Over the past two months, I have been attending monthly meet-ups with a group of women in the
Invest For Better (IFB) community. IFB is
“a movement of women using values-aligned investing to shape a better world.”
If this is new to you or you're unsure what values aligned investing is: think about what's important to you: climate, gender equity, health + well-being, sustainability, closing prisons, fighting racism, shopping locally-- it could be anything. The investment piece comes into play when you find out WHERE your money is located- the mutuals funds in your IRA or 401K or the banks/wealth management firms that use you. Do these funds or institutions have gender and racial diversity on the board? Are they investing in companies that frack (yet you care about renewable energy?) Do you like the companies that you own? Are you funding weapon manufacturing and the prison complex? Do you want to start investing in local initiatives, but don't think you can or are unsure where to begin? Is your financial planner equipped to help you make the switch and listen to these goals? The bank where your checking and saving account sit, do you know anything about them?
Matching values with where your money sits or how/who you give your money to is part of values aligned investing. It may feel overwhelming, but the first step for me was realizing this was a thing. Awareness🌈
I got here by a confluence of factors:
- At my job (I work at a foundation), we give grants and investments – both mission-aligned. I'm currently in a cohort with other foundation trustees and staff to learn more about being mission-aligned in both the investments we give and where the foundation's money sits (the stock market). It's been informative.
- In the fall, I was seeking new friendships from women who may have similar values and came upon the Philly IFB opportunity on LinkedIn and the timing was right. The leaders and community of IFB Philly are great.
- Lastly, I wanted to be able to speak more confidently about my finances with my husband, our finances together and goals. Often, women don't have a good handle on the finance piece of their lives, and although I save and understand the stock market, I've been pretty passive.
In just a few months, I'm speaking up more and I understand more. I want to switch where I bank and know what funds I own or want to own. I have a long way to go, but starting feels significant.
Resources are abundant (find a few below), and one thing to highlight is that returns are just as high as regular stock/funds/etc. that don't take this into consideration.
There are many others, but I am learning as I go. If you have others, share 'em and I'll start a shared file for those interested. If you want to chat more about values aligned investing, let's do coffee 😄
PS: you are never too old to start learning, so if you're retired or semi-retired, don't just pass on this!
