Integrated Investing
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Here are some of the reasons I believe there are few well-known women investors:
Women are more private about their investing activity.
Women are clubbing together to invest, resulting in fewer single investors that stand out.
Many women, even those with considerable wealth and expertise do not meet accredited investor definitions and are therefore structurally excluded from angel investing.
Women are seeking investment opportunities that provide multiple outcomes (economic, social, environmental), and the investments they do make are not regularly reported in the media at the moment.
Women are making small investments in others and in their communities, and these types of single investments do not capture the attention of the general venture community.
I don’t believe there are fewer well-known female angel investors because they are risk adverse and poorer in technology and business skills. I believe women investors simply make decisions differently than men do, and they are showing up in the investment sector differently. I do believe we could benefit from more women actively and visibly participating as investors in a way that plays to women’s strengths, is appealing and attractive to women, and makes room for different definitions of value and success. If we could achieve this, we’d have more diverse investment decisions and a more diverse economic environment—and diversity of perspectives is critical to a healthy, thriving economy.
If we look at how venture investment opportunities are brought to investors, we observe that the current offerings tend to meet the preferences of the predominantly male audience. Where and when angel investors meet may not suit women’s needs and time preferences. The current angel investment community does not support an investment scale that fits women’s spectrum of financial capacity. The community is also lacking in a support structure that would help women to understand best practices as they invest.
We can enable more women to participate in society and the economic system as investors by enabling an investment culture and investment structures that serve women. We should be paying attention to and valuing how women make decisions about their time, energy, and money. The investment industry needs to consider investment structures that work for people with the financial capacity, risk appetite, and acumen to invest, but who do not meet accredited investor definitions. Most of the women I have spoken with who are interested in investing are busy working, teaching, supporting their causes, and spending time with their friends and families. Time is precious, and they want to spend it wisely. If they are going to spend time on investing activities, they want to do so while having fun and meeting interesting people in a dynamic, social environment. If the investment industry is going to attract more women, it needs to create investing experiences that have these qualities.
The more women who are exposed to investing mentors and role models, the more believe that investing is for them. Immersion in an investment community is another way to learn the ropes of investing and join in. Some investors are more private about their investments and don’t want their investing activities to be visible. We need to think about creating a safe environment and investing experience that respects this privacy, yet enables newer investors to connect with others who are actively investing so they can learn from them and be mentored.
Giving people access to the right information, tools, and resources can help them become more active as investors. Whether it is understanding how the investment process works or finding opportunities that feel meaningful and purposeful, having access to information, tools, and resources that are delivered in a values-aligned way is critical for helping investors develop and grow. We need to do more to make investor education and training resources more accessible to women.
Women, Gender Lens Investing, and Integrated Decision Making
The integrated decision making approach I described in Chapter 5 asserts that optimal investment decisions result when people integrate analysis, emotion, body, and intuition into their decision-making process. When I’ve shared my approach with men, many have said they are curious about it or find it interesting; when I’ve shared it with women, I’ve received knowing nods. It is resoundingly women who empathize with integrated decision making, some even describing it as a feminine approach.
While I believe everyone benefits from integrated investing, perhaps it will be women who lead the way. In my opinion, women are naturals at integrated decision making and integrated investing. Just as we are seeing changes in business and society, with more and more women starting and growing businesses and in senior management and leadership positions, we may start to see more and more women investors in the years to come.
Summary
I believe diversity benefits our economy and society, but the investment industry has a bad track record for gender diversity. It’s time for change, and that takes time. If we recognize and celebrate women who are already leading the way as investors, however, and continue to create communities and environments that support how women invest and what they want to invest in, I believe a better gender balance—and perhaps even gender equity—is possible.
* * *
1 “The women’s blog,” The Guardian , accessed April 9, 2016, http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog .
2 “Huffpost Women,” Huffington Post , accessed April 9, 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/women .
3 “Gender Wage Gaps and Earnings Ratios in Ontario,” Pay Equity Commission, accessed April 9, 2016, http://www.payequity.gov.on.ca/en/GWG /Pages/gender_gaps_ont.aspx .
4 Jackie VanderBrug, “Mainstreaming Gender Lens Investing,” Stanford Social Innovation Review , June 12, 2012, accessed April 9, 2016, http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/mainstreaming_gender_lens_investing .
5 “Gender Handbook: A Guide to Understanding Gender Terms, Analysis, and Applications to Social Investing,” Criterion Institute, accessed April 9, 2016, http://criterioninstitute.org/resources/files/2012 / 08 /The-Gender-Handbook-for-Investors.pdf .
