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

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

By Yen Nee Lee

The super wealthy want more out of their investments these days.

In addition to financial returns, they want their money to drive positive changes in the world, but the options for achieving both concurrently is lacking, according to a UBS expert.

The Swiss bank, the largest wealth manager globally, was referring to a money-making discipline known as sustainable investing. That’s an umbrella term for investing in financial instruments that generate returns from doing good — or simply supporting something that’s not doing bad.

But many of the available investment products marketed as being socially responsible or sustainable simply leave out financially risky companies or firms deemed to be in the business of “vices” — a method that doesn’t resonate with all investors, said Simon Smiles, chief investment officer for ultra-high net worth at UBS Wealth Management.

“It may turn out that you don’t want to invest in tobacco, firearms and alcohol, and so you don’t do that. But to assume that everyone has that same value is inherently problematic,” Smiles told CNBC in March.

Photo courtesy of Sudipto Sarkar.