Check Out Your Stock's ESG Report Card
Kiplinger's Personal Finance|October 2021
A sustainability report offers insights into progress toward environmental, social and corporate governance goals.
Adam Shell
Check Out Your Stock's ESG Report Card

THOUGH NOT EXACTLY PAGE turners, corporate sustainability reports are must reads if you want to align your investments with your values. A sustainability report goes beyond traditional financial numbers to highlight a company’s ESG goals and practices, such as steps taken to reduce carbon emissions, close the gender pay gap or boost the number of minorities on the board.

The report also identifies the ways that broad ESG trends may impact a firm’s long-term strategy and outlook, letting stakeholders know the risks and opportunities around ESG, says Maura Hodge, national ESG assurance leader for accounting firm KPMG. “Readers should look to see if the company has embedded ESG into its core business activity,” she says.

A firm’s ESG record has emerged as a key input when choosing investments. U.S. asset managers now manage more than $17 trillion using ESG strategies, up 42% from the start of 2018, according to the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. And investors are pressuring firms to provide more data and transparency around ESG. Nine out of 10 S&P 500 companies now publish sustainability reports, up from 20% in 2011, according to the Governance & Accountability Institute, a sustainability consulting firm.

Currently, sustainability reports are published voluntarily and measure progress on ESG goals based on standards and metrics developed by nonprofits and independent groups, such as the Value Reporting Foundation, which oversees the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) are others.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2021-Ausgabe von Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2021-Ausgabe von Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS KIPLINGER'S PERSONAL FINANCEAlle anzeigen
FREE HELP FOR COLLEGEBOUND STUDENTS
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

FREE HELP FOR COLLEGEBOUND STUDENTS

This program’s mentors assist applicants as they fill out the FAFSA, write essays and more.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 2024
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SPOUSAL IRAS
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SPOUSAL IRAS

You typically need earned income to contribute to an individual retirement account, but a spousal IRA provides an important exception to this rule.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 2024
SELLING SHARES? HERE'S HOW TO MINIMIZE TAXES ON YOUR GAINS
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

SELLING SHARES? HERE'S HOW TO MINIMIZE TAXES ON YOUR GAINS

ET'S say you've been regularly buying shares in a booming tech company over the past few years, but now you want to start taking some of those profits, perhaps to rebalance your portfolio.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 2024
Strategies for Novice Investors
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Strategies for Novice Investors

AS part of a lifes kills program for young, single mothers, I was asked to teach a class on how to get on top of your finances.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 2024
ANSWERS TO YOUR 529 PLAN QUESTIONS
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

ANSWERS TO YOUR 529 PLAN QUESTIONS

Thanks to recent policy changes, families have more options for what to do with money sitting in these tax-advantaged accounts.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
December 2024
Rate-Cut Winners and Losers
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Rate-Cut Winners and Losers

NOW that the Federal Reserve has cracked the interest rate ice, the next development will be to separate winners from losers.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 2024
SHOULD YOU BUY THESE RED-HOT FUNDS?
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

SHOULD YOU BUY THESE RED-HOT FUNDS?

Covered-call ETFs are popular but come with plenty of caveats.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
December 2024
DIVIDEND STOCKS ARE READY TO REBOUND
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

DIVIDEND STOCKS ARE READY TO REBOUND

Our favorite dividend payers are poised to benefit as falling interest rates lure investors back.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
December 2024
IS A 55+ COMMUNITY RIGHT FOR YOU?
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

IS A 55+ COMMUNITY RIGHT FOR YOU?

These age-restricted developments appeal to older adults seeking abundant amenities and an active lifestyle.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
December 2024
AT LONG LAST, RATES ARE DROPPING
Kiplinger's Personal Finance

AT LONG LAST, RATES ARE DROPPING

Consider these portfolio moves now that the Federal Reserve has cut its benchmark interest rate.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2024