Investing With Ethics. Well, Not Your Ethics

So you want to invest, but you want to invest only in companies that share your ethics. You care about global warming, and human rights and third world development. So you choose a socially responsible fund that advertises itself as an investor that chooses companies based on their policies as well as their profits.

And you may also have invested in an oil company drilling in India (after all, it's not Venezuela), or an airline that is a shade better than its competitor, but still pumping massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

So goes the cautionary tale of one investor chronicled in today's Daily Telegraph.

While the writer discusses pitfalls for a Brit, many are common to the American market. The bottom line is that socially responsible investors have to first invest some time. Investigate the fund you choose to invest in before you put your money down.

COMMENTS ()