Socially Responsible Investing, Making Changes at a Local Level - Expert Edition Episode 11 (Classic Episode)
In this episode, Marie Thomasson of Modern Assets is back to discuss how to invest socially responsibly in the easiest way. This might be a bit surprising and obvious at the same time, but we discuss in detail how this very important step that could often be forgotten can be a way to invest for you and your community. We cover:
The cheapest method in investing
What other elections need our investment of time
How your vote can impact change not just on a national level, but on a local level
What are some red flags for those running for office
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TRANSCRIPT:
[00:00:00] Naseema: All right, nurses on fire. We are back with Marie Thompson and we are going to be talking about how to invest the easy way to be socially responsible. And this one might throw you for a little bit of a loop, but what is the easy way to invest Marie
[00:00:20] Marie: Well, the easy way doesn't take a. It just takes a little bit of your time. And so, you know, going through all of this, I've always tried to find like, you know, the easy way that, that no matter how much or how little money you have, you can still have an impact. And the easiest way to invest in sustainability without having the funds to do it, is.
You know, we, we just went through it is to vote, is to use your, the power of your vote. That is 100% the easiest way. And by far it's honestly the most impactful way that you can affect change in terms of sustainability. Mm-hmm. .
[00:01:06] Naseema: Yeah. Especially at the local level when it comes to. Initiatives that you wanna get put in place?
I don't know. Here we have a whole bunch of school bonds and all this different kinda things that we're voting on how we use water. So it's pretty important to get your voice out at the local level.
[00:01:26] Marie: Yeah, and, and you know, everything kind of, I, I'm sure there's a saying, but like, everything kind of flows uphill, right?
So the things that you do on a local level, they ha you know, there, there's a ripple effect. And if you just, if you just take the time, and I, I think that it's hard actually, like there's so much misinformation out there. And it's very much about who has the biggest ad spend. You know, those are usually the propositions that are most likely to get passed.
But taking the time to actually read up on these initiatives and educate yourself you know, on public housing initiatives, you know, anything that has to do just local elections generally, right. You know, as instead of waiting to, to get to the polling place and actually making sure you get there, like taking the time beforehand to learn like what does the DA actually do?
Like what does the school board actually do? ,
[00:02:22] Naseema: you know, that's funny that you brought up the DA cuz that's what's the thing I was really going to talk about. The people the das, the judges. I think those are super important things to vote on because of course, especially in our community, my community the school to prison pipeline is crazy, you know?
Mm-hmm. and knowing who's. Basically in charge or making the decisions about who's going to jail and why is super important because our kids are becoming commodities instead of, you know, looked at as our future. So it's, it's pretty, yeah. Yeah. Interesting. But you do have a say in that and you need to know what agenda these das have or these judges have and see if you can shake things.
[00:03:10] Marie: Mm-hmm. . Yeah, I totally agree. Like we can spend all day trying to invest in funds that don't invest in private prisons, but like, come on, you know, it, it's, it's way, way easier to use your vote that costs you absolutely nothing to vote and, and invest your time in researching judges who don't. Have the, the, you know, what did you call it, the school to prison pipeline?
Yes. Mm-hmm. , right? Like start right there, you know? Yeah. Like, it's, it's easy and I get it. It's hard, you know, there's, there is absolutely, you know disenfranchisement, you know, within voting and, and there's, but. If you have the ability to vote, if you have the luxury of being able to vote, then you do it.
And that's how we make like really kind of like long-term meaningful changes. What about
[00:04:03] Naseema: people who have been even like mentally disenfranchised or just really feel like they are their voice doesn't matter even at the local level. When it comes to voting or just feel. Why bother? Because it's, it's a challenge for them.
Like maybe they have physical challenges or I mean, like, they've been strongly discouraged not to vote.
[00:04:27] Marie: Yeah. You know, and I, I think that this is something that is. , it's also local, right? Yeah. Like depending on where you are, there's going to be services that will just like, you know, go out of their way to support you to make sure that you can vote.
