Socially Responsible Investing For Dummies [Paperback]

Ann C. Logue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2008

Generate a good return as well as goodwill with this guide to ethical investments

Want to make money while you make a difference in the world? Socially Responsible Investing For Dummies, a 2010 Green Book Festival award winner, is as practical, hands-on guide to smart social investing that shows you how to maximize your profits while remaining true to your values. You get expert advice in targeting an issue you're passionate about, researching potential investments, and putting your socially responsible choices into action.

• Get started with social investing basics — understand what it is, why it works, and how investors define social responsibility

• Navigate the socially responsible enterprise — discover the business principles that help ethical organizations thrive

• Conduct your research — determine whether an investment has financial potential and also serves your personal needs

• Evaluate your investment choices — from stocks and bonds to mutual funds and ETFs to real estate and high finance, select the best investments and adjust your portfolio over time

• Get help from the pros — find brokers, financial planners, and mutual fund companies that can help you with your decisions

• Ensure your success — see how to diversify, monitor your investments, join forces with others, vote your proxies, keep your perspective, and more

• Keep up with investment trends — discover how to take advantage of new investment products and stay on top of industry changes

• Recognize truly socially responsible investments — understand how to tell socially responsible investment opportunities from "feel good" opportunities

In Socially Responsible Investing For Dummies you will find:

• A clear introduction to social investing

• Issues to invest in, from environmental to international

• The different types of investments

• How to buy and sell

• Fiduciary responsibilities for the social investor

• How to use your investment clout to influence a company's performance

• Ten social investing traps you must avoid

• Activist investing success stories

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Generate a good return as well as goodwill with this guide to ethical investments

Want to make money while you make a difference in the world? This practical, hands-on guide to smart social investing shows you how to maximize your profits while remaining true to your values. You get expert advice in targeting an issue you're passionate about, researching potential investments, and putting your socially responsible choices into action.

• Get started with social investing basics — understand what it is, why it works, and how investors define social responsibility

• Navigate the socially responsible enterprise — discover the business principles that help ethical organizations thrive

• Conduct your research — determine whether an investment has financial potential and also serves your personal needs

• Evaluate your investment choices — from stocks and bonds to mutual funds and ETFs to real estate and high finance, select the best investments and adjust your portfolio over time

• Get help from the pros — find brokers, financial planners, and mutual fund companies that can help you with your decisions

• Ensure your success — see how to diversify, monitor your investments, join forces with others, vote your proxies, keep your perspective, and more

• Keep up with investment trends — discover how to take advantage of new investment products and stay on top of industry changes

• Recognize truly socially responsible investments — understand how to tell socially responsible investment opportunities from "feel good" opportunities

Open the book and find:

• A clear introduction to social investing

• Issues to invest in, from environmental to international

• The different types of investments

• How to buy and sell

• Fiduciary responsibilities for the social investor

• How to use your investment clout to influence a company's performance

• Ten social investing traps you must avoid

• Activist investing success stories

About the Author

Ann C. Logue, MBA, has twelve years of working experience in financial services and has taught business administration at the University of Illinois. She is a finance writer who has written numerous articles on investment and has edited publications on equity trading and risk management.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (December 31, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470394714
• ISBN-13: 978-0470394717
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ann Logue is a freelance writer and consulting analyst who is fascinated by business and technology. Among her clients and publications are Barron's, The New York Times, Newsweek Japan, Compliance Week, and the International Monetary Fund. She also teaches finance at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds a B.A. from Northwestern University, an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to put your money where your heart is - use your head first and read this book, October 12, 2009

By 

Eric Lee "Green Tech VC" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Socially Responsible Investing For Dummies (Paperback)

I have been evaluating green tech venture capital opportunities for some time now and found several sections of this book very worth while. "Socially Responsible Investing for Dummies" is an excellent primer on for those that want to learn more about types of invest funds and core requirements for ethical corporate governance. The book also provides a great intro on how to evaluate proxy statements for value and the pros and con's of each investment mechanism for your favorite causes. Whether your focus is green technology or carbon neutral manufactures, if you want to put your money where your heart is - use your head first and read this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm beyond impressed, June 18, 2010

By 

Andrew Knight "cappomutato" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Socially Responsible Investing For Dummies (Paperback)

Having read many investment guides, worked in numerous offices specializing in pension, 401(k) and IRAs and being a proud liberal, I really didn't expect I had much to learn when it came to socially responsible investing. First of all, I'd assumed, wrongly, that socially responsible investing is only something lefties like me engage in. Logue squashes this idea with a plethora of information for the religious and/or conservative investor. I also had not seen corporate governance as something that would fall in the realm of "socially responsible" but Logue quickly changed my opinion on that, as well. In fact, her information on corporate governance is perhaps the most compelling part of the book (at least for nerdy old me).

Logue doesn't pull any punches though. Time and time again she demands we do our research (of course she shows us how)-- no easy shortcuts there. Her information doesn't pretend that your hard earned money will, in itself, have any impact on society. That our individual actions will force an overpaid incompetent executive out, or force a board to demand full disclosure and meaningful audits. She even warns of micro-finance's inadequacies while extolling its virtues.

That's another thing Logue doesn't do: She doesn't mix charity with business. She points out time and again that socially responsible investing is INVESTING, and that if an investment isn't producing profit with its good works then it isn't a good investment. She also warns us off falling into the trap of letting a corporate publicity campaign mask the terrible things they may be doing elsewhere, or, conversely, punishing a company for the sins of its past despite what changes it may have gone through in the years since.

Logue's book is packed with information that, no matter your point of view, you will find useful in using to pursue a PROFITABLE investment strategy that will allow you to sleep soundly at night.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hats off, September 15, 2010

By 

Tariq, Chicago, IL - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Socially Responsible Investing For Dummies (Paperback)

Do you want to improve your investing habbits? Tired of listening to the same old financial news?, then look no further and read "Socially Responsible Investing for Dummies." Ann Logue walks you step by step and explains how to monitor your investments, identify which companies to invest in, selection of your stocks, bonds, mutual funds,exchange traded funds and how the market works. This book also expalins how the tax rules applies to each individual on their dividends and how to avoid paying excessive fees to brokers and financial advisors. This book is not only for beginners but also for someone who needs help investing in international markets. I would highly recommend reading this book. I'm looking forward to reading her upcoming book called "Emerging Markets for Dummies."