There are lots of terms out there that all refer to the same basic idea: aligning your investment dollars with your values. It has often been called Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and sometimes, Impact Investing. A key strategy of values-based, sustainable and responsible investing is incorporating environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) criteria into investment decisions.
Read MoreLast week the world lost one of its great thought-leaders. John "Jack" Clifton Bogle, founder of Vanguard and highly influential crusader for investors’ rights, died in Bryn Mawr, PA, on January 16th at the age of 89.
There have been no shortage of accolades and amazing quotes about the legacy of Jack Bogle from the heavy hitters in the finance industry. One of my favorites is by Warren Buffet:
Read More“Jack Bogle has done probably more for the American investor than any man in the country.”– Warren Buffett
If you were born in the 80s or earlier, you are probably very familiar with the USDA food pyramid, which is supposed to guide us all on how to eat in a nutritionally sound way for maximum health. Well, we can now see an Investment Pyramid (notably, NOT put out by the USDA) that can provide some structure around how to invest in a sound way and maximize your wealth over time.
Read MoreA common theme I discuss with my clients is the fact that there's a lot more to financial planning and investing than just picking the right investments. Further, investing itself is not even primarily based on the study of finance. More than anything, investing is about how people behave with money. And guess what? It turns out that teaching good investor behavior is really hard to do! It's not as simple as pointing to a few clever equations, memorizing a formula or building an Excel spreadsheet. It's not about what you know -- it's about your actions and behaviors.
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