Doing Good With Your Money:

Tips From the Sustainable Investment Team

Wespath believes sustainable investment activities strengthen our potential to consistently provide strong, long-term financial returns and help you reach your investment objectives.

While Wespath is pleased to be recognized globally for these efforts and plans to continue leading sustainable investment conversations with our investment managers and peers, our Sustainable Investment Services (SIS) team is often asked how individuals like you can act locally as sustainable investors.

Being a Wespath participant is a good start! Our sustainable investment strategies are applied across each Wespath fund, and our vision for a sustainable global economy is supported throughout our investment approach.

But for those of you who want to expand your everyday impact, the SIS team put together a few tips.

Tip 1: Gather Information From Trusted Resources

There is a lot to know about sustainability and the economy. Check out resources from our industry partners—including Ceres, ICCR and Climate Action 100+—and follow these groups on social media.

Tip 2: Choose a Bank That Aligns With Your Values

We believe the financial system can and should empower communities. You may consider banking through a local credit union or community bank that can reinvest more heavily in the areas in which they operate. The Global Alliance for Banking on Values and the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Banking also provide frameworks for evaluating how banks align with your values.

Tip 3: Engage With Companies

Shareholder engagement is a tool primarily used by institutional investors, but individual investors can also make their voices heard by corporate leaders. We recently spoke to a Wespath participant who wrote a thoughtful letter to a company’s board of directors regarding the opioid crisis. The participant successfully encouraged the board to add awareness of opioid risk to its search criteria for future board members.

Tip 4: Narrow Your Focus

If you are interested in these concepts, try to find an issue you are particularly passionate about and seek out ways to make a difference. Creating and supporting a sustainable economy is a massive, collaborative undertaking—but you may feel rewarded by taking some initial steps.