Yes, investors should consider diversity in the investment decision-making process, as we expect a diversity of thought and talent will lead to better investment outcomes than a process that ignores this important issue.
Overview Of the 202 Cambridge Associates clients that responded to the 2020 survey, 100 reported engaging in sustainable and impact investing (50%) and an additional 23 reported engaging in ESG integration and/or impact investing, though they answered “no” to the SII engagement question, bringing the total to 123 (61%) reporting engaging in sustainable and impact…
Economic, market, and healthcare circumstances have been extraordinary over the last six months. However, attractive opportunities exist. We see appeal in tech and tech-enabled businesses but remain cautious on elevated pricing. There’s enough value in relatively cheap segments of public equities to justify taking measured, diversified overweights. We are broadly cautious on credit, but see pockets of opportunity in some segments less supported by central bank activity. Finally, the importance of investing in social equity and diversity has been brought into sharp relief by this crisis.
As we all grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic alongside widespread protests after the deaths of George Floyd and others, many asset owners are trying to determine how they can activate their investment portfolios to advance racial and social equity more broadly. We’ve identified three steps investors should take to help address racial inequities in an investment context.
Sustainability trends—including climate change, multi–stakeholder driven society, resource degradation, demographic challenges, and technological revolution—have already impacted investment performance. Investors that incorporate these risks and opportunities into their decision-making frameworks are likely to be better prepared for the future than their peers.
Every day, CREO and Cambridge Associates encounter wealth owners, families, and family office professionals who are starting down the path of sustainability investing. This paper details the typical path these investors take, the questions many of them face, and the way that many of them successfully develop a winning strategy that generates both returns and impact.
Investor approaches to mission-related investing (MRI) are as varied as the social and environmental outcomes they seek to achieve. Based on responses from 148 clients—54 of which are engaged in mission-related investing—this chart book explores trends in the structure, implementation, and governance of MRI programs; investor motivations and perceived challenges; and expectations for future growth in MRI investment activity.
With a gender lens framework, investors can positively impact gender imbalances via their portfolio management choices; this paper provides tangible investment themes and implementable strategies.
There is perhaps no better time for social equity investing. Many institutional investors have long sought to promote social equity through grant making and other philanthropic endeavors. With the field of impact investing maturing, these institutions are now increasingly seeking investment solutions to accomplish the same goal. In this paper we review the current state of social equity in the United States, highlight eight core social equity issue areas, and discuss the lessons we’ve learned in constructing portfolios with these investments. While investors need to be mindful of risks, we believe that investments can be made to promote a social equity impact agenda across the portfolio.
Though the US government is no longer supporting the Paris Climate Agreement, many endowments, foundations, and other US institutions remain committed to aligning their investment policies with the goals of the international accord. Together with the Intentional Endowments Network, Cambridge Associates has outlined considerations for incorporating environmental, social, and governance factors into the development of investment policy statements, as well as a blueprint for incorporating language around the Paris accord into an institution’s IPS. Articulating Purpose, Priorities, and Principles in a well-designed investment policy can help interested institutions effectively incorporate environmental concerns into their investment portfolios.