Put your money where your mouth is!

Tis the season to voice what we stand for...election season. How we believe the world should be. From dinner party arguments to the polls we stand by candidates or against others on the foundation of what we believe is right. From the basics of integrity to the the specifics of economics, from Roe vs Wade to healthcare - we take a stand and speak, write and vote accordingly.

The question we must ask ourselves is do we act accordingly?

There is no clearer way to examine or follow our actions then by paying attention to how we earn, spend and invest our money. I remember my aha moment of my own cognitive dissonance a few years ago when news came out about Apple's use of production lines that were less then optimal in the human rights department. I remember being disappointed and angry at Apple but I also noticed that I was passionately expressing my disappointment using an iPhone, a Macbook and an iPad. Which may have been ok, except I went on the buy more Apple stuff. Why...because I liked Apple stuff.

We have this opportunity of taking powerful action through the wheels of commerce. This action may seem subtle, but its not. We live in a world of stuff and we are not going to give it up. We like our lattes, our smart phones, our cars, our exotic food, our vacations. And if we look close enough we can see the dotted line between the things we like and the values and principles we believe in.

I believe that corporations are necessary because when I look around and notice all those things things in my/our life that seem integral to our success, creativity, well-being and fulfillment, I see the wheels of commerce. Yes, I also believe that corporations have tended to take the less then social and environmental road while making these wheels turn, however corporate strategy has evolved and there is plenty of evidence to show social and environmental mission(as opposed to obligation) within the corporate community.

We can effect change by standing behind the companies who have these missions by buying their products and investing our money and our careers with them. This togetherness will lead toward a powerful sea change, with downstream influence on the issues we toss back and forth across the political aisle.

Underlying our the decisions that drive the flow of our money is "not having enough", our most primal survival instinct lurks. So it’s good know that there is plenty of evidence these days showing that those companies who are faced with a decision between doing good or realizing profit, those who choose good are reporting that they end up making more. This reality which is expressed much more eloquently by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard has been noticed and adopted more and more by those in the C-suite. Sustainability is a panacea. It means preserving the environment as much as it means producing a profit again and again over a long period of time. Not to be confused to hauling in a short term chunk of cash with no succession plan.

So the good news is if we invest in and work with those socially and environmentally mission driven business’s, we will effect change, feel fulfilled and enjoy the fruits.

Express yourself!!

P.S. I write this from a Macbook and I manage a fund that invests in companies that have social and environmental missions. It invests in Apple. Since that aforementioned cognitive dissonance, my research has shown that Apple has realized the error of their ways and acted accordingly.

Follow the Money

Is how you earn, spend, donate and invest in line with your ethics?

Money has become the fabric of our interaction with each other. It has become how we project ourselves on the world. Paying attention to our relationship with money is an opportunity for personal transformation as much as a chance to improve the well-being of others close and far.

Our cultures have taught us that circumstance is more important then shared experience which drives our intention, but our actions show that unconsciously the most important is in fact the opposite....shared experience is more important then circumstance. This misalignment in our psyche has skewed our relationship with money. Our opportunity is to reset the boundaries in this relationship so that money works as our teacher, and a tool to deepen that which is most important to us.

Making changes to our money energy, will reduce anxiety, increase sleep, improve our diet, and allow us to have a richer and more meaningful connection with the world.

We may earn money from someone or a company who acts in a way that is not in line with our ethics. This most likely leaves some dis-ease in our subconscious. The question that we must ask ourselves is how does this dis-ease balance against the fear of not having that job or client and is there a better option even if it pays slightly less? Quite often we don't know the answer until we act.  There is plenty of evidence showing that working in an environment that is in line with our values excites and energizes us, making us more productive.

Spending money is a massive energy force.  As soon as we buy something we further along the cycle of consumption and effect the chain of supply and demand. We change our emotions by spending. Think of the elation of a brand new car, clothing or electronics....think of the pain of buyers regret.  Spending is a force more powerful then a vote,   strong enough to be mistaken for the feeling of love, more numbing then a glass of wine!  Once can become aware the most subtle ways we spend our money, when we spend it, what we spend it on we begin to transform.

Let's examine the levels of giving as defined by the Torah by putting them in the context of a visit to a coffee shop. Level one is we order a latte and the barista spins the iPad around for us to sign and first we have to decide on how much tip to give. We give a dollar because we feel we have no choice. Level two is we give a dollar because we want to but we hand it to the barista so we can see their gratitude. Level three giving is when the barista turns around to make our latte we put $5 in the tip jar without them seeing. This is not to say that we must tip, its to examine how and why we give.  Giving is a reflection of our energy and the further up the scale we go the more energy we create, the more selfless we feel. I once heard someone say that more selfish then doing nothing for someone is helping someone out of a feeling of obligation.

