Most of us want to grow our nest eggs. Most of us also love the idea of supporting a favorite cause in a robust, long-term way. Jacey Cosentino and Chesley Allegri, local financial advisors with Morgan Stanley, help people do both through “sustainable investing,” designed to generate wealth while making a positive impact on the world. On May 20 they’re hosting a free virtual symposium, Using Your Dollars for Good, featuring three national experts in the field. 

For more than a decade, Morgan Stanley has been a leader in helping accelerate the growth of sustainable investing for mainstream investors. The strategy was twofold: disinvestment from companies with environmentally harmful practices, and investment in promising companies with eco-friendly missions and policies. Over time, Morgan Stanley expanded that environmental model to include other popular themes, like social equity-, diversity- and faith-based portfolios. 

Investing with Impact

The beauty of “investing with impact” is that it can be every bit as successful toward achieving specific financial goals as traditional investment, Allegri says. In fact a February 24 report from Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, “Sustainable Funds Outperform Peers,” notes that during the pandemic in 2020, sustainable funds had better returns and reduced investment risk compared to traditional equivalents.  

“For years the assumption was that if you invested in a way that aligns with your values and beliefs, you wouldn’t be able to adequately plan for retirement or other investment goals. We still encounter this mindset from time to time, but it’s just not true,” Allegri says. “Whether your goal is to divest from fossil fuels or to promote health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities or even responsible consumption and production, these themes and more are available to you without the fear of lack of performance in comparison to traditional investments.”

Individuals and businesses can incorporate sustainable investments throughout their portfolio or as a component of it, Cosentino says. “Let’s say you want to support minority-owned business: You can incorporate many of these investments into not only IRA plans, but brokerage accounts as well through a customized selection of mutual funds, ETFs and individual stocks.” 

Investing with impact has obvious appeal for endowments and foundations, she notes—plus donors like knowing they’re supporting not just the organization itself, but also companies with similar values.

Symposium Details

Cosentino and Allegri, who are with the Radcliff-Schatzman Group at Morgan Stanley, have offices in Pensacola and in Mobile, respectively. They will moderate the interactive Zoom symposium, which runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The three featured speakers will explain how to invest in companies that exemplify leadership in social and environmental responsibility. 

Speakers Lily Trager and Courtney Thompson have been instrumental in building environmental sustainability into Morgan Stanley’s business model. Trager is director of Investing with Impact and head of Impact Solutions at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Thompson is executive director of Morgan Stanley Global Sustainable Finance and the company’s “Plastic Waste Resolution”—a commitment to facilitate the prevention, reduction and removal of 50 million metric tons of plastic waste from rivers, oceans, landscapes and landfills by 2030. Morgan Stanley is the only major financial services institution to make such a commitment.

Also speaking will be Sara Nelson, co-founder and executive director of the Romero Institute, a California-based nonprofit law and public policy center with two main projects, the Lakota People’s Law Project and Greenpower. Her presentation, Challenging Injustice and Creating Solutions, will focus on combining public education, grassroots organizing, policy initiation and high-impact litigation to expose the sources of injustice and implement life-sustaining solutions.

“We hope everyone will find at least one of the sessions to be of interest and useful,” Cosentino says. “Many people are still learning about impact investing, and we don’t believe it’s a trend. Hopefully it will be the way we all invest in the future.”   

Cost: Free, but registration is required by May 19. To register or for more information, email [email protected], call 850-470-8033 or text 850-600-6382.

Jacey Cosentino and Chesley Allegri are financial advisors with the Wealth Management Division of Morgan Stanley in Pensacola, FL.  The information contained in this article is not a solicitation to purchase or sell investments. Any information presented is general in nature and not intended to provide individually tailored investment advice. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.  Investing involves risks and there is always the potential of losing money when you invest. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. The views expressed herein are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC or its affiliates.  

The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) aware investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio that is more diversified or where decisions are based solely on investment considerations. Because ESG criteria exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria.

Investments and services offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.  CRC3513809  4/21