ABSTRACT
Most therapists are, by nature and training, attuned to the social dimension of life. After all, you have chosen work that is deeply human. You care about people. Understanding that money is a powerful energy that can have both positive and negative effects on the world, it may be important for you to align your investment decisions with your values. Socially screened investment options exist for mutual funds, annuities, variable universal life insurance, and individually managed accounts. A good resource for socially responsible investing is https://www.socialinvest.org; it is a clearinghouse of information on all aspects of such investments. Socially responsible investing involves making a social analysis of the companies in which you invest. Perhaps you do not want your money going to a tobacco-producing company. Perhaps you are concerned about ecological issues and do not want to invest in companies that have a poor environmental record. Perhaps you are concerned with children’s issues and do not want your money invested in companies that hire child labor in underdeveloped countries. Perhaps you are tuned into women’s issues and want to avoid companies with poor conditions for women. Perhaps you do not want to invest in arms manufacturing. Socially responsible investing is the practice of taking these kinds of issues into account when determining which companies to invest in.
