Retail Investors & Sustainable Investing

The US SIF Foundation maintains resources – a short guide, a free online course, a resource on retirement options, and additional resources – to help retail investors interested in learning more about sustainable investing.

Getting Started in Sustainable Investing: A Guide for Individual Investors is a concise resource to help retail, non-accredited investors start investing for impact. It covers investment options, including mutual funds and ETFs, direct ownership of stocks, and community-oriented cash and fixed income products. It also provides information on how to get professional investment help from financial advisors or through robo-advisors that offer sustainable investment options. The guide concludes with helpful resources to review. 


Sustainable Investing: An Introductory Course for Individual Investors is a free, 30-minute online course for individual investors who want to learn the basics of sustainable investing and how to align their portfolios to address their social and environmental priorities. The course seeks to empower individual investors with the knowledge to engage in a conversation about sustainable investment with investment professionals.

Options for 401K and Other DC Retirement Plans is a webpage for individual investors interested in adding a sustainable investment option into their plan’s choices. It includes a list of potential benefits of sustainable funds and steps on how to approach an employer’s human resources department to inquire about fund options.
 
Additional resources: Individual investors may also be interested in learning about community investing options, racial justice resources and fossil fuel divestment and reinvestment. To learn about additional resources, visit US SIF’s Center for Sustainable Investment Education page.