This App Lets You Invest in Projects That Profit by Doing Good

Do you care about where your money is invested and what it supports? Now you can invest in companies that sustain the causes you believe in. And you can open an account for an initial investment of only $50.

Most investment brokerage or retirement accounts are only concerned with how a company performs financially and not what their effect on the world is. But not Swell Investing. This impact investing platform helps people invest in high-growth companies that are working to address the global environmental social challenges that are outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).

The investment portfolios are divided into themed impact components: renewable energy, healthy living, zero waste, green tech, clean water, and disease eradication.  Swell users can invest their money in the causes that they support. Swell also has put together an Impact 400 portfolio that features 400 of the companies that do the most good.

Swell is not a start-up or a newbie in the investing world. It was incubated within Pacific Life, a company that has over 150 years of financial services experience.

Swell is an online investment advisor that chooses portfolios and then works with a broker to buy shares in the portfolio’s companies according to Business Insider. Being a shareholder allows you to vote as a shareholder and impact the direction the company is going in.

The App was founded in 2017 by Dave Fanger, now CEO, when he was evaluating businesses at Pacific Life (Swell’s parent company). He saw that companies that treated their employees well  or worked for a mission (like medical research) gave better returns to investors. He and a colleague also discovered that there was no accessible way to invest in those types of companies. Fanger decided to create one.

The vetting process for companies that Swell will include in the portfolio is extensive according to Business Insider. First, the vetting team identifies if the company provides, produces or makes money from products or services that address the issues outlined by the UN SDGS. Then the team screens the company for any red flags that could make them less socially responsible. If the company passes the process, it is included.

It is easy to set up an account and there is only a $50 minimum initial investment. The management fees are .75 percent. There are no trading fees, price tiers or expensive rations. There is a calculator on the investment site that shows the total fees for a year on a given investment.

Swell’s investors can check user-friendly company cards on every company to see how they are making a positive impact on the world. This way, you can see that your money is invested in companies that support the causes you believe in.

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