This year’s impact report highlights the important work we are doing together to make our economic system more resilient, just, and regenerative. Now in our 38th year of managing investor assets, we appreciate your enduring commitment to this transformation of society and our economy.
Despite the market downturn in 2022, interest in sustainable investments continued to increase across the United Sates. At Natural Investments, the inflow of new clients starting their sustainable, responsible, impact (SRI) investing journey helped grow the firm to $1.18 billion assets under management. [1] The stewardship approach with client assets also reimagines the purpose of
We’ve reached the big time. When every major media outlet, Congress, the Department of Labor, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are all focused on issues pertaining to sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investing, it’s clear that this segment of the financial services industry has hit its stride in terms of popularity, impact, and yes,
Driven by ever-increasing investor demand, most major investment institutions are practicing sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investing. As a result, the number of products claiming to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria continues to rise. Per Morningstar®, there are now more than 600 ESG mutual funds and exchange-traded funds in the U.S., including 87
The East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative (EB PREC) is a Black women-led cooperative founded in 2017 and incubated out of a partnership between the People of Color Sustainable Housing Network (POCSHN) and the Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC). Its transformative mission is to “foster a culture of democracy and cooperation by giving everyone (tenants and
When Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF) came to my attention in 2014, the members were raising capital for their second venture fund. I found them to be particularly attractive because of my background in physics and environmental science and their serious focus on environmental sustainability. Today, the depth and breadth of that sustainability focus makes EIF
The stock and bond markets went for a bouncy ride for the first quarter which ended with the markets higher. For the period, large-company stocks were up 7.50%, small-company stocks were up by 2.7%, and foreign stocks were up 8.50%. Bonds increased for the quarter by 3.00%. High inflation has dominated the headlines and impacted
The good old-fashioned cooperative (co-op for short) continues to demonstrate its merit as a time-tested alternative to extreme concentrations of wealth through private business ownership. As one might imagine, Wall Street is not enamored with co-ops due to their intentional distribution of wealth. This makes financing co-ops challenging, even though their business models can be
This newsletter, “Investing with Intent,” is distributed to clients and friends of Natural Investments, LLC (NI). NI is an investment adviser registered with the SEC.
The U.S. Department of Labor issued its final rule last month replacing Trump-era guidance that had stymied the ability of pension and other retirement plans to include environmental, social, and governance ESG factors when selecting investments.
As responsible investors who care about women and investing in gender equality, where should we focus the most attention? Are there ways that investors and the industry-at-large could be more intentional in “divesting from the patriarchy,” and becoming better allies of women in our struggle for equality and liberation? What opportunities excite us the most if the desire is to make a bigger impact on women’s issues?
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