And other places like, you know, it's gonna be. every, you know, like the deck is stacked against you. And so it's really hard. I don't think there's a, you know, I don't think that you can really generalize the advice. Yeah. You know, what you can do is certainly, you know, if you, if you know you live in a county or a, a state where voting is really simple, you know, basically Oregon, everybody gets a mail.
Ballot, right. You know, California there's a lot of co you know, states and, and counties where, where voting is pretty straightforward. And there's going to be resources and then there's gonna be counties and states where, you know, it's a lot harder where you have to make sure your signature matches and, and you have to make sure that you know, you, you dot the x and, or sorry, not dot the I and cross the T, like just right.
and in those, in those instances, taking the time to educate yourself, I think as much as possible in advance just going and looking for official voter information services and asking, asking for help upfront is, is kind of like the, the best that we can do, you know, and it's, it's the most that I can offer in terms of like, what do you do?
I don't know. I, I don't think it's easy, so No,
[00:06:01] Naseema: no. I mean people Not having the full capabilities to vote. It's something that's real. It hasn't been ever been part of my reality, but I know for a lot of people it has been. And so yeah. So for those people, this might not be the easy button.
I just wanted to acknowledge that. And so not saying that, you know, but for the majority of. Us it is something that we can do to easily affect change. Like you said, we can try to invest and put our dollars or take away our dollars from organizations that fund private prisons, but if we're. Not voting against those people or not voting for people who can replace those judges and das that are putting our kids into these prisons.
I feel like that's so much more impactful. That's something that we can really do to impact change. Yeah, I totally agree with you on that. Like I said earlier, I , I. I hope that it trickles up. I just, this presidential election was just such a mess. I mean, the last one was messy too. I'm not gonna say that this one is probably any different, but it's just, it just seems so like, ugh, like
Yeah, it, I can see how it could be discouraging and people not really feeling that they have the power to make change and so know that you do and. You know, it just takes a little bit of time to educate yourself, but it's not a dollar investment.
[00:07:32] Marie: Yeah. Yeah. And, and you know, the, the impact is, is honestly huge because you know, everything from your local elections that affects things like public transit and water.
You know, like as you said you know, who. Who and how, you know, our communities are policed affordable housing, you know, like do you get a bus line down residential streets or not? Like, these are all things that people vote on. And so if you don't take the time to actually read about it and vote on it, and you go sign up for like a feel good e s g portfolio, like, sorry to say, you know, you've got your priorities wrong and you know, you can, you can like have a cotton tote and you know, like buy all organic and you've got your priorities.
you know, that's really what it is at the end of the day because, you know, a lot of this stuff is, you know, it, it, it's almost like virtue signaling, like it makes you feel good, you know, to, to be, you know, like composting or, you know, like, oh, I've got like an impact fund and, and all that, you know, kind of great stuff.
At least it seems like on the surface. But really, like if we. If we want to affect real change, then you know, and I know it's like a stupid example, but it's like it's, you know, going from incandescent light bulbs to energy efficient LEDs, like that's gonna save way more, you know, electricity and, and have far greater efficiency than your, you know, cotton tote, you know, that you take to the, the grocery store because it's.
It's, it's legislation that forces, you know, like big change and it, and legislation forces companies to adapt and evolve, right? Like if there was no legislation and, and you know, being in California There's a lot of legislation in California and I, I, I, you know, I'm, I am not saying that all legislation is good but just the simple fact that auto manufacturers even after the Trump administration rolled back all these emission standards, auto manufacturers ended up just keeping the stricter standards because California.
is such a big market, they're not gonna retool their entire you know, like lines Yeah. To California and then the rest of the, the country. And so that's legislation in action and having greater efficiency, you know, like fuel efficiency, never a bad thing. And because, you know, California is such a big economy, a big state, it kind of forced that to happen.
That that matters a whole lot more than, you know, like jumping out of the shower when you're not quite clean, right? Like, Nobody needs smelly armpits. You know, like, just, just vote. That's all you gotta do.
[00:10:32] Naseema: I love it. I love it. Yes. So it's very, it's very, your nurse too, anytime he comes to make sure you take a shower first. That's my public service announcement.
[00:10:45] Marie: Yeah. Wa waste a little water, right? .
Hey there I’m Naseema
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