The Power of Protest by James Frazier
Returning to the South: Part 1 by Tiffany Brown
Battling Government’s Assault on Shareholder Rights by Michael Kramer
Gold: Is there a Socially Responsible Option? by Evan Quirk-Garvan
What’s Up on Wall Street: Fall 2019 by Scott Secrest
This article is Part 1, by Tiffany Brown, in a new series exploring the racial wealth divide across the Deep South.
My business partner Kate Poole and I are clear that our core focus for Chordata Capital is to address the racial wealth divide. How could we not? Kate and I first crossed paths at Resource Generation, when I was the retreat director. Nearly every Resource Generation conference begins with some form of a timeline activity to explore the racist history of wealth accumulation in this country; during this activity, people walk the room locating points where their family accumulated wealth adjacent to a counterpoint of a racist law (like the Homestead Act).
Natural Investments, a Certified B Corporation, has been named a Best For The World honoree in recognition of their work to improve the lives of their customers through the use of their product or service. Ranking in the top 10 percent of all 3,000 B Corps for their positive impact on their customers, Natural Investments earned this honor because their financial services promote public benefit, is designed to generate positive social and ecological environments, in addition to uplifting under-served populations. The firm aims to set a gold standard for how business can be a force for good for people around the world.
Natural Investments, LLC today announced that its assets under management (AUM) now total over $1 billion. Founded in 1989, but rebranded under a revised name in 2007, Natural Investments’ advisors have for 30 years been one of the original firms to exclusively focus on sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investing. Publishers of three definitive books on SRI, the firm has long been a leader in helping to transform finance, society, and the environment through the deployment of investment capital.
Tales of the Quarter Century by Michael Kramer
The following articles appear from our archives as part of the 100th issue special, celebrating twenty-five years of quarterly newsletters.
1994: Viva South Africa! by Hal Brill
2000: NI Scores High in New York Times Fund Study by Jack Brill
2001: Bringing Consciousness to Capitalism by Hal Brill
2003: How We Can Help Stop the Genocide in Darfur by Jack Brill
2006: Community Investing after Hurricane Katrina by Michael Kramer
2009: After the Financial Crisis, Reform by Michael Kramer
2011: Call for Chevron to Pay Ecuadorian Communities by Jim Cummings
2013: Gender Lens Investing by Malaika Maphalala
2015: New Insights on SRI Performance by James Frazier
2016: Get that Oily Mess Out of My Money! by Eric Smith
2018: Divestment as a Moral Imperative by Kirbie Crowe
This article is from our archives as part of the 100th issue special, celebrating twenty-five years of quarterly newsletters.
Finding this article in our archives, shortly after the attempted coup in Sudan this spring, we are reminded that the human toll in resource-related conflict is real, and economic consequences can extend for decades.
The statistics are mind-boggling: 200,000 dead, 2.5 million refugees and the holocaust in Darfur continues. Investments in oil companies in Sudan are supplying the money that supports this genocide. 70-80% of Sudan’s oil revenue is being funneled into its military. Oil ventures in Sudan are an undeniable enabler of Khartoum’s genocidal policy in Darfur.
There is a growing economic force currently going on to stop the violence. The Sudanese Divestment Task Force (SDTF) instituted a targeted divestment program last year.
Natural Investments, LLC welcomed five new advisors to the firm, expanding our company to twenty advisors across eleven states. We are cultivating the next generation of SRI leaders with wide-ranging expertise in sustainability, social justice, and impact investing.
In 2018 we began a relationship with Triskeles Foundation to provide donor-advised funds (DAF). These are charitable giving investment vehicles that an individual, family, or business use to direct an irrevocable contribution of assets to a public charity.
Of the $524M in assets under management by Natural Investments, $354M is in ESG-screened funds on the publicly-traded market. ESG refers to a variety of environmental, social, and corporate governance guidelines, known as avoidance and affirmative criteria, used to screen investments. We use them to steer clear of the practices and sectors that cause harm to people and the planet, pressure companies to change their behavior, and support companies and projects that lead to a more just and sustainable society.
While we directed $160M and $110M of assets into weapons-free and tobacco-free funds, our fossil-fuel-free (FFF) portfolio has
A Year of Emerging Leadership: 2018 Reflections, by Michael Kramer
Carbon Offsets: Making a Positive Climate Impact, by Christopher Peck
Profile: Green Century Capital Management, by Brady Quirk-Garvan
Profile: American Homeowners Preservation Fund, by Amy Pender
Profile: Blue Hub Capital, by James Frazier
Profile: Calvert Impact Capital, by Susan K. Taylor
Profile: Iroquois Valley Farms, by Andy Loving
Download a full PDF copy of our 2018 Social Impact Report
In Support of the Climate Necessity Defense by Ryan Jones Casey
Caveat Emptor: What Are You Putting on Your Skin? by Sylvia Panek
Mainstreaming Responsible Investing by Michael Kramer
Doughnuts Anyone? by Kirbie Crowe
Bloomers and Doomers, Two Groups Driving Local Investment by Hal Brill
What’s Up on Wall Street by Scott Secrest
