Morgan Stanley

Investing with Impact

Our Investing with Impact Platform offers a diverse range of funds and other investments designed to help Morgan Stanley clients align their portfolios with their values. We make it easy to craft an investment portfolio of any size that is tailored to advance the environmental, economic and social goals of your choice — while striving for competitive performance.

 

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      Investing with Impact
      Framework

      The three I’s of “Impact” represent the range of customizable approaches investors can pursue across asset classes to maximize positive impact.

      Intentionality

      Intentional investment process that seeks to generate market-rate returns alongside positive social and environmental impact in one or more of the following ways:

      Minimize Objectionable Impact

      Generate Targeted Impact

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      Restriction Screening

      Reduce exposure to companies that detract from intended positive impacts

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      ESG Integration

      Consider environmental, social and governance across corporate practices in the investment process

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      Thematic Solutions

      Focus on companies whose products & services contribute to sustainability solutions

      INFLUENCE

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      Active Ownership

      Management engagement, strategy setting, proxy voting, resolution filing, filling board seats and more to modify behavior of portfolio companies to generate better social and environmental outcomes

      and/or

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      Market Building

      Seek to influence the industry through collaborative affiliations and adopting global frameworks

      INCLUSION

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      Diverse Firm Ownership1

      and/or

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      Diverse Representation Across Investment Professionals

      1. Morgan Stanley’s Global Investment Manager Analysis team defines diverse asset managers as those with 33% or greater ownership by women and/or racially/ethnically diverse individuals. The categories that make up the racially/ethnically diverse individuals as defined by Morgan Stanley align with those of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and includes: Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

      Learn more about Investing with Impact (PDF)

      Thematic Guides

      Gender Diversity

      Develop a tailored investment approach to integrate gender diversity criteria into your portfolio. 

      Learn more (opens in a new tab)

      How to Tackle Climate Change in Your Portfolio

      As the world increasingly transitions to a low-carbon economy, explore how you can pursue your climate action goals alongside your financial objectives.

       

      Learn more (opens in a new tab)

      Racial Equity

      Investors now have a variety of intentional investing approaches to pursue a more inclusive society, as well as their financial goals.

      Learn more (opens in a new tab)

      Align Your Investments With Your Values

      Our Investing with Impact Platform offers a diverse range of funds and other investments designed to advance environmental, economic and social goals — while striving for competitive performance. We make it easy to craft an investment portfolio of any size that is tailored to meet the impact goals of your choice.

      Investment Strategies

      Select from more than 380 products—including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, separately managed accounts and alternative investment opportunities (for qualified investors).

      Portfolio Solutions

      Choose from our array of 12 portfolios that allow clients to integrate environmental and social impact objectives across fully diversified asset allocations.

      Capital Markets

      Access capital markets offerings that incorporate positive environmental and/or social impact—including green, blue, sustainability, and sustainability-linked bonds.

      Custom Restriction Screening

      Take advantage of screening investor advisory accounts across 30+ different issue areas.

      Analysis

      Gain access to evaluations of impact-oriented strategies from the Global Investment Manager Analysis team, which factors environmental and social impact considerations into their investment criteria.

      Thought Leadership

      Receive ideas and insights from Morgan Stanley’s Sustainability Research team, the Institute for Sustainable Investing, and the Investing with Impact team.

      Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust (MSGIFT)

      Broaden the impact of charitable giving through opportunities available in Morgan Stanley’s Donor Advised Fund.

      Morgan Stanley Impact Quotient®

      Work with a Financial Advisor to align your investments with your values through customized insights across nine themes and 130+ metrics and analysis using our proprietary application.

      Additional Insights

      Ready to Start a Conversation?

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      Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's Broker/Check (opens in a new tab).

      Footnotes:

      1 Morgan Stanley’s Global Investment Manager Analysis team defines diverse asset managers as those with 33% or greater ownership by women and/or racially/ethnically diverse individuals. The categories that make up the racially/ethnically diverse individuals as defined by Morgan Stanley align with those of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and includes: Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

      Disclosures:

      Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument or to participate in any trading strategy.  Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance.

      This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it. The strategies and/or investments discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. This material is not an offer to buy or sell any security or to participate in any trading strategy. Asset allocation and diversification do not guarantee a profit or protect against a loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

      Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please visit us at http://www.morganstanleyindividual.com or consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences.

      The Morgan Stanley Impact Quotient® report is an assessment of an investor’s portfolio (or subset thereof) utilizing various environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors. The metrics included in the report are based on key topic areas for sustainable and impact investing. Assessment of the investor’s portfolio alignment with ESG factors, established by Morgan Stanley, is evaluated based on available data and expertise from MSCI ESG Research, ISS-ESG, Fossil Free Indexes and Equileap.

