It's a model of social responsibility. That's one reason why, after netting a cool million by selling a parcel of unused land, the church decided to set some new investment guidelines and re-evaluate its small portfolio. The church also has specific investment goals. Penelope Haase, a planner specializing in socially responsible investing, knows how to invest for spare change and social change. How to Do Good Building a socially screened portfolio isn't as simple as eliminating every fund that holds cigarette makers.
Citizens also eliminates companies that test on animals.
This is the sole mutual-fund offering from the folks who wrote the book on socially responsible investing, Kinder, Lydenburg, Domini. To that end, she assesses her clients' risk tolerance and explores their portfolio goals before asking about their position on nuclear power, for example. Unfortunately, there aren't a ton of compelling options. Investors can lengthen the list of candidates by relaxing their requirements slightly. There are no perfect companies and there are no perfect funds.