The Mindful Impact investment strategy at MIFI Wealth is designed to combine the goals of socially responsible, ESG, and impact investing (as a group “impact investing”) with Mindful Finance investing. This unique combination offers an investment strategy that is both outward looking and inward looking.
The Mindful Impact strategy invests in a portfolio of mutual funds with the intention to provide a diversified investment in stocks which is inspirational to investors. The source of this inspiration comes from the baseline of impact investing and the depth of Mindful Finance investing. This brings together the outward facing goal of seeing change in the world; with the inward facing goal of nurturing the personal changes that each individual investor would like to see in their own life.
The outward looking aspect is the desire to see change in the world through investment choices. The impact investing lens sees that many desirable changes can occur in the world through directing investment dollars in a deliberate manner. There is also the view that companies which bring creative, new solutions to the problems faced today will be the winners in the future.
The inward looking aspect is the desire to feel connected and empowered by our personal financial lives. Too often our financial selves do not seem to match our human selves. Investing in the Mindful Impact strategy can be a step towards the empowerment and satisfaction that come from working directly with the complex, and often confusing, financial part of our lives.
In the Mindful Impact strategy the outward and inward facing goals are supported by concentrating the investment focus on three areas: environmental sustainability, inclusivity & equity, and mindfulness.
Environmental Sustainability
Environmental sustainability as a focus is rooted in the view that the natural world is incredibly precious, and that access to nature is a key to the success of humanity. In the Mindful Impact strategy this view is supported by looking to invest in companies providing solutions to environmental issues. This reflects the urgency to only place demands on our environment which can be continued indefinitely. We also look to go further by finding investments that can protect pristine natural environments and resources.
Inclusivity & Equity
The inclusivity & equity focus for the Mindful Impact strategy come from the view that the heterogeneity of humanity is a strength, and that current social structures lead to the marginalization of many perspectives. In the investment world, this goal is reflected by looking to invest in companies with progressive cultures and demonstrated interest in supporting a fair, diverse corporate environment and world.
Mindfulness
Focusing on mindfulness is a new, budding opportunity. There is a large and growing body of academic support for the effectiveness of meditation and mindfulness to deliver myriad positive results. Many of the world’s biggest tech companies have been leading the way with regard to bringing meditation and mindfulness techniques into the workplace. Interest and adoption is growing quickly, however, these practices are still the exception as opposed to the norm. The Mindful Impact portfolio seeks to invest in companies that support these performance and life enhancing practices.
There are three tenets of Mindful Finance investing: Values alignment, authentic relationships, and recognition of interdependence.
Values alignment is mainly addressed through the investment foci as enunciated above. This is an important aspect of finding inspiration and hope from your investments. This is a beginning point for discovering your “personal return on investment” (PROI).
Looking further into the inward facing lens of Mindful Finance, authentic relationships and the recognition of interdependence are key. We encourage our investors to use their investment in the Mindful Impact strategy as a doorway to knowing themselves better, and to form a connection to MIFI Wealth and the Mindful Finance community. In particular, the opportunity exists to explore the complexity of their financial selves. As a company, and as individuals, we strive to provide information and support in the area of personal finances so that people can feel connected, resourced, and empowered by this important part of their lives.
One of the reminders that we attune ourselves to is that all the aspects of our current society – the political structures, the types of buildings, the companies, etc. – started as someone’s idea. As such, we can all come up with a new idea for what we would like to see and make that happen. The Mindful Impact strategy seeks to support the internal and external changes that can help lead to a better future.
Sol is president of MIFI Wealth. He has over 20 years of experience in financial markets and managing businesses.
