Investing IN Change InvestmentNews

The U.S. president of the firm, who's retiring after this year, tells Investing IN Change where sustainable investing is headed and what’s going on with the political divide on a seemingly apolitical subject. Plus, Paul and Emile get into the details of the first lawsuit over ESG use in a 401(k) plan.

Kiley Miller, principal director of sustainable investing at Envestnet, joins the podcast to talk about how the firm works with advisors on sustainability and ESG. A couple of case studies — on the heavy rail industry and water use in the IT supply chain — show how important ESG considerations can be.

Plus, Paul and Emile talk about the fallout from Bud Light’s now-infamous marketing partnership with a trans influencer and the reaction to a column on that topic.

April is Financial Wellness Month, and guest Jennifer Coombs, director of client success at Ethos ESG, talks about the role sustainable investing can play in financial education. Whether sustainability acts as a gateway to investing or is a topic being explored by seasoned investors, it’s an area that’s hard to avoid — and advisors and clients can only benefit from knowing more about it.

Paul and Emile also discuss the political climate and the demand seen for ESG-themed mutual funds and ETFs, sales of which fared better last year than sales of non-ESG funds.

Sustainable investment providers in some cases have had to rethink what types of holdings are acceptable — including controversial areas like oil and weapons. The energy crisis that resulted from the war has also put sustainable funds at a disadvantage, and many have underperformed the broader market.

Morningstar associate director of sustainability research Alyssa Stankiewicz talks about how fund providers are adjusting to these conditions and how ESG is performing at a difficult time.

Plus, Paul and Emile discuss one of the latest developments in an anti-ESG push from Republicans – votes by Congress to undo the Department of Labor’s new rule governing ESG in retirement plans.

Paul and Emile go over recent developments in the anti-ESG efforts coming from several states and Congress, including attempts to invalidate the Department of Labor’s new ESG rule for retirement plans. Special guest Elysabeth Alfano, CEO and founder of VegTech Invest, discusses the environmental and health effects of the the animal industry.

Listen and subscribe to the ESG Clarity podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google.

Paul and Emile talk about themes to watch in 2023.
Special guest Nell Minow, vice chair at ValueEdge Advisors, gives insight on corporate governance and the current state of ESG and the politics affecting it. Minow, who has a second career in film writing, talks about some of the similarities with governance, and she even has a few movie recommendations on the topic of ESG.