What is socially responsible or ethical investment

Socially Responsible and Ethical Investment has been defined as putting your money where your morals are, or investing according to your beliefs.


The difference between socially responsible and ethical investment

Socially Responsible Investments actively seek out firms which make a positive contribution to society, for example:

  • Products and services which are of long term benefit to the community
  • Conservation of energy and natural resources
  • Environmental improvements and pollution control
  • Good relations with customers and suppliers
  • High standards of employee welfare
  • Organic farming and foods
  • Strong community involvement
  • A good equal opportunities record
  • Respect for the sanctity and dignity of human life
  • Openness about their activities

Ethical Investments tend to concentrate on negative criteria to avoid investing in companies involved in areas such as:

  • Environmentally damaging practices
  • Trading with oppressive regimes and countries with poor human rights records
  • Pornography and offensive advertising
  • Gambling
  • Tobacco and alcohol production
  • Exploitation of animals
  • Unsafe products and services
  • Genetic engineering, abortion and embryonic research
  • Armaments

The list is not exhaustive and therefore your own ethical and socially responsible stance will be assessed using our ethical preferences questionnaire.

Each fund tends to differ in negative and positive criteria and also in investment risk. It is therefore very important to select the right funds to match your views.

As a company we use "state of the art" techniques to provide bespoke financial planning advice to suit your stated financial objectives and ethical stance.

If you have any particular concerns then please complete the ethical questionairre below

Ethical Preference Questions

Financial Advice... pure and simple

The Ethical Partnership Ltd provides financial advice and planning, in plain English, to people who want to ensure they make the right financial decisions at the right times and at the right cost. It's simple!

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