finance

Ethical Investments - What does it mean? Socially responsible investing (SRI), or social investment, also known as sustainable, socially conscious, "green" or ethical investing, is any investment strategy which seeks to consider both financial return and social/environmental good to bring about a positive change. The term describes an investment process that incorporates environmental and social factors when selecting investments, in addition to the objective of achieving a competitive financial return. Investing ethically means that you know what your money is doing and what it is funding. In general, socially responsible investors encourage corporate practices that promote environmental stewardship, consumer protection, human rights, and diversity. Some avoid businesses involved in alcohol, tobacco, fast food, gambling, pornography, weapons, contraception/abortifacients/abortion, fossil fuel production or the military. The easiest approach is to view Ethical Investing as a spectrum from "deep green" to "light green" products that let people invest according to their level of conviction. The deep-green end includes ethical funds that avoid sectors considered harmful — for example, tobacco, controversial weapons (landmines), pornography and companies that earn a significant amount of revenue from fossil-fuel industries. Ethical funds usually have relatively higher fees [...]