      The Morgan Stanley Impact Quotient report does not represent Morgan Stanley’s view of any individual fund or security, is not a judgment on any company’s commitment to sustainability issues and is provided for informational purposes only. The report is not a “research report” as defined by FINRA Rules 2241 and 2242. It is not prepared by the Research Departments of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC or Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC or its affiliates.

      Alternative investments often are speculative and include a high degree of risk. Investors could lose all or a substantial amount of their investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for eligible, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time. They may be highly illiquid and can engage in leverage and other speculative practices that may increase the volatility and risk of loss. Alternative Investments typically have higher fees than traditional investments. Investors should carefully review and consider potential risks before investing. 

      Private Funds (which include hedge funds and private equity funds) often engage in speculative investment techniques and are only appropriate for long-term, qualified investors. Investors could lose all or a substantial amount of their investment. They are generally illiquid, not tax efficient and have higher fees than many traditional investments.

      Investing in the market entails the risk of market volatility. The value of all types of investments may increase or decrease over varying time periods. Fixed Income investing entails credit risks and interest rate risks. When interest rates rise, bond prices generally fall.

      An investment in an exchange-traded fund involves risks similar to those of investing in a broadly based portfolio of equity securities traded on exchange in the relevant securities market, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The investment return and principal value of ETF investments will fluctuate, so that an investor’s ETF shares, if or when sold, may be worth more or less than the original cost.

      Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives and risks as well as charges and expenses of a mutual fund / exchange-traded fund before investing. To obtain a prospectus, contact your Financial Advisor or visit the fund company’s website. The prospectus contains this and other information about the mutual fund / exchange-traded fund. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

      The Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust, Inc. (“MS GIFT, Inc.”) is an organization described in Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. MS Global Impact Funding Trust (“MS GIFT”) is a donor-advised fund. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC provides investment management and administrative services to MS GIFT.

      While we believe that MS GIFT provides a valuable philanthropic opportunity, contributions to MS GIFT are not appropriate for everyone. Other forms of charitable giving may be more appropriate depending on a donor’s specific situation. Of critical importance to any person considering making a donation to MS GIFT is the fact that any such donation is an irrevocable contribution. Although donors will have certain rights to make recommendations to MS GIFT as described in the Donor Circular & Disclosure Statement, contributions become the legal property of MS GIFT when donated.

      The Donor Circular & Disclosure Statement describes the risks, fees and expenses associated with establishing and maintaining an MS GIFT account. Read it carefully before contributing.

      The author(s) (if any authors are noted) principally responsible for the preparation of this material receive compensation based upon various factors, including quality and accuracy of their work, firm revenues (including trading and capital markets revenues), client feedback and competitive factors.  Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is involved in many businesses that may relate to companies, securities or instruments mentioned in this material.

      This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security/instrument, or to participate in any trading strategy. Any such offer would be made only after a prospective investor had completed its own independent investigation of the securities, instruments or transactions, and received all information it required to make its own investment decision, including, where applicable, a review of any offering circular or memorandum describing such security or instrument.  That information would contain material information not contained herein and to which prospective participants are referred. This material is based on public information as of the specified date, and may be stale thereafter.  We have no obligation to tell you when information herein may change.  We make no representation or warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of this material.  Morgan Stanley Wealth Management has no obligation to provide updated information on the securities/instruments mentioned herein.

      The securities/instruments discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors.  The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives.  Morgan Stanley Wealth Management recommends that investors independently evaluate specific investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial advisor. The value of and income from investments may vary because of changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, default rates, prepayment rates, securities/instruments prices, market indexes, operational or financial conditions of companies and other issuers or other factors.  Estimates of future performance are based on assumptions that may not be realized.  Actual events may differ from those assumed and changes to any assumptions may have a material impact on any projections or estimates. Other events not taken into account may occur and may significantly affect the projections or estimates.  Certain assumptions may have been made for modeling purposes only to simplify the presentation and/or calculation of any projections or estimates, and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management does not represent that any such assumptions will reflect actual future events.  Accordingly, there can be no assurance that estimated returns or projections will be realized or that actual returns or performance results will not materially differ from those estimated herein.  

      This material should not be viewed as advice or recommendations with respect to asset allocation or any particular investment. This information is not intended to, and should not, form a primary basis for any investment decisions that you may make. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is not acting as a fiduciary under either the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended or under section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended in providing this material except as otherwise provided in writing by Morgan Stanley and/or as described at www.morganstanley.com/disclosures/dol. 

      Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors do not provide legal or tax advice.  Each client should always consult his/her personal tax and/or legal advisor for information concerning his/her individual situation and to learn about any potential tax or other implications that may result from acting on a particular recommendation.

