regulator. Defying decades of precedence, Chairman Paul Atkins is driving a profound deregulatory agenda. In doing so, he is eroding the commission’s legal authority to develop procedures and enforce statutes developed over the past 80 years. Natural Investments has
Natural Investments, through its involvement with the Shareholder Rights Group, met with SEC Chairman Paul Atkins earlier this year. We expressed concerns regarding the commission’s decision to eliminate its written responses to companies wanting to exclude shareholder proposals from ballots, noting that it deprives companies and investors clarity about the permissibility of proposals and works
The current administration is doing everything in its power to block shareholder accountability measures designed to hold corporations accountable for their policies and practices. Shareholders have lost significant leverage to change company policies and practices from the inside, and an adversarial dynamic between shareholders and the companies they own has developed. Current SEC Chairman Paul
With Congress unable to check the overreach and illegal actions of the current administration due to Republican Congressional acquiescence, the judicial system is now the primary venue for seeking limits on excessive executive branch authority. At our annual company retreat this September in Santa Fe, N.M., those gathered had several conversations about “meeting the moment”
Shareholder Advocacy: A Shift to Judicial Activism Read More »
Despite attempts by the current administration to accelerate recent fossil fuel production, the International Energy Association found in its annual Electricity 2025 report that coal’s share of total generation is set to drop below 33 percent for the first time in the last 100 years. The IEA also found that solar PV and wind energy
Encouraging Trends: The Highest Levels of Renewable Energy Adoption Read More »
The 2025 Impact & Public Benefit Report outlines how Natural Investments creates positive social, environmental, and economic outcomes through its investments, internal practices, and industry advocacy. It showcases data and stories about the firm’s impact on communities, its work to advance a more just form of capitalism, and its leadership in promoting racial equity and inclusive ownership.
For decades, Natural Investments has shared the collective impacts of our social, economic, and environmental investments and activities via our newsletters. In recent years, these took the form of an annual impact report. Though committed to operating as a triple-bottom-line enterprise for many years, in transitioning to a Public Benefit LLC under Delaware law in
Annual Company Letter: Evolving Our Firm – Making a Greater Impact Read More »
Sustainability crept into mainstream consciousness in the late ‘80s, and while it started as an offshoot of the environmental movement, it migrated into business, finance, and government policy soon thereafter. In 1990, there were about a dozen socially responsible mutual funds, and today, there are over 500. Since it launched nearly 20 years ago, the
Impact & Public Benefit Report 2025: Headway in a Time of Resilience Read More »
A year of relative economic stability and prosperity, in 2024 Natural Investments maintained a steady growth period. Natural Investments grew 18 percent to $1.7 billion in socially responsible investment (SRI) assets under management between new clients seeking SRI and market value increase. Natural Investments channels capital into investments with intentional and measurable impact, while meeting
The fate of capitalism is at stake. Those who want to remove government obstacles and revert to the good ol’ days of building a white empire by unethically exploiting labor, communities, customers, People of Color, immigrants, and the environment are having their moment. They’re weaving their dangling threads of power through tax loopholes and harmful
Fighting Back: Preserving Shareholder Rights and the Freedom to Invest Responsibly Read More »