High-Powered Investing All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1

Making Your Investments Match Your Values

In This Chapter

Checking out reasons for investing responsibly

Keeping an eye on your responsible investments

A lot of people want to do good through investing. Of course, “doing good” is defined differently by different people. Some people want to change the world; they want to be part of new technologies and new ideas that could make society better in the years to come. Some want to avoid businesses that produce products that they disapprove of or to align their investment style with their religious beliefs. And some want to make sure that they aren't undermining their charitable activities with their investments.

This investment style, called socially responsible investing, can help you put your money to work financing activities that you support. It can also help you avoid businesses that you'd rather not deal with. Done right, your performance should be no different than if you invested without regard to social responsibility. As the number of social investors grows, maybe even more companies will change how they operate.

If you can figure out whether an investment is responsible, you can be a responsible investor all your life, no matter how your finances and social priorities change. In this chapter, find out who invests ...