Do any USMBers practice socially responsible investing?

[MarathonMike]

I just read a news report that Bank Of America is going to stop lending to "Military Style" weapons makers. That made me wonder how many people practice socially responsible investing, particularly on this board. For instance does BofA's decision make it a more attractive investment to you? Do you shun investments that are tied to defense, or harm the environment or otherwise offend your sensibilities? I don't but if you do that's fine. I'm just curious.

 

[DarkFury]

No, I invest to make money.

 

[airplanemechanic]

 

[usmbguest5318]

I invest to facilitate making my money produce more money; thus my investing is "socially responsible" only if it is financially sage. Frankly, however, I don't much care about "social responsibility" with regard to how my financial advisor choose financial instruments to buy and sell. As go choosing businesses in which I'll make "start up" investments, the social responsibility of the organizations I'm helping finance hasn't be a factor in my investment analysis.

I suppose social responsibility could be a factor that would dissuade me from considering to invest in a firm if the firm in question is so socially irresponsible that its viability as a going concern or that it can't realistically meet the ROI goals I have. Having written that, the discriminant is the firm's value proposition as a whole, not specifically its social responsibility, that'd inform such a choice. It's not likely that a firm's social responsibility is going to move me to want to withdraw early or otherwise forfeit my ownership stake; for that to happen, there'd have to happen some incredibly rapid cultural, social, business environment, etc. changes that made the firm's social responsibility suddenly very material to its profitability.

 

[BuckToothMoron]

I just read a news report that Bank Of America is going to stop lending to "Military Style" weapons makers. That made me wonder how many people practice socially responsible investing, particularly on this board. For instance does BofA's decision make it a more attractive investment to you? Do you shun investments that are tied to defense, or harm the environment or otherwise offend your sensibilities? I don't but if you do that's fine. I'm just curious.

Define social responsibility. You are a bit naive if you think BOA’s decision to not invest in military style weapons was predicated on social responsibility. It was based on sound investing as they and warren buffet define it. It was spun by their PR department to make naive investors believe it was socially responsible. Their stock is up like 4 fold since the Great Recession and 10s of thousands of people were fired to make that happen. Does that sound like socially responsibility to you? Btw- those rose colored glasses look great on you.

 

[fncceo]

It’s my responsibility to society to make as much money from my investments as possible so you can squeeze all the taxes out of it.

Then you can piss it away on methadone, food stamps, and condoms for pre-schoolers.

 

[Jackson]

Investing in socially responsible stocks is foolish. You inbest to make money, not a good conscience.

 

[OldLady]

I just read a news report that Bank Of America is going to stop lending to "Military Style" weapons makers. That made me wonder how many people practice socially responsible investing, particularly on this board. For instance does BofA's decision make it a more attractive investment to you? Do you shun investments that are tied to defense, or harm the environment or otherwise offend your sensibilities? I don't but if you do that's fine. I'm just curious.

Define social responsibility. You are a bit naive if you think BOA’s decision to not invest in military style weapons was predicated on social responsibility. It was based on sound investing as they and warren buffet define it. It was spun by their PR department to make naive investors believe it was socially responsible. Their stock is up like 4 fold since the Great Recession and 10s of thousands of people were fired to make that happen. Does that sound like socially responsibility to you? Btw- those rose colored glasses look great on you.

I read a few weeks ago that INVESTORS were beginning to ask/request that they not be investing in gun manufacturers. A few firms have put together bundles that don't include them, but they are really big, those gun folks, because they're owned by even bigger parent companies, etc. You know how that goes. So no, the BOA didn't do it to be socially responsible, but they were responding to clients who DO want to be.

 

[Moonglow]

I have a clear conscious that the weed I buy and sell is not coming from cartel sources..

 

[BuckToothMoron]

I just read a news report that Bank Of America is going to stop lending to "Military Style" weapons makers. That made me wonder how many people practice socially responsible investing, particularly on this board. For instance does BofA's decision make it a more attractive investment to you? Do you shun investments that are tied to defense, or harm the environment or otherwise offend your sensibilities? I don't but if you do that's fine. I'm just curious.

Define social responsibility. You are a bit naive if you think BOA’s decision to not invest in military style weapons was predicated on social responsibility. It was based on sound investing as they and warren buffet define it. It was spun by their PR department to make naive investors believe it was socially responsible. Their stock is up like 4 fold since the Great Recession and 10s of thousands of people were fired to make that happen. Does that sound like socially responsibility to you? Btw- those rose colored glasses look great on you.

I read a few weeks ago that INVESTORS were beginning to ask/request that they not be investing in gun manufacturers. A few firms have put together bundles that don't include them, but they are really big, those gun folks, because they're owned by even bigger parent companies, etc. You know how that goes. So no, the BOA didn't do it to be socially responsible, but they were responding to clients who DO want to be.

Absolutely, they were not overcome with a sense of social responsibility. They were inundated with investors who demanded they not invest in guns, so they made a financial decision.

 

[blastoff]

My investing goal is very simple. I want to turn x dollars into X dollars, and not interested in any social baloney at all in that pursuit.

 

[OldLady]

Does anyone remember the huge disinvestment in South African anything until they did away with apartheid? I wasn't investing, but I remember when the state universities did--and a lot of other folks. They were anathema. I doubt the gun debate will cause that kind of turmoil.