6 Sarah Kaplan and Jackie VanderBrug, “The Rise of Gender Capitalism,” Stanford Social Innovation Review , Fall 2014, accessed April 9, 2016, http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_rise_of_gender_capitalism .
7 “Gender Lens Investing,” Criterion Institute, accessed April 9, 2016, http://criterioninstitute.org/revaluegender/gender-lens-investing .
8 In the US , women gained the right to vote in 1920 with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which stated, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” In Canada, women gained the right to vote in 1917, “Women’s Right to Vote in Canada,” Parliament of Canada, accessed April 9, 2106, http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/compilations/provinceterritory/ProvincialWomenRightToVote.aspx .
9 “Temperate Rain Forests,” World Builders, accessed April 9, 2016, http://www.world-builders.org/lessons/less/biomes/rainforest/temp_rain/temprain.html .
10 “Wolf Restoration,” National Park Service, accessed April 9, 2016, https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htm and How Wolves Change Rivers , Sustainable Human, accessed April 9, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5 OB hXz-Q.
11 “Maximizing a Major Opportunity: Engaging Female Clients,” Fidelity Investments, accessed April 9, 2016, https://fiiscontent.fidelity.com/954113.pdf .
12 Peter Damisch et al, “Leveling the Playing Field: Upgrading the Wealth Management Experience for Women,” The Boston Consulting Group, July 2010, accessed April 9, 2016, http://www.bcg.com/documents/file56704.pdf .
13 Nelli Oster, PhD, “Men vs. Women: Investment Decisions,” BlackRock Blog, February 26, 2014, accessed April 9, 2016, http://www.blackrockblog.com/2014 / 02 /26/men-women-investment-decisions .
14 Barbara Stewart, “Rich Thinking,” accessed June 11, 2016, http://barbarastewart.ca/richthinking.html .
15 Ann M. Beutel and Margaret Mooney Marini, “Gender and Values
,” American Sociological Review , Vol. 60 (June 1995): 436-448.
16 The Kass Women in Alternative Investments Hedge Fund Index returned 6%, while the S&P 500 gained 4.2% and the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index dropped 1.1% during the same period.
17 Scott Page, The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools and Societies (Princeton University Press, 2007).
18 Greg Pellegrino et al, “The Gender Dividend: Making the Business Case for Investing in Women,” Deloitte, 2011.
19 Damisch et al, “Levelling the Playing Field.”
IN CLOSING
N O W THAT YOU have read about the foundational pieces of access to essential resources, why we invest, impact investing, values, integrated decision making, and mindsets, and about the practical tools in the integrated investing toolkit, investment relationships, and gender lens investing, it is time to put integrated investing into practice.
Here are some final thoughts and guidance on how to put each of the parts of this book to use in your own investing activities.
1. Start Looking at Investing Through the Lens of Access to Essential Resources
To survive, thrive, and be happy, there are certain things in life we all want and need. These can be placed into six categories of essential resources:
Sustenance
Expression
Connection
Managing change
Making decisions
Exchange
Purposeful businesses give us six different types of access to essential resources:
Basic access
More efficient access
Access to more or better choices of resources
More convenient access
Access through the supply chain
Access through employment
Looking at businesses and investing through the lens of access to essential resources enables you to see the potential impact in investment opportunities you may not have seen before. You may also start to realize the value of certain businesses that you may have previously overlooked as investment opportunities.
With this focus, you move beyond just looking at specific impact segments or sectors such as food, energy, and microfinance, and you begin to take a more holistic approach. You will consider whether a business provides access to one or more essential resources that people need to survive, thrive, and be happy before investing in it.
A business may provide multiple types of resources through different types of access. Practice looking at businesses from different angles, and some resources that are not as obvious as others might start to reveal themselves.
Impact is the improvement in access to essential resources. This change in perspective provides the starting point for evaluating impact investment opportunities. By thinking about access, you can begin to develop an understanding of how the businesses in which you could invest are connected with the things in life that people need to survive, thrive, and be happy.
2. Reflect on Why You Invest
Reflecting upon why you invest involves asking about the context of your investments: “Why do I do what I do?” What is it that motivates you to invest? What is your desired outcome?
Investing can provide you with access to these essential resources:
Sustenance by providing you with an income stream or financial returns
Expression, such as power, status, or leadership
Connection, such as connecting with other investors and with the entrepreneurs in which you could invest
Managing change by providing security, an opportunity for future consumption, preparation for obsolescence, innovation, or legacy
Making decisions
Exchange
Reflect on the times you have invested in impact ventures in the past—or, if you are new to impact investing, think about your journey up to this point. Then practice telling the story of your experience of investing, or the path you’ve traveled to get here, to other people. This will help you articulate why you invest. Being clear on this question of why helps you clarify for yourself what outcomes you expect from your investing activities.
