US

Larry Fink struck an urgent note in his annual letter to America’s corporate executives: Climate change will upend global finance sooner than they might think.

BlackRock Inc. added its almost $7 trillion heft to a group of investors that’s pressing the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases to change their ways.

A recent Wall Street Journal report indicated that the Securities and Exchange Commission has launched examinations of funds that say they invest in companies that advance environmental, social and governance goals, such as promoting sustainable development, slowing climate change and increasing diversity and inclusion.

The Global Impact Investing Network estimates the current size of the impact-investing market is at least $500 billion, but the potential size of the market is much bigger — as much as $269 trillion according to a recent report from the International Finance Corporation.

Bill Gates is still in wealth creation mode. “We’re not, you know, in some defensive posture where we’re mostly in cash, or anything like that,” the Microsoft founder said in an interview. “The strategy that’s been used on the investments is to be over 60% in equities.” That’s helped Mr. Gates add $16 billion to…

Non-profit Majority Action examines the proxy voting of 25 top asset managers globally

Super-rich families are increasingly including sustainability and ethics in founding principles of their private investment firms, according to Fabrizio Campelli, Deutsche Bank’s global head of wealth management. “Family offices are now putting ESG in their investment charters,” Mr. Campelli said, referring to environmental, social and governance matters. There are some family offices in California that…

Wealthy millennials are finally thinking about investing in sustainable companies almost as much as they shop for socially conscious products in stores, according to a survey released Thursday. About 95% of millennials — which the survey classified as people aged 18 to 37 — are now interested in sustainable investing, according to a poll published…

Managers overseeing trillions in exchange-traded funds have been quietly meeting around Wall Street this week to check the quality controls on their funds, rattled after Vanguard Group Inc. mistakenly added shares of 11 companies, including a gun manufacturer and a private prison operator, to its $578 million socially responsible ETF. Vanguard apologized to investors, citing…

Properly integrating ESG factors into investment decision-making can improve investor outcomes

Applying religious screens to funds is sometimes compared to investing with one hand tied behind your back, but that’s just fine for some investors.

Ladenburg Thalmann’s latest technology investment is going to Newday Financial Technologies, a startup focused on providing millennials with low-cost impact investing strategies. Newday is an asset management firm that develops investment funds oriented around the United Nation’s sustainable development goals. Using Newday’s digital platform, investors can invest as little as $5 in themes like environmental…