July 11^th is World Population Day.  I know what you are thinking…everything has a day…National Siblings Day…National Ice Cream Day… but this is a day that really matters.

The world population has been increasing at around 100 million people a year – to where we now stand at approximately 7.8 billion people.

That is a lot of need for clean water, food, shelter; and our planet is being developed and pushed to unprecedented limits.

What can we do?

We must be mindful stewards. It will take a collective effort.

It is so important for us to take the necessary steps now to preserve the planet’s vital resources!

We are starting to see that renewable energy is our future and even the traditional oil and gas companies are now investing in clean energy. This is the first step in turning the corner.

This shared planet must be one of equality. 

What measures are being put in place to ensure economic equality and social justice?

Finally, we are making demands for true equality and answering the call that Black Lives Matter!

The current pandemic has further accentuated issues within the global economy of the wealth divide. We have seen the most vulnerable be the most affected by the pandemic.

COVID-19 has revealed issues with our current infrastructure.

The past three months have been riddled with power outages and internet interruptions to complement an aging physical infrastructure of roads, pipes, and buildings. Cities such as Flint, Michigan are still without clean water.

Innovative solutions are being implemented, but more is needed.

At CoPeace, we are committed to being part of the solution. We are investing in companies that share this responsibility to the planet and its people that are creating a better world for the next two thousand years.

Your investment in CoPeace helps us to inspire and create positive change in all these areas.

Look around you, give a wave, smile at a distance, open up your heart for those you encounter – we are but one people – all 7.8 billion of us. It is our shared world – for today, tomorrow and all the tomorrows thereafter. Collectively we could make a difference and preserve the future.

Happy World Population Day!

Why Invest Long Term?

• Public markets can disproportionately reward short-term earnings rather than long term growth.
• CEOs of publicly traded companies are under enormous pressure to deliver consistent quarterly earnings growth or suffer the consequences of declining share prices and or short-lived tenures in the C-Suite.

• Patience can lead to profits
  • Great ideas need time to incubate, nourish, refine, and grow into comprehensive transformational solutions to current and future challenges.
• Trends take time to develop and sustain
  • If you choose wisely with your head, your heart, and some solid math you can relax and enjoy upward rise and filter out the inevitable ups and downs along the way.
• Why endure the stress of daily market fluctuations when you can invest for the long haul?
  • Investing in publicly traded companies can be a rollercoaster subject to the wild swings up and down as we have been experiencing over the last few months.
  • Buying and holding public equities is a strategy with long term positive returns, but you have to be willing to endure market fluctuations. The long-term average annual return in the S&P 500 adjusted for inflation is about 7% (according to Investopedia). So, a diversified stock portfolio has traditionally been a solid investment choice over time.

• • If you don’t need short-term access to a portion of your investable funds, you can buy and hold publicly traded stocks and block out periodic volatility

OR…

• Invest for the long term in private companies
  • Traditionally, private company investing has been largely available only to high net worth individuals, institutions, venture capital and private equity firms.
  • Such investments are highly illiquid and generally have finite holding periods of 4-7 years to realize a return upon exit (sale of the company, merger, IPO, etc.)
  • Pre-IPO companies are often loaded up with debt and driven toward rapid growth at all costs to facilitate the mid-term exit

AND…

Consider Investing a portion of your portfolio in privately held companies with environmental and social Impact

Why Impact Investing?

• It’s is a smart investment decision. Even now, now impact drive (ESG) funds are outperforming other companies during the Covid-19 pandemic

Merrill Lynch’s Case for Sustainable Investing

• Inflows into sustainable strategies over the next few decades could be roughly equivalent to the size of the S&P 500 today.¹
• Firms with good or improving environmental, social, or governance (ESG) characteristics have been shown to perform as well as—and may even outperform—their peers.²
• Companies that are ranked higher by ESG data providers have generally seen lower future earnings volatility.³
• Nearly two dozen emerging markets offer approximately $23 trillion in climate-related investment opportunities.⁴
• Companies with good or improving social characteristics have, on average, outperformed companies with negative characteristics.⁵
• While performance results have varied over time, companies with better scores on board diversity and management diversity saw consistently higher future return on equities than counterparts with lower scores.⁶

In Summary

• It’s good for society—investing in companies with positive environmental and social impact helps our planet by addressing and solving important problems.
• It’s good for your personal health—remove the anxiety of market volatility and take solace in the fact that your investments are in alignment with your personal values.
• It’s the right thing to do—make the world a better place for our kids and for future generations
• It’s good for your portfolio health too—build your net worth while you #growyourmoneyforgood

If ringing bells, people running around in suits, and flashing neon signs — the mayhem of the giant electronic marketplace of Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange — are the first things that come to mind when you think of investing, you’re not alone. The stock market represents the most-well known portrayal of buying and selling of shares of stock and ownership interest in companies throughout the world. However, the thought of that can be quite intimidating.

