Socially responsible investment firms at home in the Northwest

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http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2013/04/where-to-learn-about-socially.html?page=all

What’s socially responsible investing?

It’s any kind of investing that’s done with values in mind other than making money, Contributing Writer Stacey Solie reports in her article in the Banking and Finance section of this week’s Puget Sound Business Journal (subscription required).

The concept covers a wide variety of beliefs. Besides avoiding companies because of the products they make, such as land mines, alcohol or tobacco, a socially responsible outlook can also mean favoring investment in companies that adopt strong environmental, social and governance practices.

This kind of investing is going mainstream, with hundreds of alternatives to traditional funds now available nationwide. It's grown tremendously since the early 1990s, Solie reports.

And don't get caught in the old idea that you're necessarily going to lose money with this approach. Solie says socially responsible investments are showing respectable financial results.

Here are seven of the many companies that specialize in socially responsible and sustainable investing.