It is easy to find environmentally sensitive mutual funds that are not transformative.  They may advertise their greenness, but they do not practice shareholder advocacy.  Investing in such a fund may help supply the long-term security that we need, but it does little to bring about changes that can transform the economy.

However, in the present crisis of rapid climate change, every year counts.  Therefore, I do not think that green investing without transformation is sufficient for our society as a whole.  I believe that those who can afford it have an obligation to use our investments not only to provide for our own needs as we age, but also to care for the needs of the whole world now, by using stockholder advocacy and purpose-targeted bonds to encourage more sustainable, climate-friendly practices as soon as possible.

Every year counts.

So far I have found a few green investment firms that try to act in transformative ways.  Depending on a reader’s needs and preferences, any one of these may be the most desirable.  I am not recommending any particular one, because I am not a professional financial adviser.  But I hope that others will consider what I have written.

For myself, I have now moved my Roth IRAs to a stock fund that actively advocates for improved environmental policies at the companies it owns.  If I expected to start needing the money soon, I would have used a bond fund instead of a stock fund.