The last part of the question is to address how we invest out money. The stock market has offered the opportunity for anyone with just a few dollars to become a partner in any company that is publicly traded. Most of us don't have our own company to invest in so, so we can then leave our savings in the hands of other CEOs for growth. If 30 years ago we had invested in the S&P 500 our money would have grown about ten percent annually. Interestingly the average investor's money only grew about three percent. The reason being that most sell when the market takes a plunge and then buy on the way back up. This is driven by fear. Lack of confidence that our investment will weather the storm.  If we invest in companies that operate with the same values and principles we believe it, might our fears be soothed? As long as we are sipping lattes and tapping on iPhones the market will always go up, in spite of periodic dips.

There's that and then there is the feeling of empowering companies who have the well being of us, our children and the environment in mind. Let's invest in profitable companies that are built to last a hundred years. Lets empower companies who are consciously leading us into a bright future,

As Mark Bertolini from Aetna says profit is not the goal, profit is the output of mission driven companies, who build quality products for their customers.

Yvonne Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia says that whenever faced with the choice of profit or doing good, he chooses doing good and in the long run this always ends up being the most profitable decision.

The portfolio on the upper right hand side of this screen is a list of such companies.  Companies with good financials, who operate with the greater good as their mission.  These publicly traded companies have humble CEOs, products that improve the lives of humanity, work to reduce their impact on the environment giving as much as they take, diverse boards, happy employees.  Theses companies are congruent with our well being and the well being of the environment.  

“Conversation is the heart of human life and conversation is the heart of commerce” - David Whyte

Lets start the conversation about following the money!

CEO's can only do so much

In early October, NRG Energy capitulated to investor craving for short term gain.  NRG has successfully been leading the charge amongst traditional fossil fuel companies in implementing green energy portfolios'.  They have lead by example.  As CEO David Crane said to New York Times columnist Joe Nocera almost a year ago “It’s like Wayne Gretzky said,” he told me before hanging up the phone. “We are skating where the puck is going, rather than where it is now.”" Which is in fact the last time NRG was written about in the Times.

Investors being dissatisfied with NRGs stock price has put pressure on the company to divest its focus on the alternative energy and go back to what works now.  Coal powered plants.

In a time when polls and meta-analysis of news and opinion show that the majority of Americans are concerned about climate change, if not for the impact on our lives then definitely for our children's.  With the exception of some of the most conservative of republicans.  I doubt the latter constitute the majority of investors in NRG stock.  Which begs the question, why are we punishing a company for working so hard for the health of our future(thats us and the planet), even with promise of sustainable long term profit?  Based on the business trajectory of NRGs wind, solar and home solar business's it seems like a sure bet for a long term investment, as sure as any other business, including fossil fuels.

Alternative energy works now, just like Fords first assembly line car did when it drove out of the factory.

We need start putting our money where our principles are.  We need to start investing in our future not just talking about it.  Companies like NRG should be rewarded, not punished for working for our well being.

Let's pay attention to where the puck is going, and head in that direction!!!!

It pays to care!

"The most conscious companies give more, and they get more in return. The inescapable conclusion: it pays to care, widely and deeply"

https://hbr.org/2013/04/companies-that-practice-conscious-capitalism-perform.html

It's not difficult, gentlemen, making the consumer enjoy their products

"Investing in product, investing in comfortable seats - it's not difficult, gentlemen, making the consumer enjoy their products."

Said by Emirates Airlines President Tim Clark to the major american airlines in response to their pressure on government to stifle Persian Gulf airlines.

This comment exemplifies the link between opportunity and compassion.  "Make the consumer enjoy their products".  "Comfortable seats"!!  

What do companies do with all their profit?
  
They recognize the profit only 4 times a year...when they release earnings.  The rest of the time out of  fear of not being able to meet those profit expectations, they say to themselves money is tight, and investments like employee benefits, and upgrading the subtleties of their consumers experience, don't seem necessary.

And in this case, they find ways to stifle their competition...a shortcut...an unsustainable strategy.  

Common gentlepeople - its not difficult! Just use the golden rule, when you goto sit in the proverbial seat wouldn't you be much happier if it was comfortable.  

Built it and they will come!