Warning: I am not a stock broker, nor have I ever played one on TV. Based on my personal track record compiled over many years, following my advice when it comes to the stock market has a 99.47% chance of leading to financial disaster. Only someone with an IQ lower than a sweet potato would make an investment decision based on my recommendations. Consider yourself warned!
A CleanTechnica reader named David left a comment on a recent CleanTechnica story alerting us to the existence of Swell Investing. According to Forbes, it is “an affiliate of Pacific Life, partnered with Motif Investing, a discount brokerage platform where investors can build ‘themed’ portfolios.”
Meet Swell from Swell Investing on Vimeo.
On its website, Swell Investing describes itself as being “built on a belief that today’s biggest challenges will result in tomorrow’s leading industries. We identify high-potential, high-impact themes that are focused on a positive future — from healthcare innovation to clean tech.”
So, if you want to avoid traditional funds that may invest in fossil fuel companies like Koch Industries or ExxonMobil, pipeline companies like TransCanada, or coal companies like Peabody Energy, investigate Swell Investing. You might find it is a way to put your money to work without empowering corporations that are pillaging the earth.
David says an investment he made with Swell Investing in April has risen 10% in value already. That, of course, is no guarantee that a similar investment will see similar gains. If you decide to go this route and the results are disappointing, yell at David, not at me.
Source: Swell Investing
“Research shows that the MSCI KLD 400 — an index focused on companies with high environmental and social impact — has outperformed the S&P 500 for over twenty-five years, since its inception,” Swell Investing claims.
While researching this article, I came across a piece about Hedgeable, another investment opportunity that allows people to do what has come to be called “impact investing.” That is, it helps them direct their investments into things they believe in.
According to Forbes, “Hedgeable is different from Swell Investing in that the entire process is automated. Clients choose the impact investing feature when they sign up. Hedgeable then builds a customized portfolio for them and manages it. With Swell, investors have to pick the investments and rebalance them on their own.
“Hedgeable doesn’t have any account minimums. Some of the causes available to support include women’s empowerment, LGBT equality, low carbon emissions, and alternative clean energy.”
One thing I can tell you for certain is that banks and credit unions are paying historically low interest rates, so if you have a chunk of change parked in a savings account somewhere, you are earning next to nothing on it. If you want to put your money to work in a way that supports your world view, Swell Investing or Hedgeable could help you do that.
My old Irish grandmother used to tell me all the time to never bet more than you can afford to lose. Any investment is a bet. In recent memory, people have lost big by putting money into a credit union account. The only way to keep your money absolutely safe is to tuck it inside your mattress. But where’s the fun in that?
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