Invested In Climate

Climate investing past, present & future with Jenn Kenning, Ep #61

Jul 18, 2023

35:04

Most of our episodes go deep into specific opportunities to address climate change through new technologies, investment opportunities, advocacy, and policy. This episode takes a step back to look at climate and impact investing, how they’ve evolved in recent years, and where they’re heading. Not only have climate and impact investing exploded in recent years, but they’ve also become more mature spaces with more opportunities, tools, nuances, and complexity.

So I was thrilled to zoom out for this conversation and speak with a true pioneer and leader in this field, Jenn Kenning. Jenn is the Founder and CEO of Align Impact, an independent specialized impact and financial advisor to high-net-worth families, individuals, and foundations. Align is an Inc. 5000 company and Jenn is one of the most recognized voices in impact investing and wealth management. She was selected for Private Asset Management’s “50 Most Influential Women in Private Wealth,” and her firm recently earned global recognition as one of the top 200 impact companies of 2023 by Real Leaders. So sit back and enjoy a true expert’s take on climate investing past, present, and future. Here we go.

In today’s episode, we cover:

[2:46] Jenn’s background & work at Aligned Impact
[4:00] How has mission-line investing changed over the years?
[6:06] Examples of how intersectionality is creating opportunities for investors
[9:16] How clients’ investments compare today vs. in the past
[11:48] Opportunities Jenn is most excited about in the climate tech space
[14:33] Strategies that investors should & shouldn’t consider
[17:12] How is ESG playing out
[21:48] The role of finance in accelerating our response to climate change: what's working & what needs to change
[23:56] Systemic change & what it looks like when it's working
[25:57] Gaps in finance AI
[27:55] Why it’s hard for individual advisors to weave climates or social priorities into portfolios
[29:19] How retail investors can support changes & what else needs to happen
[31:13] The future of climate investing