Insights - Page 11 of 28 - Natural Investments

2026 Impact & Public Benefit Report

The 2026 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 our firm’s impact on communities, our work to advance a more just form of capitalism, and our leadership in promoting racial equity and inclusive ownership. Download the full report. Annual Company Letter: The Era of Resistance and Resilience by Michael Kramer 2026 Sustainable And Responsible Impact 2026 Shareholder Advocacy Highlights by Michael Kramer

Natural Investments July 17, 2026

Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing Hits the Big Time

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,

Michael Kramer April 4, 2023

ESG Investing: Reaping What We’ve Sown

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

Michael Kramer April 4, 2023

Spotlight: East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative

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

Kulu Maphalala April 4, 2023

Spotlight: Ecosystem Integrity Fund

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

Greg Pitts April 4, 2023

Market Report – Spring 2023

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

Scott Secrest April 4, 2023

Spotlight: Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF)

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

James Frazier April 4, 2023

Investing with Intent – Winter 2023

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.

Natural Investments January 9, 2023

Shareholder Advocacy Review – Winter 2023

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.

Michael Kramer January 9, 2023

Five Ideas for Investing in Gender Equality

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?

Nicole Middleton Holloway January 9, 2023

How to Consider Climate Change Risk on Real Estate

When I wrote “Location. Now More Than Ever” in 2016, the cliché about “location, location, location” still referred to issues like good schools, close to work, and near family. Clearly these are still important criteria in real estate, but now add to the list: is it a region with high or low climate change risk?

Christopher Peck January 9, 2023