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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2015/jun/17/keep-it-in-the-ground-divestment-personal-finance-questions-live-chat
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| How to join the divestment movement – ask the experts in this live chat | How to join the divestment movement – ask the experts in this live chat |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| 11.58am ET16:58 | |
| A question from William Wilson about whether key players are denying the trend of value investing: | |
| After investing in companies that seem ethical, socially valuable, and had good growth prospects it seems today has never been more difficult. Is there a concerted effort on the part of key players inside the SEC, Wall Street, market makers, analysts paid to trash some companies etc etc to deny the trend of value investing? I think there is. | |
| For instance I have invested in several China small cap companies that are doing great things for energy efficiencies like CPQQ. Insiders were advised by at least one key player here to take their companies private after they dropped to below cash on the books. Profitable, great prospects to solve a problem, great relations with the Chinese government, and yet almost all shareholder value/price has been destroyed. One wealthy Texan advised them to delist and he said he did this for several other small cap companies listed here. | |
| Like Enron there are key insiders that have to let the trend of ethical investing, which includes divesting from fossil fuels to proceed in my opinion. Yet the SEC seems missing in action, no lawsuits, little or no media coverage other than hit piecies to further the damage etc. As China leads with Solar and India leads with wind it seems critical the mega caps being favored for a long time now is exposed or the real engine of change to efficiencies etc of small caps will continue to be denied just as climate change is. Thank You for listening. | |
| A response from Leslie Samuelrich: | |
| There is a growing body of work that shows how incorporating environmental, social and governance considerations may improve performance. But, mainstream financial analysts have been slow to see and incorporate this information in some cases. Check out USSIF.org for data and lists of investments. Also, if your advisor just doesn't follow this information, it may be time to consider switching | |
| Do you have something to add or another question? Send it to us in the comments below! | |
| Updated at 11.59am ET | |
| 11.55am ET16:55 | |
| Welcome, and thanks for joining us today! Our live chat kicks off with a question from Dominic Rushe:Hi guys and thanks for doing this. It’s a very interesting day to talk about divestment considering Pope Francis’s comments about the “cheerful recklessness” with which we have treated the planet. As you know there is pressure on the pope to divest the Catholic Church’s money. Do you think divestment movement is catching momentum? Have you seen changes in people’s level of interest? | |
| Updated at 11.56am ET | |
| 1.05pm ET18:05 | 1.05pm ET18:05 |
| The Guardian’s Keep it in the Ground campaign is calling on the world’s two largest charitable foundations to divest from fossil fuels and reject a business model that puts the world on course for catastrophic climate change. | The Guardian’s Keep it in the Ground campaign is calling on the world’s two largest charitable foundations to divest from fossil fuels and reject a business model that puts the world on course for catastrophic climate change. |
| Anyone with a checking, savings or 401k account will almost certainly have money invested in oil, gas and coal companies. This money – your money – is being used by fossil fuel companies to identify further reserves that cannot be burnt if temperature rises are to stay within the 2C (4F) threshold essential to preventing dangerous climate change. | Anyone with a checking, savings or 401k account will almost certainly have money invested in oil, gas and coal companies. This money – your money – is being used by fossil fuel companies to identify further reserves that cannot be burnt if temperature rises are to stay within the 2C (4F) threshold essential to preventing dangerous climate change. |
| Fossil fuel companies are firmly embedded within the financial system, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Impact investment is taking hold and investors and financial institutions are beginning to understand the demand for financial products unconnected to fossil fuel companies. | Fossil fuel companies are firmly embedded within the financial system, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Impact investment is taking hold and investors and financial institutions are beginning to understand the demand for financial products unconnected to fossil fuel companies. |
| Individuals can use their financial muscle – however large or small that might be - to divest their own money or pressure financial institutions to give them to option to exclude their money from fossil fuel investments. | Individuals can use their financial muscle – however large or small that might be - to divest their own money or pressure financial institutions to give them to option to exclude their money from fossil fuel investments. |
| To explore the power and potential of individual action, the Guardian has launched a new series on personal divestment. As part of this, at noon ET on Thursday, the following panelists will be online to answer your personal divestment questions: | To explore the power and potential of individual action, the Guardian has launched a new series on personal divestment. As part of this, at noon ET on Thursday, the following panelists will be online to answer your personal divestment questions: |
| · Dominic Rushe, Guardian US business editor · Leslie Samuelrich, president at Green Century Capital Management, the first group of fossil fuel-free funds in the US· Vanessa Green, director of the Divest-Invest Individual campaign, which has collected more than 2,000 fossil fuel-free pledges from individual investors in 20 countries | · Dominic Rushe, Guardian US business editor · Leslie Samuelrich, president at Green Century Capital Management, the first group of fossil fuel-free funds in the US· Vanessa Green, director of the Divest-Invest Individual campaign, which has collected more than 2,000 fossil fuel-free pledges from individual investors in 20 countries |
| You can submit your questions in advance or live in the comments below, or send them to us on Twitter @guardianeco and using the hashtag #keepitintheground. | You can submit your questions in advance or live in the comments below, or send them to us on Twitter @guardianeco and using the hashtag #keepitintheground. |
| Readers should be aware any answers given do not constitute financial advice or endorsement of any particular product. Readers should consult a financial advisor where appropriate. | Readers should be aware any answers given do not constitute financial advice or endorsement of any particular product. Readers should consult a financial advisor where appropriate. |
| Updated at 12.14am ET | Updated at 12.14am ET |