This Week in ESG and Impact Investing

  At 3:30 p.m. on Friday, November 4th, the Biden administration bookended a long week of public briefings with their White House Faith Economic Briefing. Since this hearing was meant to appeal to a demographic that tends to gravitate towards the other end of the political spectrum, it is unsurprising that the briefing garnered a smaller crowd than some of the others.  As for the briefing itself, it appears that Biden's press team has taken steps in the right direction in terms of using technology. The transitions between speakers became smoother as the week went on, and that trend continued with this event. There were far fewer mishaps, no speaker seemed unqualified, and the content was solid. The problem with that solid content, however, is that it was largely recycled from earlier briefings. The talking points were identical to those from prior conferences. Briefings earlier in the week touched on specific accomplishments, highlighting progress they’ve made in climate c...

  Overview The 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health presented an opportunity for efforts directed toward ending hunger to return to the forefront of America's collective public conscience (and we are here for it). Creative Investment Research is ready to work with the current White House administration, Congress, and a wide array of stakeholders to decrease hunger in this country.  In particular, Creative Investment Research believes that high rates of malnourishment  among pregnant Black women needs to be more of a priority. We strongly urge a comprehensive approach, one that includes various federal, state, and local policymakers, as well as members of the anti-hunger, health, and private sector. Additionally, Creative Investment Research believes that people who have actually  experienced hunger are currently underrepresented among policymakers. Discussions on how to reduce hunger in America should be led by people who had limited access ...

  On June 15th, several American financial and political leaders convened in distinct discussions concerning the future of Minority Deposit Institutions (MDIs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). At a White House press conference, a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Board meeting and MDI policy statement release, in a House Financial Services Committee statement, and a Georgetown University forum with an all-star cast, minority lending was the conversation of the day. Utilizing the Mosaic Theory, Creative Investment Research contends that the convergence of these events may not be a coincidence, and may signal a significant policy change. We note that the MDI events of June 15th were preceded by a June 14th meeting of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) Investment Committee. Of particular relevance was a progress report on the Fund’s Sustainable Investment 5 Year Strategy Plan. Fund management discussed diversity and inclusi...