There is some confusion around the terms and methodologies behind SRI (socially responsible investing), ESG (environmental, social, governance) and impact investing. If they all exist on the same spectrum, where does one begin and the other end? Maybe even more interesting a question is should we be looking at them separately at all? While these approaches have initially seemed as maverick exercises and an eclectic approach to stock selection, in today’s business environment, shouldn’t they really be seen as part of the natural evolution of the investment analyst’s corporate management research process? Do they not add a series of new astute business analysis factors that will add value and another dimension of “margin of safety” to clients’ portfolios?
To answer these and other questions on a rapidly mainstreaming investment approach, the Institute for Innovation Development reached out to Norman Conley III, CEO and CIO of JAG Capital Management—an independent, 100 percent employee-owned registered investment advisor headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri that has a long history of working with investors focused on SRI and ESG issues.