There are many more ways to incorporate environmental, social, and governance investing into client portfolios than just mutual funds, and one of them has been around for decades: Community Development Financial Institution loans. Through putting their money to work backing CDFI loans, clients can steer money toward the communities, businesses, and causes they care about.
I first learned about CDFIs early in my career in financial services while leading workshops for financial counselors who were working with low-income clients for the first time. Some workshop participants worked for local CDFIs, and their clients had goals such as buying their first homes or starting and growing small businesses.