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Where finance meets impact.
Impact Investing Glossary
Core Financial Terms At times, personal finance can seem like a whirl of unfamiliar jargon. What are the distinctions between terms like ‘Impact Investing’ and ‘SRI’? We put together this glossary of terms as a reference point for anyone who is interested in learning more about the ins and outs of finance and impact investing…
Meet Tysh Billingsley of Finale, The Cancer Survivor Who Brought Her Dream Business To Life
Before Tysh Billingsley was an entrepreneur, she was a dreamer. Literally. Tysh’s idea for her business, Finale, a popup wine and food experience centered around local art and music, came to her in a dream. According to Tysh, her dream was so vivid and full of sights and sounds that as soon as she woke…
Positive and Negative Investment Screening Explained
If you have explored socially responsible investing (SRI), then you might also be familiar with the concept of investment screening. Socially responsible investing, a form of impact investing, is a strategy used to align investments with social goals. Investors understand that their money can produce positive outcomes in more than just a financial sense by…
Making an Impact: How to Invest in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)
Large banks and foundations have been investing in community development financial institutions (CDFIs) for decades. But until recently, investing in CDFIs was challenging and usually limited to all but experienced large banks, foundations, and some high-net-worth investors. Now technology platforms like CNote are allowing investors of all types to easily deploy capital across a diverse…
Change Makers Interview: Leslie Goldman of The Artemis Fund
Change Makers Interview: Leslie Goldman of The Artemis Fund Slowly but surely, Leslie Goldman is helping to change the face of Venture Capital (VC). After more than 25 years as a corporate lawyer and three years recruiting C-suite legal executives, Goldman started The Artemis Fund with Diana Murakhovskaya and Stephanie Campbell. It’s one of a…
Meet April Westman – Auntys Child Care, The Entrepreneur Tackling Her Community’s Child Care Shortage
If April Westman was going to start a small business anywhere in the world, it was always going to be in Duluth, Minnesota: the city on Lake Superior where she grew up. Of course, she didn’t always know that. After high school, April followed her dreams to be a banker in Southern California, but a…
Meet Jamar Kirk – Cycles Broken, The Entrepreneurial Life Coach Breaking The Cycle Of Poverty In His Community
Jamar Kirk didn’t have to think too hard about what to name his new business, which provides consulting, coaching, mentoring, and resources to often marginalized and at-risk demographics of his community — a community that struggles with violence, drug use, and a 50 percent high school attrition rate for minority students. After all, that’s just…
Meet Rebecca Biesenbach, The Ice Cream-Loving Entrepreneur Behind Grandma B’s Sweet Treats
If there’s one thing that Rebecca Biesenbach loves, it’s Blue Bell’s old-fashioned ice cream. And it’s not just the company’s 66 unique flavors and deep Texas roots that she appreciates: Rebecca loves how Blue Bell’s ice cream brings people together. That’s what led her to open her own ice cream shop in Rockport, Texas, in…
The History of Socially Responsible Investing
Many investors are choosing to align their portfolios with their personal values, using their investments to make a positive impact. While socially responsible investing might seem like a new phenomenon due to its rapidly growing popularity, its earliest origins trace as far back as the first books of the bible. The History of SRI The…
Ignoring The Tired Tropes of Personal Finance
Recently you’ve probably seen headlines about how you could be a millionaire if you just stopped buying coffee, eating out or paying for a gym membership. There’s merit to being mindful about your spending, but recently some of the claims coming out of the personal finance world appear to be more focused on click-baity headlines…