February 2016

WallStreet

Some Heresy on Wall Street: Look Past the Quarter 

The New York Times
By Andrew Ross Sorkin
February 1, 2016

Long viewed as a niche asset class catering to wealthy individuals and Laurence D. Fink, co-founder and chief executive of BlackRock, sent a letter to 500 chief executives urging them to stop providing quarterly earnings estimates in order to focus more on the long-term. Mr. Fink is also pushing for companies to consider environmental, social and governance issues “ranging from climate change to diversity to board effectiveness.”

FamilyTree

REPORT: Family Offices and Investing for Impact 

US SIF Foundation
February, 2016

The report captures the “buzz” about impact investing among family offices, thanks in part to the interest of millennial generation members. The growing availability of impact investment options and increasing evidence that such investments can achieve comparable or better results than conventional investments underlie the interest in sustainable and responsible investing, according to the US SIF report.

Climatefinance

Impact Investing: What Will it Take to Get to Scale

Conscious Company Magazine
By Fran Seegul
Jan/Feb 2016

Global population is rising fast, access to good jobs, healthcare, education and housing is insufficient, natural resources are dwindling, drought is ever more present, and the status quo of how capital is deployed is not sufficient to keep pace with the changing world. Impact investing can make a difference, but first we have to understand the landscape of key players, activities and challenges. 

Judge

How Two Rulings Are Removing Roadblocks from Impact Investing

Knowledge@Wharton
February 18, 2016

The removal of two federal regulatory barriers last October is expected to further accelerate growth in the field. The revised guidance gives Foundations and endowments more flexibility to invest in impact, but understanding the landscape of impact investing is the first step for these institutional investors.