Necessary narrative

Thistle in the Colorado Rockies

Everything that exists has a story. It might not be an interesting story, but there is a narrative for what was before, what is, and what will be. It might have been the case in the early days of SRI that the investment case was built too much around storytelling and not enough around economic fundamentals. We have now overcorrected in an attempt to be included and inclusive, and lost the motivational hook for why individuals and institutions commit to this type of investing over “traditional” options. This is not philanthropy, but there is a lot to learn from charities about how to motivate people to allocate capital with a purpose. This article in CityWire found in our Library touches on the goals beyond total return that inspire investors of all stripes to make their portfolios reflect their values and behaviors in the rest of their lives.