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ESG ETFs: Making Money While Doing Good

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  • (1:30) - Can Investors Influence Companies To Be More Responsible?
  • (5:30) - The Evolution and Approach To ESG Investing 
  • (9:10) - Is ESG Investing Possible Without Sacrificing Returns?
  • (13:30) - Takeaways on Nushares Approach on ESG
  •             Podcast@Zacks.com  

In this episode of ETF Spotlight, I talked with Jordan Farris, Managing Director and Head of ETF Product Development at Nushares from Nuveen.

Nushares offers a comprehensive suite of ESG focused ETFs leveraging the expertise of its parent company TIAA. Currently, TIAA is one of the largest managers of responsible investment assets in the US.

Institutional investors were known be interested in responsible investments but in the recent years, even individual investors have shown a lot of interest in these products. 

We have seen increased inflows into Socially Responsible ETFs over the past few years. And many companies are now incorporating sustainability into their long-term strategy.

We have also seen rising consumer activism of late, thanks mainly to social media.

Do investors want to put their money where their mouth is? We discussed whether investors can influence corporate policies or encourage companies to be more responsible.

Jordan then talked about evolution of ESG Investing. Earlier ESG products followed an exclusionary approach, i.e. they excluded companies that did not follow certain environmental, social or governance principles.

 Nushares offers ESG ETFs as portfolio building blocks. Investors can use these products to build a well-diversified portfolio of companies across various market capitalizations and investment styles while giving special consideration to certain ESG criteria including low carbon impact.

Many investors think doing the right thing for society may negatively impact returns. But research shows that companies that take better care of the environment and the world actually perform better in the long run.

In fact, ESG investing is possible without sacrificing returns. Find out more in the podcast.

Jordan then explained how investors can use Nuveen ESG ETFs, as replacement for existing broad equity and fixed income allocations within the portfolio, without changing risk-return characteristics.

If you want to learn more about Nushares ETF please visit nuveen.com

Please make sure to tune in for our next podcast. If you have any comments or questions, please email podcast@zacks.com.

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