      This material is disseminated in Australia to “retail clients” within the meaning of the Australian Corporations Act by Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Australia Pty Ltd (A.B.N. 19 009 145 555, holder of Australian financial services license No. 240813).

      Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is not incorporated under the People's Republic of China ("PRC") law and the material in relation to this report is conducted outside the PRC. This report will be distributed only upon request of a specific recipient. This report does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the PRC. PRC investors must have the relevant qualifications to invest in such securities and must be responsible for obtaining all relevant approvals, licenses, verifications and or registrations from PRC's relevant governmental authorities.

      If your financial adviser is based in Australia, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, then please be aware that this report is being distributed by the Morgan Stanley entity where your financial adviser is located, as follows: Australia: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 19 009 145 555, AFSL No. 240813); Switzerland: Morgan Stanley (Switzerland) AG regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority; or United Kingdom: Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management Ltd, authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, approves for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 this material for distribution in the United Kingdom.

      Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is not acting as a municipal advisor to any municipal entity or obligated person within the meaning of Section 15B of the Securities Exchange Act (the “Municipal Advisor Rule”) and the opinions or views contained herein are not intended to be, and do not constitute, advice within the meaning of the Municipal Advisor Rule.

      Certain portfolios may include investment holdings deemed Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) investments. For reference, environmental ("E") factors can include, but are not limited to, climate change, pollution, waste, and how an issuer protects and/or conserves natural resources. Social ("S") factors can include, but not are not limited to, how an issuer manages its relationships with individuals, such as its employees, shareholders, and customers as well as its community. Governance ("G") factors can include, but are not limited to, how an issuer operates, such as its leadership composition, pay and incentive structures, internal controls, and the rights of equity and debt holders. You should carefully review an investment product's prospectus or other offering documents, disclosures and/or marketing material to learn more about how it incorporates ESG factors into its investment strategy.

      ESG investments may also be referred to as sustainable investments, impact aware investments, socially responsible investments or diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) investments. It is important to understand there are inconsistent ESG definitions and criteria within the industry, as well as multiple ESG ratings providers that provide ESG ratings of the same subject companies and/or securities that vary among the providers. This is due to a current lack of consistent global reporting and auditing standards as well as differences in definitions, methodologies, processes, data sources and subjectivity among ESG rating providers when determining a rating. Certain issuers of investments including, but not limited to, separately managed accounts (SMAs), mutual funds and exchange traded-funds (ETFs) may have differing and inconsistent views concerning ESG criteria where the ESG claims made in offering documents or other literature may overstate ESG impact. Further, socially responsible norms vary by region, and an issuer’s ESG practices or Morgan Stanley’s assessment of an issuer’s ESG practices can change over time.

      Portfolios that include investment holdings deemed ESG investments or that employ ESG screening criteria as part of an overall strategy may experience performance that is lower or higher than a portfolio not employing such practices. Portfolios with ESG restrictions and strategies as well as ESG investments may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as portfolios where ESG criteria is not applied. There is no assurance that an ESG investing strategy or techniques employed will be successful. Past performance is not a guarantee or a dependable measure of future results. For risks related to a specific fund, please refer to the fund's prospectus or summary prospectus.

      Investment managers can have different approaches to ESG and can offer strategies that differ from the strategies offered by other investment managers with respect to the same theme or topic. Additionally, when evaluating investments, an investment manager is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, which could cause the manager to incorrectly assess an investment’s ESG characteristics or performance. Such data or information may be obtained through voluntary or third-party reporting. Morgan Stanley does not verify that such information and data is accurate and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy, timeliness, or completeness when evaluating an issuer. This can cause Morgan Stanley to incorrectly assess an issuer’s business practices with respect to its ESG practices. As a result, it is difficult to compare ESG investment products.

      Morgan Stanley’s assessment of an issuer’s ESG practices or an ESG portfolio is as of the date of this material. No assurance is provided that the underlying assets have maintained or will maintain any applicable ESG designations or any stated ESG compliance, or that the underlying assets have been operated or will be operated in an ESG-compliant manner. The ESG impacts of the securities and any underlying assets may vary over time.] This can cause Morgan Stanley to incorrectly assess an issuer’s business practices with respect to its ESG practices. As a result, it is difficult to compare ESG investment products. Morgan Stanley makes no representation as to the compliance or otherwise of any fund or portfolio with any laws or regulatory guidelines, recommendations, requirements or similar relating to the ESG characterization of any fund or portfolio, or in connection with or to meet any of your investing ESG objectives, metrics or criteria.

      This material is disseminated in the United States of America by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.

      Third-party data providers make no warranties or representations of any kind relating to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the data they provide and shall not have liability for any damages of any kind relating to such data.

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