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. Thus Haase also considers non-socially screened funds that are light in troublesome areas such as tobacco and nuclear power. Moreover, investors restricting themselves to SRI funds can't easily build diversified portfolios. There aren't a lot of socially screened overseas funds, for example. Inc. All rights reserved.