Financial intelligence is important for many reasons. It allows you to build a future, makes you feel more comfortable, and allows you to invest in yourself. We wanted to learn more about how people who are ready to invest can make decisions around sustainable investing. The renewable energy and cleantech industries will continue to grow as more and more people and countries adopt clean energy sources and transition to electric transportation. We sat down with Rebecca David, founder of GIVE, to discuss Sustainable Investing.
Tell us a little bit about you and your background:
I am the Founder of GIVE, which is a community that makes wealth management, philanthropy, and impact investing accessible to everyone.
What is a fun fact about you?
I served on the Junior Board of UNICEF for ten years.
Why do you think climate change and sustainability is such an important topic today?
There is no one and nothing that isn’t affected by climate change. There are risks to our health, human rights, and investments that will continue to impact everyone.
What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?
Sustainability is more than a trend. Many investors know the risks that climate change poses to our world, and the sustainable investment industry continues to grow. Currently $1 in $3 under management in the US is in a sustainable strategy. Institutional investors are aware that using Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria leads to better investing however, there is still work to be done to educate the larger community. Previously impact investing was something that only the very wealthy could take part in due to high minimums but that is no longer the case. Part of GIVE’s mission is to help make sustainable investing accessible to everyone and to help grow the industry.
What can the average person do to make a difference?
Everyone can do something, and I want people to know that they matter and their choices matter. Everyone can give, whether it is their time, energy, or resources. In regard to sustainable investing, the first thing that you can do is to choose a better bank or financial institution. The 60 largest banks have financed $3.8 trillion into fossil fuel companies and projects in the last five years, and many invest in the prison industrial complex. Community banks and credit unions often have better customer service and lower fees than large banks. Mighty Deposits is a great website to use to see the impact your money is having with your current financial institution.