Are you interested in sustainable investing and mitigating climate change? Do you want to support sustainable and equitable companies in your city or town? If so, you may be interested in Greenvest, an environmental investment advisory firm.
The following interview is with David Schreiber, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Financial Advisor at Greenvest, in which he explains how Greenvest works with Newton residents and others in the greater Boston area.
How do Greenvest’s services help people in Newton live more sustainably and protect the environment?
If clients are interested in investing, I give them a questionnaire and ask them where they want to put stress, or which companies they want to invest in. However, Greenvest won’t invest in fossil fuel industries, weapon manufacturing, private prisons or related industries.
What is the most important thing you want people to know about Greenvest’s services?
I want people to know that their money can work for society and the planet and still get returns comparable to what they would receive from a more conventional approach.
As a Certified Financial Planner and financial advisor, I help people prepare a well balanced portfolio for their individual goals.
Greenvest specializes in SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) by utilizing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) screening for investment selection. ESG screening in particular looks for metrics that reveal how companies are managed, environmental impact, equity, diversity, union status, worker wages, and resource locations. This screening finds companies that more align with people’s individual values, as well as using conventional screenings that look solely at company profit.
What are some things that people can do to start investing sustainably?
If you are a beginner at investing, I suggest using mutual funds with ESG screening, since these offer the ability to invest in the securities (stock and bonds) of many different companies and industries. This diversification of investments allows you to follow the fluctuations of the economy as a whole rather than the fortunes of a single industry or company.
On the other hand, investors that have more money to invest and can handle greater fluctuations may want to place their funds in specific industries or companies, either through direct stock ownership or by using industry focused exchange traded funds. It is also important to consider environmental, social, and governance metrics in the investment selection process when sustainability is a major goal. Returns on larger investments may be greater than smaller ones but so are the losses when the market turns down.
What are the benefits of Greenvest’s services compared to more conventional ones?
Greenvest is much more individualized than many of the larger firms. We do not use model portfolios but create and manage portfolios which are unique for each investor.
How is Greenvest different from other green investors?
Greenvest’s services are comparable to other green investors, and they tend to work together on similar goals. I am also a part of a network of green investors.
What do you hope to gain from participating with Green Newton in GreenEXPO?
I want to raise awareness and support nonprofits like Green Newton. GreenEXPO helps with advertising and points me in the direction of audiences that are environmentally aware and interested in sustainable investing. In my free time, I was a professional musician, so I also offer house concerts as a fundraiser for the organizations I support.
What do you like best about working with Greenvest?
I enjoy helping people achieve their investment goals and contribute to mitigation of climate change.
If you want to learn more about Greenvest and other sustainable companies, make sure to visit Greenvest at GreenEXPO @Harvest Fair in Newton Center on Tuesday, October 20 from 11 am – 4 pm, or visit greenvestus.com.
Author Cecilia Buckley is a Northeastern University junior and Green Newton intern.
Recently on Twitter