As we’ve positioned ourselves in the impact investing space here at CoPeace, a common concern emerges in our conversations – How can CoPeace achieve real impact with its investments?

This is not a light question. Complex, systemic issues require attentive, holistic solutions. CoPeace attempts to address these issues through its growing portfolio of complementary subsidiaries, but how can we be sure we are producing real impact? 

We definitely know what “real” impact is not. If a fund claims to be socially-responsible fund, but includes a company like Exxon in its portfolio, then that fund is not an impact fund. We can also distinguish solving an issue from reducing the negative effects of an issue. A clothing company that uses 25% less nonrenewable materials in its products might be relatively more sustainable, but this does not address the core of the issue with the fast fashion industry. “Real” impact is not just doing less of the bad stuff!

CoPeace stringently screens potential holdings through our HEAD + HEART + MATH approach. We ensure each of our subsidiaries generates mission-driven, measurable impact. As a Public Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corporation, CoPeace actively works to align its operations along themes of impact and radical transparency. CoPeace enables you to use your money to produce real impact without sacrificing financial return – you can grow your money for good.

If you’ve ever taken a personal finance class, you’re probably familiar with the concept of early investing. One of the key takeaways I recall from my experience is that your teens and twenties are prime years to begin investing. Simply strike the perfect balance between expenses, saving, investing, and spending, and then let your money work for you.

Of course, this quixotic vision proves relatively easy to attain for those who come from generational wealth or enjoy other privileges. However, the vast majority of teens and twenty-somethings today face increasing student loans, rising rents in areas of greatest opportunity, and sluggish wage growth. Expenses comprise an increasingly larger portion of that delicate balance in our personal finances. It becomes more difficult to partake in the investment space while seeing significant, steady returns. In other words, there is limited access to capital for the majority of young people today.

CoPeace disrupts the investment space by increasing access to capital for traditionally underserved and marginalized communities. Our anticipated Direct Public Offering (DPO) allows these communities to participate in the investment space at low personal cost, while simultaneously funding growing companies solving environmental or social issues in the world today. This enables CoPeace to aid in the process of building generational wealth, which makes striking that balance, and entering the investment space earlier, that much easier.

The bottom-line has been the primary concern of traditional investment strategies. This strategy posits that the best investments are those with the greatest returns. This may be great for our bank accounts, but gone awry this can pose severe consequences for our local, national, and global communities.

Nowadays, more and more companies pursue the “triple bottom-line”: great fiscal returns, good for the planet, and provide positive social impact. Numerous articles document the widespread incorporation of positive environmental, social, and governance principles into corporate operations, and the market responds in turn. The evidence suggests SRI investments perform just as well as traditional investments. In some cases, SRI investments even outperform their counterparts. One question remains: how can one know their investments meet the triple bottom-line?

Fortunately, we have a wealth of tools at our disposal to aid in this daunting task. The natural and social sciences help diagnose the ills facing our society and evaluate the impact of our interventions. A recent article in the Harvard Business Review, Calculating the Value of Impact Investing, presents a metric, aptly named the “Impact Multiple of Money.”

Here at CoPeace, we use these tools to gain a holistic understanding of the companies in which we invest. Our Head + Heart + Math approach empowers us to not only meet the triple bottom-line, but exceed it. With CoPeace, you truly can Grow Your Money for Good.