RESOURCE GENERATION | resources: financial

The resources in this section are compiled from several sources including: Changemakers, KLD, Liberty Hill, Sharon Rich, and Stephen Viederman.

Financial Literacy & Planning
Here are a few resources to learn more about the financial industry and financial planning:

First Affirmative Financial Network publishes a financial planning handbook for socially responsible investors (www.firstaffirmative.com).

Heirs, Inc. provides a forum for beneficiaries of trusts (www.heirs.net).

Human Rights Campaign Foundation offers information on personal finance for gay and lesbian couples. (http://www.hrc.org)

Investor Words is a website with an extensive glossary of financial terms (http://www.investorwords.com).

Investor Protection Trust provides “independent, objective information needed by consumers to make informed investment decisions” (http://www.investorprotection.org).

Resourceful Women promotes progressive social change by educating and empowering women to make informed choices when investing, spending, and contributing their money. (http://www.rw.org)

Finding an Advisor or Attorney
Referrals are always the best option. However, you may also want to check out some of the advisor networks as well, and some of these organizations can assist you when selecting an advisor or attorney.

SRI Advisors

Co-op America is a national nonprofit organization that provides practical steps for leveraging consumer and investor resources for social change (www.coopamerica.org).

First Affirmative Financial Network is an independent advisory firm that supports a nationwide network of financial advisors specializing in a socially responsible approach to investing (www.firstaffirmative.com).

Social Investment Forum Annual Directory includes socially responsible investing professionals. (http://www.socialinvest.org)

General Networks & Resources

Association of African American Financial Advisors is a national association of African American financial advisors who provides financial and economic consulting services (http://www.aaafa.org).

Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting is a national Latino professional association that provides financial and economic consulting services (http://www.alpfa.org).

Certified Financial Planners is a professional regulatory organization that provides information about financial planning and how to choose a planner. (http://www.CFP.net)

Family Office Exchange serves as a resource for families with wealth to help develop their understanding of wealth management issues and guides their selection of strategic advisors (http://www.foxexchange.com).

Financial Planning Association is a membership organization for the financial planning community (http://www.fpanet.org).

Gay Financial Network provides a directory of gay-friendly financial professionals (http://www.gfn.com).

Hispanic National Bar Association is a professional network of Hispanic attorneys (http://www.hnba.com).

International Association for Registered Financial Planners is an association of financial planners. Their website has articles on topics such as how advisors receive fees. (http://www.iarfc.org)

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils is a national organization of professional estate planners (http://www.naepc.org).

National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors represents more than 70,000 insurance and financial advisors nationwide (http://www.naifa.org).

National Association of Philanthropic Planners is a nonprofit group of independent financial professionals (http://www.napp.net).

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association is a national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students (http://www.napaba.org).

National Association of Personal Financial Advisors is a professional association of financial planners (http://www.napfa.org).

National Lesbian & Gay Law Association offers a national network of legal support and services (http://www.nlgla.org).

Pride Planners provides financial planning referral lists and resources for the LGBT community (http://www.prideplanners.com).

Socially Responsible Investing
Finding your way as investor who is committed to social change doesn’t have to be something you do alone. There are a number of organizations designed to provide social investors with research, technical assistance, and other needed support.

Organizations and Networks:

CDFI Coalition is a network of community development finance institutions (http://www.cdfi.org).

CERES is a coalition of environmental, investor and advocacy groups focused on sustainability and corporate responsibility (http://www.CERES.org).

Co-op America is a national nonprofit organization that provides practical steps for leveraging consumer and investor resources for social change. (http://www.coopamerica.org)

Investor's Circle is a social venture capital intermediary whose mission is to “support early-stage, private companies that drive the transition to a sustainable economy” (http://www.investorscircle.net).

National Community Capital Association is a national membership organization of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) (www.communitycapital.org).

National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions is an organization of Community Development Credit Unions (http://www.natfed.org).

Net Impact is a network of business students and alumnae aiming to incorporate social responsibility into the business curriculum (http://www.net-impact.org)

Social Investment Forum is a national non-profit organization providing research and educational programs on socially responsible investing (http://www.socialinvest.com).

Social Venture Network Is a progressive business network that offers support for companies that value social justice, community, cooperation, diversity, education, sustainability and innovation (http://www.svn.org).

SRI in the Rockies is an annual gathering of the socially responsible investment industry in the United States (http://www.sriintherockies.com).

SRI World Group is a news, research and consulting firm that advises clients regarding sustainability and investment issues and corporate responsibility practices (http://www.SocialFunds.com).

