Joe Flores is a Managing Director at TortoiseEcofin, a sustainable investment firm that strives to make a positive impact on clients and communities by investing in energy infrastructure, the transition to cleaner energy, and by providing capital for social impact projects focused on education and seniors housing. While the firm has a variety of offerings, this episode is focused on water.

The Jersey shore needed a longer-term solution to address systemic issues, such as a lack of affordable housing, that persisted well after Sandy hit. Ms. Maria Farhat Tanzola was an integral part of the team that created Impact New Jersey, an impact investment that generates market-rate returns while focusing on affordable housing in Sandy-devastated areas. She reflects on this successful partnership and innovative investment strategy 6 years after it was created.

Learn how Morningstar is helping investors make better-informed decisions and invest in ways that are meaningful to them. We also hear from a portfolio manager that is applying a gender lens to her investment process and why the “S” component of ESG is so important. This episode features Dr. Jon Hale from Morningstar and Ms. Diane Sobin from Cary Street Partners.

Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) can help you save money in taxes and give more to charity. I spoke with ImpactAssets, whose DAF can offer access to private, custom impact investments that you wouldn't otherwise have access to. 

Learn about real assets, including farmland investing. We highlight an Organic Farmland REIT that is filling a need by helping finance and transition conventional farmland to organic, which has been proven to make farms more productive, and even more profitable. The Director of Impact of Wetherby Asset Management also joins us to discuss what they are doing with regards to real assets and impact investing.

ESG investing strategies proved resilient during the covid-19 correction. While we can not put too much weight into short-term performance, this is the first time so many ESG funds have been put to the test and the consensus is - they passed.