Independent Financial, Legal and Tax Advisers for Expatriates |
| Investment: The Ethical Approach | ||
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 Investing for a brighter futureWith more and more people taking an interest in ethical and environmental issues, investors will be pleased to discover that there are increasing opportunities to combine ethical and financial decision-making. There are a wide range of different Investment Funds claiming to be "ethical", "green" or to have in some other way "environmental" credentials. Of course, they can't all be the same. As an investor you must not only try to find the best fund from a performance point of view, you also have to measure the "greeness" of the fund as measured by your own criteria. You might even want to invest in funds that cater for the special needs of Islamic investors. Positive Investment Criteria Positive criteria used in the creation of an Ethical Investment Fund include the identification of companies or industries that are making a positive contribution to the life of the planet or to people living in it.This may include companies with good employee relations, high energy efficiencies, enlightened attitudes to third world peoples and companies that are seen to be improving the quality of life of people generally. Negative Investment Criteria Negative criteria used to weed out unsuitable companies to invest in include the identification of certain exploitative industries (eg arms, tobacco, alcohol), industrial practices (eg child labour, discrimination against women, exploitation of employees) or companies with links to hostile or anti-social political regimes (eg South Africa before Mandela). Technology? You might think that technology funds offer ethical investing opportunities, but unless they are specifically named as "Ethical Technology" funds you cannot be sure of their credentials. For instance, software companies write the guidance system programmes for nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems. Find out more If you are interested in ethical investing and would like to learn more about your opportunities, contact Grether MacGeorge GmbH for further details. |
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Basel based Grether MacGeorge GmbH provides Independent Financial, Tax and Legal Advice to the expat community. The professional advisors in the company provide impartial advice for people looking for help with their investments, mortgages, life insurance, pensions and retirement planning, saving for education costs, setting up and running a business in Switzerland, financial aspects of relocation, and a wide range of other important areas vital to getting the most out of your life outside of your home country. © 2003, Grether MacGeorge GmbH, Austrasse 95, CH 4051 Basel, Switzerland Tel: +41 (0)61 206 8800 or Fax: +41 (0)61 206 8805 |