(From the Archives) – Last year I spoke with Liesel Pritzker Simmons of Blue Haven Initiative, where she oversees an impact investing portfolio structured to generate financial returns and address ESG challenges. The portfolio spans asset classes, from traditional equities and private equity to philanthropic programs. Blue Haven was created with impact investing as its mission.
Whether you are a family member in endless contentious investment committee meetings or a wealth manager attempting to align disparate client priorities, differing intergenerational perspectives frequently create challenges. Oftentimes the gap between prioritizing achieving better financial returns versus prioritizing greater social or environmental impact seems insurmountable. Here is how to integrate the two perspectives.
What a time to be a millennial investor. A chaotic 2020 offered both investment pitfalls and opportunities. 2021 should trend toward a more “normal” environment, but disruptive companies, elevated volatility and information everywhere will continue to define the investment landscape. These 3 themes have millennials positioned to thrive. So my advice is to trust your gut, stay flexible and maintain a sense of optimism about the future.
Domini Impact Investments
As a millennial myself, I find my generation faced with the challenge of tackling humankind’s greatest crisis: climate change. Growing up under the specter of a rapidly warming planet, we’ve had to decide that the cost of chasing unlimited profit may not be worth the payoff and the corresponding destructive social or environmental consequences. The lens of investing has broadened so that positive social and environmental outcomes can be coupled with lucrative returns.