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Investments

Sustainable and Impact Investing

Pursue positive change. Seek competitive returns.

More companies are changing the way they do business. They're examining not only their profit potential but also how their practices impact the environment and society at large.

 

Sustainable and impact investing offers you the opportunity to invest in companies that are working towards better ways of doing business with innovative approaches to support their long term performance.

 

Help to solve society’s biggest and growing challenges. Live out your beliefs. Invest to reflect issues that matter to you while pursuing your investment goals.

It’s easy to start

A flexible approach and multiple investment options make it easy for you to start investing for sustainability and impact. We can help you adjust your existing portfolio, add a single solution, or choose a new model portfolio.

 

Choose the impact approaches you prefer through our A-B-C framework.

  • Avoid

    Seeks to reduce negative social or environmental effects and manage risk by limiting certain exposures

     

  • Benefit

    Seeks to support positive social or environmental practices and enhance potential for long-term competitive financial returns

     

  • Contribute

    Seeks to advance positive, measurable social or environmental outcomes
    and target opportunities
    where impact is intrinsic to
    financial performance1

Your Merrill advisor helps to ensure your sustainable and impact investing strategy reflects your risk tolerances, time horizons, and preferences through actionable planning and objective advice.

What you care about matters

Every investor has unique motivations for choosing to invest for sustainability and impact. In addition to seeking financial performance, you may want to:

 

  • Invest in companies with responsible environmental and social practices
  • Align your portfolio with your values or goals
  • Support specific issues or causes you care about
  • Target innovations that help solve social or environmental challenges

Your Merrill advisor can help customize your sustainable investing strategy based on your preferences and motivations. We can also review your current portfolio to help you become aware of what you currently own and find potential opportunities to align your investments with your sustainability-driven goals.

 

Regardless of how much you direct toward sustainable strategies, your investments can make a difference because you're part of a larger group of sustainable investors helping to drive meaningful change. Your portfolio can contribute towards responsible business practices and lead companies to be more environmentally and socially responsible.

The case for sustainable investing

  • Global ESG assets are on track to exceed $53 trillion by 2025, representing more than a third of the $140.5 trillion in projected total assets under management.1
  • 68% of ESG indices beat their local benchmarks on a global basis, reaching the highest hit rate in recent five years in 2021.2
  • 69% of U.S. consumers are actively using their wallets to support brands or industries that benefit the environment or society. And a further 20% say they are interested in learning more.3
  • 77% of investors want their advisors to ensure that their investment strategy is aligned with their personal values.4
  • 73% of U.S. consumers see sustainable investing as an opportunity, 72% see sustainable investing as innovative and 69% agree that sustainable investing is the future.5

Make better informed investment decisions

Some investors worry that creating positive impact with their portfolio means giving up returns. However, sustainable and impact investing may often offer competitive performance and appropriate levels of risk compared to traditional investments.

 

Companies that incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into their decision-making have the potential to deliver competitive returns over the long term—because they’re focused on creating lasting value. Their practices may even help mitigate the impact of risks beyond their control, like droughts, high energy costs, or labor unrest.

 

Sustainable and impact investments at Merrill undergo assessments by our Chief Investment Office for the quality and competitiveness of the investment strategy as well as analysis of the intentionality and depth of environmental, social and governance (ESG) integration.

Your portfolio's impact

Monitoring progress is an important part of sustainable and impact investing. We add an extra layer of analysis to review investments using environmental, social, and governance metrics. We view impact using a framework of four pillars, allowing us to look across industries and to provide consistent but evolving perspective.

 

  • People

    Commitment to engaged and healthy workers

     

    Good Health & Wellbeing
    Health solutions and services


    Empowerment & Inclusion
    Diversity policies and progress; Labor rights

  • Planet

    Contributions to climate and environmental sustainability

     

    Climate Action
    Alternative energy and resource efficiency; Carbon emissions


    Natural Resources
    Management of natural resources and water use

  • Principles of Governance

    Commitment to ethics and societal benefit

     

    Corporate Governance
    Board composition; Adherence to ethical practices


    Corporate Behavior
    Product safety

  • Prosperity

    Contributions to equitable, innovative economic growth and sustainable communities

     

    Employment & Economic Vitality
    Access to finance; Employment opportunity


    Sustainable Communities
    Affordable real estate; Human rights

 

Please note that the examples under each theme are illustrative of the types of investments possible, and are not necessarily strategies available today. Investment strategies with a local or targeted market focus may be limited.

 

What are we doing as a company?

As one of the world’s largest financial institutions, we take a key role in building a more resilient future. Through our strategy of responsible growth, we are deploying capital towards a more sustainable economy—helping to create jobs, develop communities, foster economic mobility, and address society’s biggest challenges around the world.

 

Learn more about what we’re doing to foster sustainability and have a positive impact.

 

Sustainable Investing Strategies

Managed Strategies6

Mutual funds, thematic exchange-traded funds and separately managed accounts (SMAs)

 

Alternative Investments6

Sustainable private investments available for qualified investors

 

CIO Sustainable Total Portfolios6

CIO portfolios implementing sustainable strategies

 

Customized Solutions6

SMAs and customized ESG solutions through third-party asset managers

 

Capital Markets Solutions6,7

Green bonds, sustainability bonds and social impact bonds

What is sustainable investing?

What is ESG investing?

Do I have to give up return to invest sustainably?

Is sustainable investing just philanthropy?

A more personalized way to choose an advisor

Explore our other solutions

Whether you’re defining goals, addressing change or figuring out how to move forward, Merrill and Bank of America offer a wide range of solutions to help you take the next step and stay on track.

Looking for an advisor?

All our advisors are committed to putting your needs and priorities first.

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Merrill Advisor Match is a more
personalized way to
choose an advisor.

Or if you prefer,
we can have an
advisor contact you.

 

Bloomberg Intelligence: ESG assets may hit $53 trillion by 2025, a third of global AUM. February 23, 2021.

BofA Global Research: ESG Quant Edge – Six Surprises in 2021. December 21, 2021.

Morningstar, Sustainable Investing: Barriers to Adoption, June 2021.

MMI/Cerulli, “Harnessing Generational Differences Across the Financial Planning Process", June 2020.

5 Morningstar, Sustainable Investing: Barriers to Adoption, June 2021.

Capability offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated.

7 Capability offered by Bank of America, N.A. and its bank affiliates.

 

Impact investing and/or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) managers may take into consideration factors beyond traditional financial information to select securities, which could result in relative investment performance deviating from other strategies or broad market benchmarks, depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market. Further, ESG strategies may rely on certain values based criteria to eliminate exposures found in similar strategies or broad market benchmarks, which could also result in relative investment performance deviating.

 

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