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Can we really do good while investing?

Can we really do good while investing?

Are we really able to do good while investing?

This question irked me at the time I was thinking of making a career switch to investing.

I wanted a career that was both fulfilling and enabled me to make a difference to the world at the same time.

Thankfully, through further reading, I can say the answer to that question is an emphatic yes.

As investors, we are a small cog in the financial markets that help make the world a better place. 

EVERY DROP COUNTS 

So how do we do good when we invest?  Well, let's start at the very beginning. 

When a start-up that is looking to improve the world develops an idea, it needs funding. Venture capitalists help to fund these ideas.

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In turn, these venture capitalists invest because they know that there is a stable public market system behind them.

Along the way, these startups enrich the lives of numerous stakeholders, including employees, customers, and shareholders.

At its initial public offering, the company then raises more funds through a public offering of shares.

Those who invest in initial public offerings do so because of the assurances of the liquidity of the public market and the ability to sell shares at a future date, which is when we (stock market investors, or public market investors) usually come in.

THE FINAL PIECE OF THE JIGSAW

All of which means that we, public market investors, are a small but important piece of the jigsaw that helps drive innovation and the improvement of society through capitalism.

As you can see, by participating in the stock market as investors, we are indirectly part of the reason why startups are able to raise much-needed funds in the first place.

IMPACT INVESTING

Besides simply being part of the financial markets, we can also choose to invest in companies that are actively improving the world.

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One way is to invest in companies that are building a better future for tomorrow through innovative technologies such as Google.

We can also invest in companies that uphold a high standard of corporate social responsibility by giving back to society or through actions that help reverse climate change.

The more investors embrace Impact investing, the more firms are likely to embrace the need for a strong corporate social responsibility to enrich the lives of other stakeholders and the world.

Recently, the Singapore government set aside US$2 billion (S$2.7 billion) in funds to participate in public market investment strategies that have a strong green focus.

Singapore Education Minister, Ong Ye Kuang, described how investments help to shape the world saying, "Finance fuels the economy and business. It determines investment decision and it drives action."

ENRICHING OTHERS

As you can see, investing is certainly not a zero-sum game.

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The injection of much-needed capital into companies that are improving the world aids numerous stakeholders along the way.

Even if we solely invest in the secondary market (the public stock market), we are still an important - albeit small - part of the financial markets that is essential in capitalism and the betterment of the world.

Further, by focusing our investing efforts on responsible companies that are not solely profit-driven but have a strong corporate social responsibility to do good, we can mould the way investment decisions are made and help to prod business towards socially responsible investment decisions.

This article was first published in The Good Investors

All content is displayed for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional financial advice.

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