Vol. 40 - Socially Responsible Investing, With Easy Difficulty
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:
Naseema McElroy: [00:00:00] 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?
Marie Thomasson: [00:00:21] Well, the easy way doesn't take a dollar. It just takes a little bit of your time. And so, going through all of this, I've always tried to find like the, 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.
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.
Naseema McElroy: [00:01:06] Yeah. Especially at the local level when it comes to. initiatives that you want to get put in place.
I don't know. Here we have a whole bunch of school bonds and all this right things that we're both, that we're voting on, how we use water. so that's pretty important to get your voice out. At the local level.
Marie Thomasson: [00:01:25] Yeah. Yeah. And, everything kind of, I I'm sure there's a saying, but like everything kind of flows up Hill, right?
So the things that you do on a local level there's a ripple effect. And if you just take the time and I, I think that it's hard actually, like there's so much. She misinformation out there. And it's very much about who has the biggest, ad spend, 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, on public housing initiatives, anything that has to do just local elections generally, right? Like. 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 is the da actually do?
Like what does the school board actually do?
Naseema McElroy: [00:02:19] that's funny that you brought up the da cause that's what, the thing I was really going to, talk about, like the people, the da, 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, 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, looked at as our future. So it's, it's pretty interesting, but you do have a say in that and you need to know, what agenda these DA's have or these judges have, and see if you can shake things
Marie Thomasson: [00:03:04] up.
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, 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 just have the school to prison pipeline, right? Like start right there. it's easy and I get it. It's hard, there's, there is absolutely, disenfranchisement, 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.
Naseema McElroy: [00:03:53] What about people who have been even like mentally disenfranchised or just really feel like they are their voice doesn't matter, even at the level level, when it comes to voting or just feel like why bother because it's a challenge for them.
like maybe they have physical challenges or, I mean, like they've been strongly discouraged not to vote.
Marie Thomasson: [00:04:17] Yeah. and I think that this is something that is, it's also local, right? Like, depending on where you are, there's going to be services that will just like, , go out of their way to support you, to make sure that you can vote.
and other places like, it's going to be. like the deck is stacked against you. And so it's really hard. I don't think there's a, I don't think that you could really generalize the advice. what you can do is certainly, if you, if you live in a County or a state where voting is really simple, basically, Oregon, everybody gets a mail in ballot, right.
California. there's a lot of, States and counties where. We're voting is pretty straight forward. and there's going to be resources and then there's going to be counties and States where, it's a lot harder where you have to make sure your signature matches and, and you have to make sure that, , you adopt the I and cross the T like just right.
And 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 for help, upfront is, is kind of like the best that we can do, And it's, it's the most that I can offer in terms of like, what do you do?
Because I don't know. I don't think it's easy.
Naseema McElroy: [00:05:43] No, no. I mean, people, Not having the full capabilities to vote is something that's real. It hasn't been, ever been part of my reality, but I know from a lot of people, it has been. And so for those people, this might not be the easy button.
I just wanted to acknowledge that. And so not saying that, 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 takeaway, 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 DA's 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. So, yeah, I totally agree with you on that. Like I said earlier, 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 going to say that this one is probably any different, but it's just, it just seems so like, Ugh, like it, I can see how it could be discouraging and people not really sure feeling that they have the power to make change.
And so know that, you do, and. it just takes a little bit of time to educate yourself, but it's not a dollar investment, so,
Marie Thomasson: [00:07:14] yeah. Yeah. And the, the impact is, is honestly huge because, everything from your local elections that affects things like public transit and water, like, as you said, who and how, our communities are policed, affordable housing, like, do you get a bus line down?
Residential streets are 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 ESG portfolio, like, sorry to say, you've got your priorities wrong and you can like have a cotton tote and like buy all organic and you've got your priorities wrong.
that's really what it is at the end of the day, because a lot of this stuff is, it's almost like virtue signaling. Like it makes you feel good, to be, like composting or, like, Oh, I've got like an impact fund and all that, kind of great stuff.
At least it seems like on the surface. but really if we want to affect real change then, and I know it's like a stupid example, but it's like it's, going from incandescent light bulbs to energy efficient LEDs, like that's going to save way more electricity and, and have far greater efficiency than your, cotton tote, that you take to the grocery store because it's when.
It's it's legislation that forces, like big change and it, and legislation forces companies to adapt and evolve, right? Like there was no legislation and, and, being in California, there's a lot of legislation in California and 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 going to retool their entire, lines to California and then the rest of the country.
And so that's legislation in action and having greater efficiency, like fuel efficiency, never a bad thing. And because, California is such a big economy, a big state, it kind of forced that to happen. Like. That, matters a whole lot more than, like jumping out of the shower when you're not quite clean.
Right. Like nobody needs smelly armpits, like just, just vote. That's all you gotta do.
Naseema McElroy: [00:10:01] I love it. I love it. Yes, please. Spirit spare your nurse to anytime comes to the hospital. Make sure you take a shower first. That's my public service announcement.
Marie Thomasson: [00:10:13] Yeah, we waste a little water. Right. All right. All right.
Naseema McElroy: [00:10:19] Thanks
Marie Thomasson: [00:10:19] again, Marie. Thank you.
Hey there I’m Naseema
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