When you picture Wall Street — investing feels pretty out-of-reach for most ordinary people. And that’s not okay. Everyone should have the opportunity to support the causes they care about and earn competitive financial returns.

A Different Perspective: Impact Investing

Impact investing started in the mid-2000s but has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the heightened awareness of people who want to make a positive impact on the world (and earn money, too). At CoPeace, we’re committed to this concept and to disprove the idea that building wealth and planning for retirement is only available to the wealthy. Why? Because we know that by widening the gap between the “rich” and the “not rich” is the last thing we need to further divide the people in our country.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to build wealth.

That’s why we’ve decided to democratize investing. No matter what income bracket you fall into, or your race, gender, or socioeconomic background, we want to help you grow your money for good. And the time to start — is now.

Get in on the Action & Invest in CoPeace

Last weekend, we launched our crowdfunding campaign. It’s the first opportunity for people (just like you!) to buy shares, earn dividends, and join our community of passionate investors that care about making a positive social and environmental impact on the world. Our goal is to raise $1M in this campaign — we’ll use the money to help growing companies make a positive, measurable impact. Every dollar counts, and we’d like to invite you to join us by purchasing company shares and earning voting rights and the potential for annual dividends.

Options for Everyone 

You can buy as many shares & make as big an impact as you’d like — however, please note that the minimum investment option is to buy 3 shares for $360.

We’re using the WeFunder platform to connect with new investors and track our progress toward our goal. It’s easy to use and understand, and if you have any questions about this opportunity, know that we’ve tried to answer any that you may have on our site. Read more about how you can channel your funds where our future is, and how your money can make a positive impact on companies doing great work here: https://wefunder.com/copeace.

Are you ready to join us? Click this link to invest now: https://wefunder.com/copeace.

Each member of the CoPeace team writes several blogs throughout the year, rotating through our diverse and unique voices to provide fresh perspectives. This was my week to write. I usually pepper my blogs with wit and humor (which perhaps is only funny to me), but I’m struggling to find any humor this week. I’m going to just keep this short and to the point.

At CoPeace, we are fighting to change the financial system that has, for so long, oppressed so many. We are fighting to democratize the impact investing world, by investing in companies that change the way we do things…for the better. We are investing in diverse leaders with innovative points of view, and we are providing access for wealth creation to populations that have been systematically kept from it.  

Internally, we often discuss how hard we must fight this system, which attempts to force companies to the status quo. But let’s be honest: the status quo is that a man was robbed of his life for no other reason than the color of his skin, and that is wrong.  We will not accept that and refuse to support such a system; the status quo must change. 

Monday was Memorial Day, 2020. It’s a day to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It’s a day to reflect on sacrifices made, freedoms gained, and lives lost. It’s also an opportunity for us to show gratitude toward our current service members and first responders.

As we approach our fifth month immersed in a global pandemic, COVID-19, this Memorial Day seemed to resonate even louder, with an ominous correlation to a “war” we’re currently fighting. To date, we’ve lost nearly 100,000 lives to this enemy in the U.S. alone, including many frontline and essential workers. We’ve gone from a world we thought we knew, to the unknown yet to be revealed. We will never “go back to normal.” This is an unnerving thought, which can provoke anxiety, fear, even anger. But what about gratitude?

At CoPeace, we have chosen to be grateful for today. We are grateful for the veterans who sacrificed their lives on our behalf. We’re incredibly fortunate to live in a country where we can worship, love, and express ourselves freely. We are grateful for the present day, which has afforded us extra time with family, cleaner air, a slower pace, a deeper appreciation for public health, and a real understanding of the interdependency of the worldwide community. And we are grateful for what lies ahead, as the world survives this crisis – a future filled with hugs, community, activism, social entrepreneurship, awareness, thoughtful voting, conscious spending, impact investing, and…gratitude.

