Socially Responsible Investing? Yeah, whatever...

[Justin]

The Vice Fund turns a profit by investing in tobacco, booze, gambling, and war.  

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

What, no firearms?

I want the Government to do something. This will never be a truly great nation until we fully fund a Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Promotion.

- NF

[jefmad]

Go to the fund facts and look at the inception date. Sorry Blackburn they had this idea 3 years ago.

[Bemidjiblade]

I think it's ludicrous to think of investing in terms of vice or virtue.  Unless you're talking about not-for-profit organizations that depend on donations to survive, it seems to me that once a business has starting capital, someone is going to invest in it or not, but it's what the business does and how it does it that is going to make or break the business.

My 2 cents is basically this:  Invest in things that will help you gain money.  Spend the money in ways consistent with your worldview.  *shrug*  Let the names of investment funds worry about themselves.

[The Rabbi]

I have seen other comments about a portfolio built around drugs, sex, guns, tobacco, gambling etc etc.  If it works....

More seriously, I think "socially responsible" investing is a crock.  People invest money to make money.  Eliminating profitable investments because of some agenda or other limits return possibilities.  My view is to make as much money as possible and then use it to make charitable gifts that will make a difference somewhere.

[Zundfolge]

Profit is the greatest responsibility business has to society.

When business is profitable it creates wealth for the owners, stockholders and employees. Who cares whether those who profit give money to charity ... the fact that they are successful means there's a little less need for charity in the world.

The more profitable capitalists in the world the better it becomes.