Trump Creates Positive Effect on Socially Responsible Investing
A version of this article I wrote was originally published by CNBC here.
Donald Trump’s surprising ascent to president of the United States has brought many unexpected effects to the financial markets. Ironically, one has been a rapid increase in interest and adoption of impact investing and other types of values-based investing.
Impact investing, or values-based investing, is a type of investing that helps people and/or organizations align their investments with their personal values. There are many varieties of this type of investing, and it goes by many names, including socially responsible investing and green investing.
There has been a rise in assets in sustainable, responsible and impact investment strategies, to $12 trillion at the beginning of 2018, up from $8.72 trillion at the beginning of 2016, according to a US/SIF Foundation report on investing trends.
So while I would definitely wager that most SRI professionals were disappointed that Trump won, the silver lining has been that it’s inspired many investors to align their money with their values. Ironically, the president has been good for the environment.
Various industry studies show that most individual investors are interested in sustainable investing. A Morgan Stanley survey found that 75% of individual investors (and 86% of millennials) are interested in sustainable investing, with 80% interested in investments that are customized to meet their values. Additionally, a Fidelity study shows 37% of millennials currently own sustainable investing strategies and another 40% are interested in adding them to their investment strategy.
This increasing demand for impact- and values-based investing certainly has been aided along by socially progressive investors who were spurred by the Trump election to vote with their wallets, according to some financial experts. Many Americans were surprised by Trump’s election, and some found themselves at an inflection point, suddenly wanting to express their values publicly through marches, privately through conversations (and arguments) with loved ones, and through how they spent and invested their money.