There may be give and take when you are buying a home or selecting a school, but not with an impact investment.

Impact investments are on the rise.  Today’s investors increasingly want to align their values with their dollars. Therefore, investments that have a double bottom line approach are quickly growing in popularity.  

Millennials in particular are driving the growth in this category. A recent study by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing found that 86% of millennials are interested in sustainable investing and they are 2X as likely as the overall investor population to invest in companies targeting social or environmental change.

As a social impact investment firm we are frequently asked what it takes to make an impact investment and what sacrifices need to be made in order to put your money towards a cause you believe in. The answer might surprise you - none.

Impact investing doesn’t require trade-off like slow returns, minimal returns, or high risk according to a 2015 study by Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing.  The study took a look at the category and showed that social impact funds have met or exceeded the returns of traditional equity funds.  In addition, the The Global Impact Investing Network reports that “portfolio performance overwhelmingly meets or exceeds investor expectations for both social and environmental impact and financial return.”

“More education is needed around the subject.” says a spokesperson from DRI Fund. “you are not trading one for another, instead you are getting the benefit of putting capital towards something you care about and making a return at the same time. It’s the best of both worlds”

There is continued interest in sustainable investing regardless of any misconceptions. Currently, 8.76 trillion in SRI assets were under management in 2016 according to the US SIF Foundation and that number is only increasing this year. As more investors make a commitment to value driven investments, there will be additional opportunities to demonstrate the social and financial impact.