A History of Impact Investing

Impact investing is a major topic on investors’ radar screens, boasting huge growth, and widespread acceptance among those seeking to align their portfolios with their values. But impact investing has always been more than a fad.

Key Takeaways

  • Socially responsible investing’s origins in the United States began in the 18th century with Methodism, a denomination of Protestant Christianity that eschewed the slave trade, smuggling, and conspicuous consumption, and resisted investments in companies manufacturing liquor or tobacco products or promoting gambling.
  • Socially responsible investing ramped up in the 1960s, when Vietnam War protesters demanded that university endowment funds no longer invest in defense contractors.
  • The combined…

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