I’ve been blessed with many great sports experiences in my life. Since I was seven years old, I’ve loved playing and watching sports.

I enjoy many aspects of sports, but what I love the most is the camaraderie. More specifically, it’s the sense of fulfillment that comes from being part of something bigger than myself and sharing the ups and downs with people I like and respect.

To me, there are very few things in the world that can match the experience of being part of a team that’s working toward a common goal. As part of a team, you need to sacrifice a little of your individual desires and wishes for the good of the group. The “Common Good” must take precedence over self-interest.

I once saw this described as “A Commitment to the Oneness.” I like that. A lot.

Anyone who’s been involved with sports in any role, including as a fan, understands how critically important teamwork is to success.

Michael Jordan, the primary subject of the recent ESPN 10-part documentary about the Chicago Bulls, is generally believed to be the greatest basketball player ever. Yet, even he couldn’t win six NBA championships on his own. He had a terrific coach in Phil Jackson and a perennial all-star in Scottie Pippin, who played Robin to Jordan’s Batman. He also had less-talented teammates who came up big in big moments, like John Paxson and Steve Kerr, who each hit game-winning and championship-winning shots during the Bulls’ dynasty.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how connected and interdependent we truly are as a global community. People on every continent are worried about how the virus might impact them, their loved ones, and their way of life.

We are all bound together on this big blue ball we call Earth. In effect, whether or not we always realize it, we’re teammates in the game of life. Our challenge is to make the world we share as healthy, just, sustainable and prosperous as we can.

I am blessed to be part of a new team – one called CoPeace. CoPeace is an innovative impact investing company. Our mission is to make the world a better place by investing in companies that are working to make the planet a more equitable, safer, and healthier place to live.

Impact investing offers a different option from the traditional profit-at-all-costs investment model. The impact investing model is one in which the environment and society are on equal footing with profits.

At CoPeace, we have taken Warren Buffet’s Berkshire-Hathaway holding company model and modified it so that the only companies that become part of CoPeace are impact companies that have been thoroughly screened in order to meet very high standards in the areas of social, environmental, and yes, financial impact.

Investing to us is about more than making a profit. It’s about changing the world. Make no mistake, we are striving hard to make profits, just not at all costs. We value people, the planet, and profit equally.

CoPeace is built on a foundation of the common good and fueled by the human spirit.

One of our goals is to democratize the investing process so people from all walks of life, not just wealthy investors, can invest in making the world a better place.

Stay tuned. If you believe in what we’re doing, we will soon have an innovative investment option for you to consider. Check our website on a regular basis, or sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates.

We’re proud of what we’re doing and would love for you to join us and become a member of Team CoPeace.

In doing so, you too will be making “A Commitment to the Oneness.”

Earlier this week the governments of Britain and Germany announced the re-opening of their economies will place an emphasis on clean energy and building a sustainable economy. As our CFO, Hanan Levin, has alluded to since the pandemic began, the restart of the economy will almost certainly require “going green.”

The coronavirus has halted the global economy in ways many didn’t believe were possible. It has revealed how global and demanding human infrastructure is – how a seemingly simple event can have ripple effects that amplify across industries and systems.

The benefit to this shutdown is the opportunity it provides for us to reflect on those systems – personally, socially, and globally. At CoPeace we don’t want to “get back to normal.” The old normal wasn’t equitable and didn’t properly value the health of people and planet.

Throughout continuing lockdown efforts, we have seen just how quickly the planet flourishes – record low air pollution, wildlife returning to local habitats, and countries permanently shutting down coal plants.

So when will the economic uncertainty end? Probably with something like the American New Deal, which pulled the United States from ongoing economic collapse. Many governments seem to be evaluating a “green stimulus package” that would involve getting people back to work by building sustainable energy and infrastructure.

The benefits to a plan are numerous: jobs for the unemployed and which cannot be automated, sustainable energy, and a revitalized infrastructure capable of handling 21st-century technology.

At CoPeace, we have the same vision and drive to create a new sustainable impact investing economy. We believe capitalism also needs to shift to value people and planet. We hope to provide a system that is democratic and accessible to everyone for long-term investing – where making money is aligned with doing good.

After all, what is profit without people or planet?