Top Performing Ethical Funds of 2017
One of the most positive trends in investing at the moment is the demand for ESG, Sustainable or Ethical investments.
This type of investing demonstrates a shifting awareness in the marketplace which supports companies that are committed to the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit, rather than profit above all else.
Throughout 2017, many ethical investments saw double digit returns, which further contributed to an ever increasing demand. In fact, a report from Responsible Investment Association Australasia stated that Core Responsible Investment FUM grew by 26% to over $64.9 billion from $51.5 billion.
In response to this growing demand, a huge number of new ethical products entered the market in 2017. According to RIAA’s Report the number of Responsible Investment products grew from 128 to 200. The increased number of options, however, seems to have actually made it harder for investors. In fact, the 2017 RIAA report indicated that a key barrier to responsible investment was access to relevant product information.
Although it’s great to see such a wide variety of ethical products available to everyday investors, we need to be able to effectively compare them to identify which ones may be more appropriate. Primarily for my own benefit, I started putting together an overview of the top performing ethical investments each year. This helped me weed out the weaker options and to quickly identify which investments may be better suited to certain individuals. In this year’s report three main areas of comparison were explored:
1. Performance
2. Morningstar Sustainability rating
3. Management fees
Since compiling this report for myself, I have received numerous requests to make it more widely available.
You can download the TOP PERFORMING ETHICAL INVESTMENTS 2017 Guide here