Publications:

Brill, Hal. 1999. Investing with Your Values: Making Money and Making a Difference.

Domini, Amy L. 2001. Socially Responsible Investing: Making a Difference and Making Money.

Domini, Amy L. 1992. Social Investment Almanac: A Comprehensive Guide to Socially Responsible Investing.

Kinder, Peter D. 1993. Investing for Good: Making Money while Being Socially Responsible.

Green Money Journal “encourages and promotes the awareness of socially & environmentally responsible business, investing and consumer resources in publications & online” (http://www.greenmoney.com).

Mission Related Investing
Family foundations can practice a particular type of socially responsible investing by relating their endowment investments to their missions. Here are a few resources to learn more:

Foundation Partnership on Corporate Responsibility is an association of foundations working to link their grantmaking values with their investments. (http://www.foundationpartnership.org)

Investor's Circle is a social venture capital intermediary whose mission is to “support early-stage, private companies that drive the transition to a sustainable economy.” (http://www.investorscircle.net)

Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation has been involved in mission related investing for years, and has a number of articles about their activities on their website. (http://www.noyes.org)

Responsible Endowments Coalition is a diverse network of students and alumni from across the country dedicated to advancing socially and environmentally responsible investing in relation to college and university endowments. (http://www.sriendowment.org)

Shareholder Activism

As You Sow is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting corporate social responsibility (http://www.asyousow.org).

Business Ethics is a bimonthly magazine that promotes ethical business practices (http://www.business-ethics.com).

Green Mountain Summit on Investor Responsibility is an annual forum on fiduciary responsibility, sustainable investing and corporate governance issues, organized by the Information Management Network (http://www.imn.org).

Interfaith Council on Corporate Responsibility is a coalition of religious communities working to promote corporate social responsibility (http://www.icr.org).

Responsible Wealth is a national network of businesspeople, investors and affluent Americans who are concerned about deepening economic inequality and are working for widespread prosperity (http://www.responsiblewealth.org).

Shareholder Action Network is a clearinghouse of information and analysis to the socially responsible investing community on shareholder advocacy (http://www.shareholderaction.org).

Consumer Resources

Green Pages is the largest directory of qualified green businesses with over 25,000 products and services from 2,000 green companies (http://www.greenpages.org).

Fair Trade Resource Network “raises consumer awareness about improving people's lives through Fair Trade alternatives” (http://www.fairtraderesource.org).

Public Citizen is a national nonprofit consumer advocacy organization (http://www.publiccitizen.org).

Simple Living Network provides “tools, examples and contacts for conscious, simple, healthy and restorative living” (http://www.simpleliving.net)

Tax Advocacy and Economic Justice Resources

Organizations:

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a policy organization that conducts research and analysis to inform public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and works at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals (http://www.cbpp.org).

Campus Living Wage Campaigns has links to organizations and campus groups across the country currently at work on this issue (http://www.campuslivingwage.org).

CERES is a coalition of environmental, investor and advocacy groups focused on sustainability and corporate responsibility (http://www.CERES.org).

Center for Economic Justice works to strengthen international movements that counter corporate-driven globalization and promote more just policy alternatives (http://www.econjustice.net)

Citizens for Tax Justice is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and advocacy organization dedicated to fair taxation at the federal, state, and local levels (http://www.ctj.org).

CORPWATCH corporate accountability research and resources (http://www.corpwatch.org).

Fair Taxes for All Coalition is a coalition committed to promoting a fair tax system (http://www.fairtaxes4all.org).

National Priorities Project offers tools and resources to shape federal budget and policy priorities which promote social and economic justice (http://www.nationalpriorities.org).

Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy is “instigating democratic conversations and actions that contest the authority of corporations to govern” (http://www.poclad.org).

Responsible Wealth is a national network of business people, investors and affluent Americans who are concerned about deepening economic inequality and are working for widespread prosperity (http://www.responsiblewealth.org).

United For a Fair Economy is a national organization that raises awareness on concentrated wealth, power their impacts on the economy and local/national communities (http://www.ufenet.org).

50 Years is Enough: US Network for Global Economic Justice is a U.S.-based coalition of over 200 organizations committed to the fundamental transformation of the IMF and World Bank (http://www.50years.org).

Publications:

Johnson, David Cay. 2003. Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich – and Cheat Everyone Else.

Gates, Sr., William & Chuck Collins. 2002. Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes.

See the website http://www.classmatters.org for lots of resources on class.