A recent article in Visual Capitalist focuses on millennials driving the rise of sustainable investing. They place the wealth transfer coming to millennials over the coming decades at $30 trillion. Though smaller than the $50 trillion number our research for The Clean Money Revolution showed, we are including all of North America as well as considering further wealth expansion and inflation over the next three decades. The exact number itself is less relevant. The point is that this wealth will change the face of investing and thus, of the world:
“millennials want to put their money towards companies and funds that are helping to do things like alleviate poverty, protect the environment, or further human rights around the world. They want to generate ROI in both financial and social spheres.”
Recent research from Morgan Stanley looks into how and why they will invest sustainably:
- 86% of millennial investors say they are “very interested” or “interested” in sustainable investing.
- 61% of Millennials have taken at least one sustainability oriented investment action in the last year.
- 75% think their investments can influence climate change
- 84% think their investments can help fight poverty.
- Sustainable, responsible and impact investing rose 33% between 2014-2016 to $8.72 trillion.
Millennials, the largest generation in American history, are a key audience for The Clean Money Revolution and one of my goals for the book is for it to raise awareness and inspire young people to understand money and what it is, where it comes from, and how it affects people and places. To that end I hope you’ll consider gifting or passing your copy along to a millennial in your life.
I’m heartened by this evidence about the future of sustainable investing. May this just be the beginning!