At the Money: Aligning Investments With Personal Values
Nov 1, 2023
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Barry Ritholtz speaks with Ari Rosenbaum, Principal at O’Shaughnessy Asset Management, about aligning investments with personal values. They discuss tailoring investments to ideological preferences, utilizing direct indexing, and setting custom screens. Topics also include gender diversity, environmental investing, and creating animal-friendly portfolios. Overall, it explores different ways to create a values-based portfolio and the expressive benefits of these portfolios.
Direct indexing allows investors to align their portfolios with their personal values by including or excluding specific stocks based on preferences, such as avoiding controversial topics or prioritizing gender diversity and environmental impact.
Direct indexing enables investors to incorporate ESG principles into portfolios, allowing for the screening out of objectionable companies and overweighting of companies excelling in areas like corporate governance or environmental sustainability.
Deep dives
Customizing Portfolios to Reflect Personal Values
In this episode of At the Money, the discussion revolves around how investors can align their portfolios with their personal values. Direct indexing is introduced as an investment strategy that allows for the customization of portfolios. With direct indexing, investors have the flexibility to include or exclude specific stocks based on their preferences. For example, investors can avoid stocks associated with controversial topics like abortion or firearms. The host and guest also discuss how direct indexing can cater to investors who prioritize gender diversity or have concerns about environmental impact. By tailoring portfolios to reflect personal values, investors can align their investments with their ethical and social beliefs.
ESG Investing and Portfolio Customization
ESG investing, which focuses on environmental, social, and governance factors, is a prominent theme in the discussion. The podcast highlights the ability of direct indexing to incorporate ESG principles into portfolios. With direct indexing, investors can screen out companies involved in activities they find objectionable, such as tobacco production or defense manufacturing. Additionally, investors can overweight companies that excel in areas like corporate governance or environmental sustainability. The customization options provided by direct indexing enable investors to build portfolios that align with their specific ESG preferences and values.
Expressing Personal Values Through Portfolio Construction
The podcast explores how investors can utilize direct indexing to express their personal values through portfolio construction. The guest discusses examples such as creating portfolios that avoid animal testing or prioritize social justice. Investors can personalize their portfolios by excluding companies involved in activities they find unethical, such as weapons manufacturing or private prisons. The customization capabilities of direct indexing allow investors to craft portfolios that reflect their individual desires and beliefs, regardless of political affiliations. By doing so, investors can feel empowered to invest in alignment with their principles and express their values through their investment choices. Direct indexing offers a cost-effective way to customize portfolios and make investment decisions that resonate with individual moral and ethical considerations.
The term 'ESG' gets thrown around in investing all the time. But, there's a better way to align your investments with your personal values. In this week's episode, Barry Ritholtz speaks with Ari Rosenbaum, principal at O’Shaughnessy Asset Management, about how to tailor investments to your ideological preferences.