Should you seek investment advice on your 401(k) account?

Article featured in Valuewalk. May 24, 2021. For most Americans, 401(k) plan accounts have become the predominant retirement savings vehicle.  Currently, more than $6.4 trillion is invested in 401(k) plans across the country, a 73% increase in the past ten years.1  An additional $2.7 trillion is invested in other defined-contribution plans, such as 403(b) plans for educational…

Q1 2021

Q1 2021 Market Update The first quarter of 2021 saw individual investors participate in the market at levels not seen in over 20 years. Their collective buying helped propel equity markets to new highs. It’s important to remember that markets are auction markets, with fixed supply. Therefore, when there are more buyers than sellers, prices…

Sustainable agriculture is the next way ESG investors can fight climate change

Marketwatch. March 24, 2021. By Debbie Carlson 7 ways for ESG investors to profit from sustainable agriculture The original green sector — agriculture — hasn’t been on the radar for environmental, social and governance investors, given industrial agriculture’s heavy dependence on pesticides, fertilizers and genetically modified seeds. But ESG investors are turning their interest to…

ESG: Growth Is Welcome, But What Drives Actual Change?

WealthManagement.com, March 11, 2021 By Cindy Bohlen Encouraging news arrived late last year about the fast growth of investments managed with attention to environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. Seventeen trillion was the headline dollar figure in the latest biannual report from trade association US SIF, which tracks the responsible investing industry. Seventeen trillion represents…

Sustainable Investment Recommendations for the Biden Administration

In the wake of last month’s inauguration, we have reason to be optimistic that the incoming administration will enact positive environmental, social and governance measures. And we are already seeing movement in this regard. Riverwater was founded with the mission to make the world a better place by growing wealth through sustainable investing. Guided by…

Malkiel’s Misguided View of ESG Investing

Advisor Perspectives, February 1, 2021 Burton Malkiel, esteemed author of the classic investing book A Random Walk Down Wall Street is one of the more prominent critics of environmental-, sustainable- and governance-based (ESG) investing. He called ESG investing a “self-defeating” strategy in a recent Wall Street Journal column. But Malkiel and other detractors who claim ESG is a fad…