Natural Investing for Personal and Social Well-Being

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Natural Investing begins with the awareness that our choices regarding money make a powerful statement about our personal values and exert strong consequences in the world. Starting on this path does not require a lot of money—many screened mutual funds and community banking options welcome investors who can start with as little as $50.

Natural Investing does mean that one must follow both head and heart when designing an investment strategy. All the basic financial planning tools still apply, including responsibility to self and family. But Natural Investors are willing to take on the earnest soul-searching needed to bring values into the financial world. Before investing, take some time to decide on your own social, ethical, and environmental priorities, and learn how to support your most important issues. Start out slowly, perhaps focusing on one issue that you feel strongly about, or test the waters by converting a portion of your portfolio into values-inclusive investments.

Another exciting aspect of Natural Investing is the fact that the methods for integrating one’s money and values can be applied to much more than investing. Virtually all aspects of our financial lives, including working, spending, and giving, can benefit from an awareness of our core beliefs. Ultimately, the cumulative effect of millions of people bringing values into the global economy offers our greatest hope for the future.

The world today reflects the unnatural separation of money and values. The United States is the richest country ever, and material progress has brought immeasurable benefits to the world. But the pursuit of wealth-at-any-cost is also responsible for human suffering, gross inequities in the distribution of this wealth, and environmental devastation. If we are to fulfill humanity’s potential as stewards of a healthy, prosperous planet, each of us must connect with the seeds of our own natural desires and plant them smack dab in the middle of Wall Street and our entire economic system. As we learn to make money and make a difference, we enrich our own lives while we bring essential human values back into the core of our society. nNH

—Hal Brill, Jack A. Brill, and Cliff Feigenbaum

Adapted from Investing with Your Values: Making Money and Making a Difference by Hal Brill, Jack A. Brill and Cliff Feigenbaum. Copyright © 1999, Bloomberg Press.
May be ordered on www.NaturalInvesting.com

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