You are no doubt familiar with the choice between carrots and sticks (remember, these are metaphors, except for horses). In other words, when trying to bring about or prevent a particular behavior we can choose between rewards or penalties. Both approaches can work, although usually imperfectly, even when the potential reward or punishment is substantial
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Early last year, we posted a short article titled, “ESG and Wealth Management – Taking Off Or Stalled?” We think it’s already time to revisit the topic. First, let’s state a key underlying assumption that is not necessarily embraced across the entire wealth management space: incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into the investment
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A respected idea in economics, known as the “universal ownership theory,” states that some actions that could maximize value for an individual company may not be optimal for its shareholders. Huh? Stick with us – we’ll explain, and show why this is relevant in the ESG arena. The whole is different than the sum of
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Our moms taught us (yours probably did too) that nothing matters more than our health. Access to health care is something we deeply appreciate (and many of us take for granted). We are grateful for health care professionals and the facilities where they take care of us, the research professionals that develop and produce medicines
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There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal. Like so many people, we aim for that. But hectic schedules and/or lack of energy to plan, shop, and cook lead us to grab take-out, order delivery, or pick up a roasted chicken from the market, and fairly often. That means bringing home big plastic containers, along with the
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Workplace stress is not a new phenomenon. The term “stress” (borrowed from physics) was first applied to humans in the 1920s, and the American Institute of Stress developed its Workplace Stress Scale in 1978. Post-pandemic, there are new aspects to workplace stress for employers to consider. For example, “hybrid workplace anxiety” (we think we just
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Governments and corporations issue green bonds to fund projects with positive environmental impacts, such as developing renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, controlling pollution, providing clean transportation, constructing or retrofitting green buildings, improving wastewater management, and supporting climate change adaption. According to the Climate Bonds Initiative, annual issuance of green bonds more than tripled in the
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The basic premise of incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into an investment analysis is that an investment’s value can be affected (positively or negatively) by those factors. There are many reasons this makes sense, across all three pillars of E, S, and G, and volumes have been written on the topic. Just to
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When you first hear the term “modern slavery” it might sound like an exaggeration intentionally designed to arouse strong emotions and perhaps push an agenda. Or perhaps you think it is something from the plot of a dystopian novel. We wish that were true. Unfortunately, it was not taken from fiction or invented by some
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The body of research on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores and stock returns is large and growing. A search on GoogleScholar using that phrase shows that since 2018 alone, roughly 11,700 academic articles have been published on what ESG scores reveal about stock returns, or whether ESG scores have any consistent relationship with stock
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Certain industries tend to grab most of the headlines when it comes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. The fossil fuel industry immediately comes to mind, as do the other extractives. Consumer-facing and manufacturing companies get a good deal of attention, too. Of course, every industry can improve its sustainability and help people and
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“Corporate governance” refers to the rules and oversight that dictate how a company operates, and how effectively those rules and regulations are implemented. One goal of good governance is to align the interests of various stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, and customers. This involves meaningful internal controls, ranging from enforcing policies against harassment and discrimination in
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We work with all types of investment firms, corporations and fintech platforms around the world. Find out how OWL can meet your need for ESG data and analytics today.
