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

Friday, April 12, 2019

By Lorie Konish

If you’re looking in your 401(k) plan for investments that back clean energy or gender and racial diversity, you may have a tough time finding them.

A recent survey from Natixis Investment Managers finds that many workers would be more likely to save for retirement if their employer-sponsored retirement plan offered socially conscious investments.

Of the 1,000 workers surveyed, 61% of employees said they would start saving or increase their investments if that also meant doing social good. Millennials, 66%, were even more likely to agree with that statement.

At the same time, just 13% of workers surveyed said they have access to environmental, social and governance — or ESG — investments in their workplace retirement plan.

Photo courtesy of Images Money.