The Future Of Sustainable Investing

We sit down with Nick Cantrell, a certified financial planner who is passionate about investing in sustainability. Not only does investing in sustainability encourage growth in the renewable energy and cleantech sector, there is potential for a lot of money to be made. Let’s get to know Nick and what his vision is for the future of sustainable investing.

Tell us a little bit about you and your background: 

I am a Certified Financial Planner, and I have been helping clients as a financial advisor for 14 years. I decided to create and launch my own firm, Green Future Wealth Management, last year in the middle of the pandemic because I really wanted to focus on helping clients align their assets with their values. Although we don’t require that clients incorporate sustainability into their investments and their financial plan, the vast majority of our clients choose to do so.

The response since our firm launched has been really incredible, to the point where we outgrew our office space within the first year, and we now plan to open our third office this summer in New Hampshire and continue to grow regionally, and hopefully someday grow to a national presence.

What is a fun fact about you?

I have a degree in music education and spent years as a public school music teacher before deciding to become a financial planner.

Why do you think climate change and sustainability is such an important topic today? 

Investors are starting to examine their relationship with their investments, and wonder how their investments can better incorporate the investors’ lifestyle and values. Many investors see the danger that irresponsible companies can pose to the world, and these investors simply don’t want to support the degradation and destruction of the environment with their hard earned dollars. As firms like Green Future Wealth Management are showing investors that there is a different way to plan and invest, the market demand for sustainable investing and financial planning has become insatiable, and it is powering the rapid growth and expansion of sustainable investing that we are experiencing today.

What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?

The investment management and financial planning industry is notoriously slow to change, so I am not overly optimistic that there will be a widespread embrace of sustainable investing by the financial advisor community over the next decade. My expectation is that firms that specialize in sustainable investing, like Green Future Wealth Management, will continue to see rapid growth in this area while most firms will simply ignore this segment of the marketplace.

What can the average person do to make a difference? 

There is so much that the average person can do to make a difference. Beyond looking for ways to change your lifestyle and habits to incorporate sustainability, investors can start to change the world through aligning their investments with their values. If you work with a financial advisor, let them know that you want to incorporate sustainability into your investments and your financial plan. If your advisor is unsupportive or doesn’t know how to do this, find a new advisor who does.

You can find a list of advisors who can help with this at www.ussif.org, or you can check our firm out at www.greenfuturewealth.com. If you don’t work with a financial advisor, use some of the free tools at www.ussif.org or www.asyousow.org to analyze your current investments and hunt for more sustainable options.

If your workplace retirement plan doesn’t offer sustainable options, let your HR department know that you want that to change.

Nick, thank you for sharing your vision for the future of sustainable investing.

Nick is a featured guest on The Green Podcast. Be sure to tune in as we release new episodes featuring leaders in business, finance, renewable energy, cleantech, and sustainability.