I Don't Want To Own 'America' Right Now

I Don't Want To Own 'America' right now

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Q I don’t want to own “America” right now. I don’t want to profit from killing people, destroying jobs in other countries, and ruining lives through a system that places profits over people and the planet. I have a 401(k) and an IRA filled with mutual funds. I really don’t even care if I make less money by being conscientious. My advisor says he has other clients who are “that way.” I don’t think he gets me. Any advice?

Paul Sutherland: “Good on you!” as my friends at Australia Ethical Investment Company would say. My friends would also point out that you don’t need to sacrifice returns to invest in conscientious companies—and they prove the point with statistics from Morningstar and other investment performance analyzers. So it is not going to cost you to do the right thing. But that’s not the point of your question. The point is to feel good about how your money works for you.

In a utopian world, we would invest, knowing that:

1. Our money does no harm.

2. Our money does not support people or organizations that are not good for society.

3. Our money helps improve how companies interact with customers and the world around them.