You Vote With Your Money Every Day

Most of us would like to live in a world that is peaceful, environmentally sustainable, and fair to all. Since most people share these ideals, why are we so far from achieving them? We believe the primary reason is that, for too long, people have separated their social ideals from their economic decisions. The essence of socially responsible investing is that it emphatically ties together the social goals shared by so many with the daily economic decisions that face us all.

We are taught at a young age that our social goals are expressed in political elections. In economic matters we are trained to focus on our own self-interest. Socially responsible investing has grown as increasing numbers of people realize that their economic self-interest cannot be separated from the kind of society in which they want to live. If one experiences an immediate financial gain, but ends up with a more polluted, less safe world, the quality of one's life has actually gone down. When investors are not aware of the impact their investments have, the result can be inadvertent support of companies that may be working at cross purposes to one’s social goals.

In our political system we have the opportunity to vote every two years. In our economic system we vote with our money every day. Our decisions as investors and consumers influence the kinds of products that are produced, the growth of some companies and the decline of others, wage rates, corporate policy toward the environment, and ultimately, the quality of life.

When you choose an investment manager, you are in a sense electing your economic representative. The ideal investment program builds the economic security of the client while improving the social and natural environment. We work hard to achieve these objectives for our clients.