LEFT WONDERING: How Can You Invest In An Ethical Fashion?

Welcome to a new edition of Left Wondering with Joel Stein, our advice column for paid subscribers of The Lever on how to lead an ethical life in an increasingly unethical world.

Rock the boat.

Dear Left Wondering,

We are trying to invest funds in the U.S. in an ethical fashion and are running into roadblocks.Can you help?

Thanks,

Nancy Bolan

Dear Nancy,

Roadblocks are indeed an interesting area for investment, since they’re ripe for disruption. Those orange-striped sawhorses and cones haven’t changed since I was a kid. 

One challenge I bet you’re having is that your ethics are different from other people’s ethics, so you want a fund tailored to your personal moral code. Luckily, because you’re a Lever subscriber, I know exactly what your code is. So I can help.

I’d put all of your money into a fast-growing media company called The Lever. It’s not publicly traded yet, so you can get in early as an angel investor. Talk to David Sirota for details.  

Andrew Behar, the CEO of As You Sow, had some other suggestions. Founded in 1992, As You Sow is a non-profit that pressures corporations into being socially responsible through shareholder action and lawsuits. 

Behar read your letter, Nancy, and says: