Posts in Invest Your Values
Your 401(k) plan might be funding fossil fuels. This tool lets you know—and helps you change that
Your 401(k) plan might be funding fossil fuels. This tool lets you know—and helps you change that

As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy nonprofit, raises awareness among the public about this irony, primarily using a suite of online tools to help people find out what their companies are investing their earnings in. It’s especially important when that doesn’t align with citizens’ increasing concerns about social and environmental causes. The organization hopes it can “trigger an emotional response” to get them to effect change in company policies. “People simply don’t know that their money is being invested in companies that are destroying their future,” says CEO Andrew Behar. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Andrew Behar, 401k
Shareholder group is pressing Comcast and Amazon for climate-friendly 401(k) options for employees
Shareholder group is pressing Comcast and Amazon for climate-friendly 401(k) options for employees

A shareholder advocacy group is pushing Comcast and Amazon to examine why they don’t offer more ”sustainable” funds to employees through their 401(k) retirement plans, arguing that the lack of such options is out of sync with the stated climate goals at each company. The proposal would require the board of each company to produce a report on the issue. As You Sow brought the measure and it received a green light from the Securities and Exchange Commission to go up for an investor vote at this year’s annual meetings — Amazon’s on May 25 and Comcast’s on June 1. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, 401k, Andrew Behar, comcast, amazon
Is Investing in Defense Contractors Actually Immoral?
Is Investing in Defense Contractors Actually Immoral?

It’s likewise complicated for E.S.G. funds that screen out defense contractors. I spoke with Andrew Montes, the director of digital strategies for As You Sow, a nonprofit based in Berkeley, Calif., that focuses on corporate accountability. He said: “We unequivocally condemn the invasion, and the Ukrainians have a right to defend themselves. But it’s a separate question if defense stocks belong in the portfolio.” Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Weapon Free Funds, ESG, Andrew Montes
Russia’s War Prompts a Pitch for ‘Socially Responsible’ Military Stocks
Russia’s War Prompts a Pitch for ‘Socially Responsible’ Military Stocks

It certainly does to Andrew Behar, the chief executive of As You Sow, an advocacy and research group that frequently files shareholder proxy proposals on E.S.G. issues.

“We don’t think that you should have any weapons systems in an E.S.G. fund,” he said. The group provides an online tool on the web site Weapon Free Funds that enables investors to screen mutual funds and exchange-traded funds on this issue. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Weapon Free Funds, Andrew Behar, ESG
The Key to Sustainable Investing That's Good for the Planet? Homework
The Key to Sustainable Investing That's Good for the Planet? Homework

One of the most popular and easy-to-use tools is the online investment assessment tool from AsYouSow.org, “a non-profit foundation chartered to promote corporate social responsibility through shareholder advocacy,” called “Invest Your Values.” As You Sow promotes what it calls its “theory of change,” that forcing corporate leadership to address the impact of their policies and actions actually reduces the risk to corporations and shareholders. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You SowESG
An Open letter to Larry Fink: How Your CEO Letter Requires a Few Tweaks
An Open letter to Larry Fink: How Your CEO Letter Requires a Few Tweaks

Andrew Behar once again pens a letter to BlackRock’s CEO.

I particularly appreciate the creation of the “Center for Stakeholder Capitalism” as it answers the request As You Sow made in two shareholder resolutions for an implementation plan of the Business Roundtable pledge. This is exactly what we were looking for. You have my gratitude and personal offer to assist in any way to, “bring together leading CEOs, investors, policy experts, and academics to share their experience and deliver their insights”.

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Shareholder Advocacy, Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Andrew Behar
As new signs of climate change emerge, here’s how you can invest in companies and funds that keep the environment safe
As new signs of climate change emerge, here’s how you can invest in companies and funds that keep the environment safe

As You Sow, a non-profit focusing on corporate social responsibility, offers an online tool that compares where funds rank with regard to criteria such as deforestation, fossil fuels, gender equality, guns, weapons, tobacco and prisons. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Lorie Konish, Fossil Free Funds, funds, deforestation free funds, gun free funds, esg funds, Weapon Free Funds, prison free funds, Gender Equality Funds, invest your values
As Labor reviews ESG rule, study says many 401(k)s don’t reflect sustainability pledges
As Labor reviews ESG rule, study says many 401(k)s don’t reflect sustainability pledges

"Most employees across the nation are unaware their retirement plan investments are profiting from environmentally and socially risky companies," As You Sow said in the report. "The financial risks include stranded assets, reputational risk, and other negative impacts of unsustainable business practices that can destroy shareholder value." Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Talib Visram, 401(k), 401k report card, ESG
A response to ‘Four strategies for effective engagement’: Why the nature of investor-corporate discussion is key for successful outcomes
A response to ‘Four strategies for effective engagement’: Why the nature of investor-corporate discussion is key for successful outcomes

What the companies and large money managers did not mention is the entire ‘shareholder advocacy’ community of professionals. This includes faith-based, impact, and socially responsible investors, as well as non-profit shareholder advocates like As You Sow, the organisation of which I am CEO. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You SowAndrew Behar, investing, investments, invest your values
How to choose an ESG fund: ‘Don’t trust the picture on the package,’ expert says
How to choose an ESG fund: ‘Don’t trust the picture on the package,’ expert says

It may not be readily apparent how a fund incorporates ESG factors into its strategy. Take the BlackRock U.S. Carbon Transition Readiness ETF, which attracted $1.25 billion of investor dollars when it launched in mid April. “The people who invested in that fund thought they were addressing climate risk,” says Andrew Behar, CEO of shareholder advocacy nonprofit As You Sow. “Instead they got business as usual,” he says, including energy and fossil fuel giants. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Ryan Ermey, invest your values, esg funds, ESG
Why ‘Greenwashing' Is an Issue for Sustainable Investments—and How to Avoid It
Why ‘Greenwashing' Is an Issue for Sustainable Investments—and How to Avoid It

As You Sow, a nonprofit that promotes corporate social responsibility, also created the Invest Your Values search tools, which investors can use to learn more about their investments. Investors can search the name or symbol of mutual funds or ETFs in one of six search tools, including Deforestation Free Funds and Fossil Free Funds, and will be provided with a "report card" on the fund related to the issue. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Alicia Adamczyk, Fossil Free Funds, fossil fuels, deforestation free funds, deforestation
How to keep your retirement investments gun-free
How to keep your retirement investments gun-free

Andrew Behar is the CEO of the nonprofit As You Sow, a watchdog and investor advocacy group that provides resources for those interested in more socially responsible investing. As You Sow's Invest Your Values tool helps investors rate and reference where their money is going, and covers a wide range of topics: environmentally-friendly investing, gender equality funds, prison-free funds, and gun and other weapon-free funds. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You SowChase Dibenedetto, homepage, gun free funds