3. Get More Resources on Impact Investing
The phrase “impact investing” was coined in 2007, but as a field it continues to grow and evolve. Impact is described by some people in the impact investing industry as solving social or environmental problems or challenges or generating measurable social and environmental impact, but I think of impact as an improvement in access to essential resources. When we improve access to essential resources, we achieve the following effects:
Empowering people and the planet (rather than exploiting them)
Creating more equal societies
Taking care of the village
We are all better off when we treat investing as a way to take care of the village. To deepen your knowledge about impact investing, I highly recommend continuing to read about impact investing and related subjects; I guarantee doing so will change the way you think about investing. You can start with these three resources:
Stanford Social Innovation Review: www.ssireview.org/topics/category/impact_investing
Global Impact Investing Network: www.thegiin.org
Impact Alpha: www.impactalpha.com
Additional resources are included in the Further Reading section of this book.
4. Put Your Investments to the Values Test
If you are clear on what your values are and what is important to you, put your investments to the values test. If you’re unsure of what values are most important to you, go back to Chapter 4 and do the exercise included there; it should help you articulate your values.
It’s crucial to understand how your values align with access to essential resources, because your values influence which types of access and which types of resources are most important to you. It’s also important to think about how your values align with and influence your motivations for investing.
Ask yourself whether the companies and products in which you are investing reflect your values or if they are in conflict with them. If they are in conflict, start to think about what types of companies and investments would better suit your interests and align with your beliefs. This will help you shape your investment strategy and criteria so they’re more aligned with your values.
5. Practice Integrated Decision Making
Analysis helps us make decisions; however, emotion inevitably affects our investment decisions, and greater emotional awareness can actually help us make better decisions. Our bodies can also affect how we approach risk or stress, and therefore play a part in our investment decisions. Intuition is necessary for making decisions in the face of uncertainty, which is particularly important in investing.
Integrating information from analysis, emotion, body, and intuition will help you more quickly and confidently make decisions about how you want to move forward with an investment opportunity.
Integrated decision making is something you can practice every day, and not only regarding investing. Start by practicing with simpler decisions; check in on your analysis, your emotions, your body, and your intuition before reaching a conclusion. Then progress to more complicated and complex decisions. Your decisions are optimized if your head, heart, body, and soul are in sync. If they are not, your decision will reflect the path you chose, whether it was led by analysis, emotion, body, or intuition. Being aware of what leads your decision helps you be prepared for the outcome.
Once you’ve become comfortable with the process, practice applying integrated decision making to your investment decisions. Rather than excluding emotions, body, and intuition from your investment decisions, be aware of inputs from these areas, and incorporate them into your decision alongside analysis; this will help you make more integrated decisions.
Before making an investment decision, ask yourself the following questions:
What do I think I should do?
What do I want to do?
What signals is my body g
iving me?
What would I intuitively do?
6. Practice the New Mindsets
To prepare and be ready for integrated investing, put yourself in the right mindset for it.
In Chapter 6, I discussed six groups of mindsets, divided into three categories:
Mindsets that affect your perception about resources and risk: Abundance and scarcity
Curiosity and fear
Mindsets that influence your outlook on how to relate to and interact with others: Exchange, self-interest, and serving others
Relationship and transaction
Mindsets that affect your frame of mind about results: Future potential and past performance
Resources and money
Rather than focusing on scarcity, risk, self-interest, transaction, past performance, and money, integrated investing focuses on abundance, curiosity, exchange, relationship, future potential, and resources. By focusing on these more open, positive, and inviting mindsets, you will be more receptive to the possibilities available to you, which will allow you to achieve more positive impact in your investing activities.
Before making any impact investing decisions, pause and reflect upon what mindset you’re in. If you realize you’re experiencing some of the more closed-off mindsets of scarcity, risk, self-interest, transaction, past performance, and money, think about the complementary mindset in those mindsets’ pairings or groups. For instance, if you’re feeling a scarcity mindset, take a breath and imagine an abundance mindset. Say out loud what is abundant to help you get yourself into that mindset; then, once you’ve achieved a change in perspective, revisit the decision and observe whether a different approach or decision can be taken. Make your decisions and act with mindsets of abundance, curiosity, exchange, relationship, future potential, and resources.