April 22 marks the 51st Anniversary of Earth Day. Like many of you, the staff at Seasons try to do our part to be good stewards of the earth year round. Walking or biking instead of driving, planting a garden, recycling and composting, using recyclable bags, reducing our water usage at home and all the other little things we can do to take care of our planet.
In addition to these efforts, you can also promote good care of the earth by how you invest. Funds that employ ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) criteria look to invest in companies that meet a set of operational standards. Environmental standards examine a company’s carbon footprint, pollution records and other criteria to see if the company is being a good steward of nature. Social standards evaluate relationships with suppliers, customers, employees and the community. Governance standards look at a company’s board diversity, leadership, executive pay and shareholder rights.
One of the benefits of investing in ESG funds is finding companies with values that resonate with your own. To learn more about ESG or sustainable investing, read the LPL article on Sustainable Investing: A Force for Positive Change. Happy Earth Day from all of us at Seasons!
This material is provided for general and educational purposes only and is not intended to provide investment advice.