Earth Day comes around once a year, but investors can put their money to work to combat climate change year-round.
As more individuals come to terms with the existential threat of climate change, sustainable investing is no longer niche. It's gone mainstream, and it's a growing force in the capital markets.
An often cited 2019 survey from Morgan Stanley found that 85 percent of investors with at least $100,000 in investable assets were interested in sustainable investing.
Some 48 percent of investors with $10,000 or more invested said they were "very or somewhat" interested in sustainable investment funds, according to a 2022 Gallup poll. But only 25 percent said they'd heard "a lot or fair amount" about it, and only 10 percent said they were currently invested in sustainable funds.
Not only is familiarity with sustainable investing low, concepts like ESG can be confusing. ESG refers to "environmental, social, and governance." It's a set of standards used to evaluate companies through a social lens, but a study from Stanford University found ESG ratings can be unreliable because there isn't a standardized criteria for evaluation, information gathering is expensive, and data can be incomplete or unreliable.
Peter Krull, a partner and director of sustainable investing at Prime Capital Investment Advisors company Earth Equity Advisors, echoed those concerns.
"An ESG portfolio that reduces its exposure to ExxonMobil is less bad. One that eliminates it entirely is better. But one that replaces it with First Solar is actually sustainable," Krull told Cheddar News.
Krull recommended sustainable investors eliminate fossil fuel companies or funds that contain them from their portfolios altogether, but other sectors aren't so cut and dried. Mining operations, for example, can mine fossil fuels, but they can also mine minerals for electric vehicle batteries. As for what goes into a green portfolio, Krull recommended alternative energy companies that focus on solar, wind, and geothermal power, as well as less obvious choices like insurance companies that consider climate risk and biotech that improves health outcomes.
"I like to call traditional index investing rearview mirror investing because it's really about investing in where we've been or where the economy has been. Whereas sustainable investing is where the economy is going," Krull said.
Being a smart and sustainable investor can require a great deal of critical thinking and research, and Krull recommended tools like Fossil Free Funds and Invest Your Values to help sort through the noise.
Ultimately, investing is about generating a return. When it comes to sustainable investing, Krull also suggested that investors think long term.
"Because sustainable investing is about investing for the future, [investments are] not always going to be up, especially when value investing is in style," he said. "Over the long term, it should play out. But in short terms, just like we're dealing with right now over the last 12 to 18 months, that value has been in style, you probably will underperform a little bit."
Everyone is searching for that social media moment, whether it’s filming a viral dance for TikTok or snapping a selfie for your Instagram Story. Cheddar News explores the activities made for the online world, including streaming companies creating real-life experiences to entice you to stay subscribed, TikTok taking the stage with its first theatrical production, and how one immersive experience made out of candy encourages you to revisit your childhood.
Join Cheddar News as we break down the top headlines for Thursday, May 26 including updates on the Texas school shooting, President Joe Biden's executive order on police reform, and a recount in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary.
Markets opened lower Wednesday morning as investors await meeting minutes from the Federal Reserve. Bill Stone, Chief Investment Officer at The Glenview Trust Company joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Pepsi’s 10-year contract with the NFL to sponsor the Super Bowl Half Time Show has come to an end and the rights are now up for grabs, leaving football fans to wonder what competitor or a wild card will jump in to take the food and beverage giant's place. However, PepsiCo will still have pour rights at all of the NFL major events.
CEO Anthony Zhang of Vinovest, a platform for investing in bottles of fine wine, joined Cheddar News to discuss how his company is bringing this unique opportunity to investors. “Just to be clear, these aren't the typical bottles of wine that you're finding at your local grocery store or Trader Joe's," he said. "These are really considered bottles that are collectible, age-worthy, and have a track regular of appreciating over time on the secondary market.”
Judith Enck, a former regional administrator for the EPA and the president of Beyond Plastics, joined Cheddar News to talk about the role of plastics in the climate crisis and California's investigation of ExxonMobil and other oil companies for misleading the public on the ability to recycle plastics. "The reason why petrochemical companies like Exxon have gotten away with selling more and more plastic is that they've lied to the public and told us don't worry about all those negative upstream impacts and downstream impacts of plastics. Just be sure to recycle it. Well, guess what? Plastics largely are not recycled," Enck said.
Apple warned of a potential $8 billion future sales hit due to supply issues, but Dan Ives, the managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, noted that the record quarterly report the tech giant posted shows demand remains high for Apple products and services. Ives joined Cheddar to explain why investors should look past the warning. "In these types of markets where many are yelling fire in a crowded theater, you look at the demand trends because that continues to be the focus for Apple," he said "I think you combine that with the services. I view it as a defensive name. It's a Rock of Gibraltar stock in a Category 5 storm as well as also an offensive play as I believe we start to move out of some of these just brutal headwinds that we've been seeing in the market once the Fed rips the band-aid off."
Neutral Foods is touting itself as the first carbon-neutral food producer starting with its cow's milk. Neutral Foods CEO Marcus Lovell Smith and founder of Darco Capital David Adelman joined Cheddar News to talk about their efforts in trying to address the climate anxiety being felt by many American consumers who still buy dairy. "You know, 93 percent of American households still have milk in the refrigerator, normal, ordinary milk. So we're meeting Americans where they are," said Smith.
