There's a new wrinkle in the growing controversies over the rise of investment funds that promise to address environmental, social or corporate governance concerns. Amid investigations into allegations of "greenwashing," or false promises of environmental improvements, and opposition to ESG measures from conservative political leaders, individual investors are gaining new opportunities to direct their money to funds pitched as contrarian responses to the ESG trend.
At least nine new exchange-traded funds-some signaling their purpose with symbols such as DRLL-launched last year in reaction either to ESG issues specifically or to what some of the new fund founders label as a liberal political agenda behind ESG. In their short history, the 2022 crop of funds has cumulatively gathered more than a half-billion dollars in investments, though that is dwarfed by the more than $101 billion in assets currently invested in 279 U.S. ESG ETFs. In 2022 alone, investors put over $5 billion more into ESG ETFs than they took out, according to CFRA.
The nine funds making their debut last year are often lumped with a handful of others introduced since 2017 that promise to advance conservative political issues. Aniket Ullal, head of ETF data and analytics at CFRA, expects more political debates within the investment world. "Political intervention in ETFs is going to be an important story this year," he says. Some state financial officials are already threatening to pull money from managers they charge are improperly using investments to further political agendas, and the new Republican leaders of the House of Representatives threaten investigations into ESG investing.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2023-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.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2023-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.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
My Top 30 Index: An Update
A year ago, I put together what I called \"my own reinvention\" of the Dow Jones industrial average, the popular 142-year-old large-cap index.
Balance Your Risk and Reward
These new ETFs let you cut stock market losses. But you'll sacrifice some gains.
IS A HYBRID CAR RIGHT FOR YOU?
Hybrids offer a fuel-saving option for drivers who have reservations about all-electric vehicles. But there are trade-offs.
HOW TO REACH YOUR INVESTING GOALS
Patience helped these four investors make their portfolios work for them.
WHERE TO INVEST NOW
Expect a lot of midyear churn, with a rally toward the end of 2024.
TIPS FOR FINANCING A HOME PROJECT
I recently had a call with a client who was looking to fund the construction of a swimming pool at his house.
MORE WOMEN THAN EVER ARE STARTING BUSINESSES
Retail and travel businesses, along with health, beauty and fitness, are popular with women entrepreneurs.
Finding Home Health Care
It’s important to hire a caregiver you trust.
UNDERSTANDING BOND FUND YIELDS
What's a 30-day SEC yield? A trailing 12-month yield? A yield to maturity? We explain what each measure says about an income fund.
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ON STUDENT LOANS
If you have federal student loans, you may benefit from new government policies. Here's what you need to know.