NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Save the Date! The 2016 US SIF Conference, Investing for the Next Generation, will take place May 23-25 in Washington, DC. The US SIF Annual Conference offers a unique opportunity to network with leaders of sustainable, responsible and impact investing, to hear from leading investors, CEOs and policymakers, and to learn about new approaches, trends and policy developments in the field. The conference attracts representatives of investment management and advisory firms, research firms, financial planners and advisors, broker-dealers, community development institutions and asset owners such as pension funds and foundations, along with policymakers and corporate leaders.

About the theme:
Investing requires us to think about the future.  Many investors, including individuals, pension plans and foundations, seek to provide security and opportunities to the next generation and beyond.

Investing for the next generation has become more urgent, however, as scientists warn that we have only about 35 years–the time span of a generation—to stabilize and reduce our greenhouse gas emission.

Meanwhile, the financial crisis of the previous decade, combined with a variety of structural changes to the US economy, have raised concerns about whether the members of the US millennial generation will have the same level of income and financial security as their parents.  Reducing poverty and increasing economic opportunity, remains a challenge in many areas around the world as well.

For investment professionals, there is growing interest in integrating, or better integrating, economic, social and governance (ESG) factors that will have long-term, generational impact—including climate risk and demographic changes—into investment analysis.