PODCAST: Stocks, Bonds, Funds for Climate Change. More…

Ethical & Sustainable Investing News to Profit By!

Covered are some of the best stocks, bonds, funds for climate change action and remediation. The picks come from great ESG, renewable energy and infrastructure analysts at Kiplinger, The Motley Fool and Zacks. Also, what’s one of the best renewable energy dividend stocks? Want to know the best gun-free funds to invest in America? More

PODCAST: Stocks, Bonds, Funds for Climate Change. More…

Transcript & Links, Episode 27, March 13, 2020

Hello, Ron Robins here. Welcome to podcast episode 27 for March 13, 2020, titled “Stocks, Bonds, Funds for Climate Change. More…”—presented by Investing for the Soul. investingforthesoul.com is your site for vital global ethical and sustainable investing news, commentary, information, and resources.

Remember that you can find a full transcript, links to content – including stock symbols – and bonus material at this episode’s podcast page located at investingforthesoul.com/podcasts.

And, Google any terms that are unfamiliar to you.

Despite the market turmoil, we should know that there is a future and some stock market sectors will shine in the years ahead. And, hopefully, some of the companies and sectors covered in these podcasts will be among the winners.

Now to this episode.

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1) Stocks, Bonds, Funds for Climate Change. More…

I want to lead with articles that review some stocks, bonds, funds for climate change.

First, this article titled 6 Stocks, 3 Bond Funds That Are Good for the Environment and Your Portfolio by Nellie Huang and John Waggoner. It appeared on the Kiplinger site.

Their first pick is Darling Ingredients (DAR)… which they say, “collects food waste and various animal by-products and transforms it all into more useful things for customers in the food, animal feed and fuel industries, among others.” End quote.

The second company is Waste Management (WM) quote “The firm is the largest trash collector (and disposer) in North America. It owns 252 solid waste landfills, 132 recycling facilities and 314 transfer stations, which consolidate, compact and transport waste to landfills… We should note that Waste Management has plenty of competition. Nor is the stock cheap.” End quote.

The third company is TPI Composites (TPIC) which Huang and Waggoner say “makes propellers for the wind industry that are strong, light and very, very large… TPI is also entering the fast-growing electric vehicle market, making light, high-strength electric bus bodies.” End quote.

Fourthly is First Solar (FSLR) which the writers say is “one of the brightest lights in the photovoltaic solar energy industry. And in the volatile world of solar stocks, it’s probably the safest bet. ‘It’s the ExxonMobil of solar,’ says fund manager Waghorn, whose fund owns the stock…” End quote.

Then their fifth pick is, quote, “Nutrien (NTR), a Canadian firm whose stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange, is the world’s largest fertilizer company.” End quote.

And finally, they write about Xylem (XYL) which quoting them, “provides equipment and services that address the full water cycle, from collection to distribution and use, to the return of water to the environment.” End quote.

Huang and Waggoner’s recommended bond funds

Now to Huang and Waggoner’s recommended bond funds. They begin with their first pick which is the IShares Global Green Bond (BRGN). Quoting them they say it “opened in 2018 [and this] exchange-traded fund invests in investment-grade sovereign and government-related debt, corporate bonds, and securitized IOUs denominated in local currencies in countries around the world… And all bonds in the fund are either branded ‘green’ or meet standards set by financial firm MSCI…” End quote.

Continuing, their second choice is the VanEck Vectors Green Bond (GRNB), launched in 2017, and yields a more robust 2.40%...

And their last pick, quoting them is the “TIAA-CREF Green Bond (TGROX) launched in 2018 lead manager Stephen Liberatore has been picking socially and environmentally oriented bonds for more than a decade.” End quote.

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2) Stocks, Bonds, Funds for Climate Change. More…

Nellie Huang and John Waggoner have also written Funds That Prosper From Fighting Climate Change. They are:

1) Invesco WilderHill Clean Energy ETF (PBW) 2) Invesco Solar ETF (TAN) 3) First Trust Global Wind Energy (FAN) 4) VanEck Vectors Environmental Services (EVX) 5) IShares MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF (CRBN) 6) SPDR S&P 500 Fossil Fuel Reserves Free (SPYX) 7) SPDR MSCI EAFE Fossil Fuel Reserves Free 8) Green Century Balanced (GCBLX) 9) Artisan Mid Cap (ARTMX) 10) Dodge & Cox Stock (DODGX)

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3) Stocks, Bonds, Funds for Climate Change. More…

Besides the environment, another popular theme for ethical and sustainable investors are infrastructure stocks. Scott Levine at the Motley Fool states his top picks in an article titled 3 Top Infrastructure Stocks to Watch in March. His choices are:

1) American Water Works (NYSE: AWK), he writes that “American Water Works is the largest publicly traded water and wastewater treatment utility company in the United States.” End quote.

2) Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE: BIP), Mr. Levine says that “For infrastructure-oriented investors who are seeking a diversified approach, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is a viable option.” End quote.

And 3) NV5 Global (NASDAQ: NVEE), he says “will appeal to dividend-minded investors. The company's board of directors recently approved a 7% increase to the quarterly distribution, which is now $0.54 per unit.” End quote.

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4) Stocks, Bonds, Funds for Climate Change. More…

In my last podcast, I covered a story listing the top ten most held stocks in ESG funds. Well three of them are again listed in this article titled 8 of the Best Stocks to Buy for ESG Investors written by Josh Enomoto and published on the InvestorPlace site. So, I’m just going to cover the five in Mr. Enomoto’s article that wasn’t covered previously.

They are Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Emcor Group (NYSE: EME), Nike (NYSE: NKE), and Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS).

For Home Depot he says, “The company specializes in the home goods and renovation industry… Home Depot [sources] most of their wood from right here in the U.S. Also noteworthy is the “company’s efforts toward diversity.” End quote.

On Emcor Group, Mr. Enomoto writes that “First, Emcor has adopted several environmentally sustainable practices in its operations… Additionally, the company leads in reducing waste as well as monitoring its carbon footprint.” End quote.

For Nike, he says that “Social justice advocates have pressured Nike for years regarding accusations of sweatshop labor... On the other end of the spectrum, Nike stock wins out on the environmental sustainability segment.” End quote.

Regarding Hasbro Mr. Enomoto has this to say, that “With my last idea for stocks to buy, I’m going to go with the riskiest name, toymaker Hasbro. Obviously, Hasbro stock is not a name for the risk averse… However, if sustainability ranks highly for your portfolio considerations, then you may want to pick up the discount in Hasbro stock.” End quote.

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5) Stocks, Bonds, Funds for Climate Change. More…

Looking for a high yielding renewable energy stock? Well, Matthew DiLallo has one for you. His post is titled Why I Just Bought This High-Yielding Renewable-Energy Stock and appeared on the Motley Fool site.

He says this stock, Clearway Energy (NYSE: CWEN)(NYSE: CWEN.A) “Owns and operates a portfolio of clean power-generating assets… [that] sells [its power]… to end users under long-term, fixed-rate contracts… Those agreements provide the company with relatively predictable cash flow, which gives Clearway Energy the money to pay a dividend -- which currently yields 3.9% -- and expand its clean energy portfolio.” End quote.

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3 Weapon-Free Funds for Ethical Investing

Gun violence is problematic almost everywhere and a major concern for many ethical and sustainable investors. So it’s welcome that Zacks analyst Nitish Marwah writes an article titled 3 Weapon-Free Funds for Ethical Investing.

His first pick is, quote, “New Alternatives Fund Class A (NALFX) [that] invests in companies that contribute to a sustainable environment… has an annual expense ratio of 1.12%, which is below the category average of 1.30%. The fund has three and five-year returns of 16.2% and 10.6%, respectively.” End quote.

Next pick is Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Leadership Fund Individual Investor Class (PXWEX) which Mr. Marwah says “seeks returns on investment that exceed the price and yield performance of the Pax Global Women's Leadership Index. The fund invests more than four-fifths of its assets in securities of the components of the Women's index. [It] has an annual expense ratio of 0.81%, which is below the category average of 1.10%. The fund has three and five-year returns of 12.1% and 9.1%, respectively.” End quote.

Finally, the Calvert Global Water Fund Class A (CFWAX). Mr. Marwah writes “tracks the performance of the Calvert Global Water Research Index. The fund normally invests the majority of its assets in equity securities of domestic as well as foreign companies from the water industries or are involved in water-related service and technologies. [It] has an annual expense ratio of 1.24%, which is below the category average of 1.36%. The fund has three and five-year returns of 8.3% and 6.6%, respectively.” End quote.

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Ending Comments

Well, these are my top news stories and tips for ethical and sustainable investors over the past two weeks.

And to get all the links, stock symbols and more, or to read the transcript of this podcast and with additional information too, please go to investingforthesoul.com/podcasts and scroll down to this episode.

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Contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you for listening.

Talk to you again on March 27. Bye for now.

© 2020 Ron Robins, Investing for the Soul.