So said John Scott and Partners in last week's Guardian. According to the firm of independent financial advisers - damn, I love money talk - the best ethical place to invest your cash is in Aberdeen Asset Management's Ethical World fund. John and his mates recommend it on the grounds that it's shown some of the most impressive growth of any ethical fund and is best for the planet. It's rated 'dark green' which mean your money won't be invested in tobacco cos, environmentally dodgy outfits and anyone with a bad human rights' record. So why's Ethical World making so much cash? Mainly because it's primarily invested in tech companies such as Canon and Samsung (pictured) that are doing well and also have strong eco policies. To sign up, click over to Aberdeen's website. For a greener and more local investment - albeit without John's thumbs-up - put some money into UK wind turbines with Triodos Renewables. Its share issue ends on 14th October.
Sod the ethical benefits of banking with Smile. If you go for its £90-a-year Smilemore premium current account you receive a whole stack of eco goodies and deals that it reckons could save you £350 a year. Here's the how: you get £25 off your eleccie bill when signing up with green power outfit Ecotricity (its new Dagenham turbine is in the photo) plus the equivalent of £150 in annual worldwide travel insurance from Norwich Union and £38's worth of roadside assistance from Green Flag. Yep, I make that £213 too. Minus £90, however, you're still 'saving' £123. The banking side isn't bad, either - there's an interest-free overdraft to £250 and the interest rate is 3.3%, which trashes the high street and most of the net banks. The ethical side isn't bad either - unlike everyone but Triodos and the Co-Op, Smile guarantees your money won't end up being invested in arms companies, contributors to climate change or anyone with a dodgy human rights' record. I should also point out that I've been banking with Smile for over a year - the site is superb and the customer service is very good. Find out more for yourself over at Smile's website.
I'm no ALF member, but even I think an ethical investment fund shouldn't invest in companies that do animal testing. Odd, then, that the Henderson Ethical Fund - which includes First Group, the transport company doing Fuel Cell buses (pictured) - relaxed its ethical screening last week and now invests in animal-testing health outfits. Still, there are plenty of alternatives. Aegon's is generally considered to be pretty sound on ethics, has been going since 1989 and is doing OK at the moment. Star performer for your green cash, though is currently F&C's Stewardship Income fund which, as you can see from the graph on this page, is going up, up, up. Fingers crossed, now all the political parties - to one degree or another - are committed to renewables, green law and Kyoto, you should be onto a winner if you don't mind investing for the long term. [found via The Telegraph]
Here's proof of the save cash and save the planet mantra, if ever I saw it. The Co-Op's just relaunched its posh upgrade account, Privilege, and is offering a £35 discount on your electricity bill when you open an account - provided you're happy switching to green supplier Ecotricity. You also get several other 'ethical benefits', including 25% off a sub to Ethical Consumer mag, 20% off Hug organic clothing and the chance to buy some discounted plants. There are a whole load of money benefits, too, not least free travel insurance and a £100 interest-free overdraft. All this doesn't come for free, mind: you have to pay £6.50 a month for the - ahem - privilege.
If you feel like the weekend newspapers are packed with page after page of downshifting case studies, you're not alone - I'm convinced someone's going around and pasting the same 'escaped-London-moved-to-rural-France' story into all the papers I buy. But I digress. It's National Downshifting Week next week (23-29 April). It's being bigged up by Tracey Smith (pictured) who packed it all in for - you guessed it - a life in rural France. The Week's website suggests trying organic food, recycling clothes and composting amongst other decent ideas. Tracey also offers this obvious but easily overlooked nugget: "the less money you have to earn to maintain your lifestyle then the less time you have to work". Sounds very much like the thrust of Tom Hodgkinson's next book, How to be Free. Amen to the "less work" bit.
As an email from Smile reminds me, it's the start of the new tax year. In other words, a very good time to get serious and put lots of cash in one of its ethically-certified stocks 'n' shares ISAs. The ethical part of the equation is that it'll only invest your pennies into caring companies that don't have anything to do with the dirty business of dodgy regimes, arms and messing up the environment. Also worth a look for ethical interest-making accounts: Co-Operative Bank (PROUD SPONSORS OF THE BILL, no less), Triodos and the GAEIA Partnership. The Guardian also has an interesting (and recent) piece on ethical investments over here.
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