The Complete Idiot's Guide to Socially Responsible Investing [Mass Market Paperback]

Ken Little (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2008 | Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide

Today’s hottest investing trend.

More than ever, people want their money investments to reflect their personal or political leanings. But how do they find out which companies are “socially responsible?” Do these “green” investments perform as well as traditional investments? How can they protect themselves from mutual funds or 401Ks that are managed without the future in mind? All these questions and more are answered by an international expert who founded the SRI World Group, one of the largest information services on SRI.
* Includes detailed information about SRI, its history and where it’s headed
* Explains the criteria used to evaluate a company’s level of social responsibility
* Compares performance of SRI to traditional investments

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ken Little is a veteran financial writer and editor. He is currently the editor of the stocks website for About.com. He was the chief financial writer for Strong Capital Management's website (www.estrong.com). He has written six books on money management and investing, including The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Personal Financial Documents, The Pocket Idiot's Guide(tm) to Annuities, Personal Finance Desk Reference, Personal Finance at Your Fingertips, and Alpha Teach Yourself Investing in 24 Hours. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; First Thus edition (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592577296
• ISBN-13: 978-1592577293
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,154,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can be socially responsible and make money at the same time, August 12, 2009

By 

Mariusz Skonieczny "Author" (Schaumburg, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Socially Responsible Investing (Mass Market Paperback)

Can investors make money and invest in good companies at the same time? This is what this book is all about. Some investors do not care if the company of choice manufactures products, such as cigarettes, that potentially can kill people, as long as earnings, profit margins, or stock prices have the potential to increase. If you are an investor that finds it important to invest in companies that are socially responsible while making profits, then this book is for you.

In this book, the author writes about important issues to socially responsible investors such as environmental, societal, corporate governance, economic, and community investment issues. It teaches investors how to screen or select stocks or mutual funds that meet the requirement of socially responsible companies. While investors can select individual companies, mutual funds are the preferred way for investors to be involved in this type of investing, and that's why the author dedicates four chapters to mutual funds. I recommend this book to investors interested in socially responsible investing.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

0 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "Social investing" is a delusion, May 8, 2008

By 

Nicholas J. Kaster (Oak Park, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Socially Responsible Investing (Mass Market Paperback)

You have to be a complete idiot to even consider wasting your hard earned money on "socially responsible investing." Is that too harsh a statement? Consider this: According to financial analyst Henry Blodget, writing in Atlantic Monthly (October 2007), if you had invested $1,000 in the S&P 500 in 1957, you would have ended up with $124,000 in 2003. However, if you had invested the same $1,000 in just the stock of Philip Morris, you would have ended up with $4.6 million. So if the purpose of investing is to make money, excluding Philip Morris from your portfolio would have been totally irrational. Social investing is a marketing ploy pitched to guilty baby boomers, trying to convince them that that they can make money and feel good too! Here's a better idea: Get the best return you can from your investments and use the proceeds to make a contribution to the charity of your choice. And what's more, you'll get a tax deduction.