But in the mutual fund universe, it achieved some prominence in the 1980s because of the South Africa question, and Calvert started one of the the first mutual funds that avoided companies that did business in South Africa. From those roots, socially responsible investing has evolved into an active evaluation of what constitutes good corporate action, good corporate governance and good workplace quality. But on a serious note, it is clear that the socially responsible investment niche has grown along with the rest of the mutual fund industry, but it is now growing at an even faster rate. The number of mutual funds devoted to socially responsible investing has grown tenfold in the last five years, but I think that's just the tip of the iceberg. That growth has taken place without the penetration that I would expect would occur within the retirement plan arena, and that is now opening up, and not before its time.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
For sophisticated investors only.