The 200 mutual funds which currently label themselves as socially responsible define their social responsibility screens using different criteria, formats, and language. Some may screen out only tobacco companies, some incorporate numerous avoidance and affirmative screens, while others engage in shareholder activism and community development investing.
To address this diverse continuum, Natural Investments developed its proprietary NI Social Rating SM ("the Rating") in 1990 to provide investors with a social rating system based on objective, standardized criteria. The presentation of the rating, from ♥ to ♥♥♥♥♥, similar to the star-rating used by Morningstar to track financial performance (www.Morningstar.com), provides a quick and convenient overview of the breadth and depth of social responsibility criteria applied by each fund.
Investors can use the Rating as an integral component of their research process in selecting potential SRI mutual funds as investment holdings. Mutual fund companies use the Rating to promote their commitment to social justice and ecological regeneration. The NI Social Rating SM is the only national mutual fund social rating system in the United States, and it is published in every issue of Green Money Journal and the LOHAS Journal.
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Jack and Hal developed the Rating in 1990 while writing Investing
from the Heart (Crown), to give a simple graphic representation
based on a qualitative evaluation of each SRI fund's screening
process. They looked at the screens stated in the fund's prospectus
and verified with the fund managers how they actually applied the
screens, either informally or via written policy. Mutual funds were
scored and then awarded a ♥ to ♥♥♥♥♥ rating, with ♥
being a fund with minimum screening and ♥♥♥♥♥ given for a
fund that was comprehensively screened on many social issues.
Nearly a decade later, Jack and Hal wrote Investing with Your
Values (Bloomberg Press, 1999); during that span the SRI mutual
fund industry had grown from 12 funds in 1990 to 55 mutual funds that
had defined social criteria in their prospectus, plus over 100 others
that qualified due to their selection of particular stocks and bonds.
As a result, NI refined the Rating system and added new credit to
funds that participate in Community Investing and Shareholder
Activism.
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The methodology used to compile the Rating addresses the three main
strategies of Corporate SRI - Avoidance and Affirmative Screening,
and Shareholder Activism - along with Community Investing. The
mutual fund's application of each element is weighted and scored,
and then the funds are ranked. Those in the lowest percentile group
(0-20%) are awarded ♥, those in the highest percentile group
(81-100%) ♥♥♥♥♥. Each fund is reviewed annually to
determine its rating, and it is not uncommon for funds to rate
differently from year to year given changes in their social
responsibility policies.
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Read more...
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The NI Social RatingSM is a tool you can use to get a snapshot of social performance, but portfolio content is not a part of the Rating, as we do not attempt to evaluate every company in every fund. Investors are urged to consult a fund's website, quarterly reports, and annual reports to review a fund's portfolio holdings.
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Read more...
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Natural Investments Social Rating |
| FUND NAME |
SYMBOL |
RATING
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| Appleseed |
APPLX |
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| Aquinas |
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| Equity |
AQEGX |
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| Fixed Income |
AQFIX |
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| Small Cap |
AQBLX |
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| Value |
AQEIX |
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| Ariel |
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| Appreciation |
CAAPX |
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| Focus |
ARFFX |
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| Growth |
ARGFX |
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AXA Enterprise Global
Socially Responsive |
EGSAX |
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| Calvert |
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| Aggressive Allocation |
CAAAX |
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| Capital Accumulation |
CCAFX |
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| Conservative Allocation |
CCLAX |
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| Global Alternative Energy |
CGAEX |
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| International Opportunities |
CIOAX |
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| Mid Cap Value |
CMVAX |
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| Moderate Allocation |
CMAAX |
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| New Vision |
CNVAX |
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| Small Cap Value |
CCVAX |
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| Social Balanced |
CSIFX |
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| Social Bond |
CSIBX |
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| Social Enhanced Equity |
CMIFX |
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| Social Equity |
CSIEX |
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| Social Index |
CSSAX |
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| Social Large Cap |
CLGAX |
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| Social Large Cap Growth |
CLDAX |
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| World Values International Equity |
CWVGX |
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Community Capital
Management Fund |
CRAIX |
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| Domini |
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European PacAsia Social
Equity Fund |
DUPFX |
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| European Social Equity |
DEUFX |
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| PacAsia Social Equity Fund |
DPAFX |
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| Social Equity |
DSEFX |
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| Social Bond |
DSBFX |
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| Dreyfus Third Century |
DRTHX |
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| Eclipse Integrity & Growth |
IGIAX |
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| Flex Fund |
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| Total Return Utility |
FLRUX |
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| Utilities Growth |
FPBAX |
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Foward Progressive Real
Estate |
FFREX |
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| Gabelli SRI |
SRIGX |
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| Green Century |
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| Balanced |
GCBLX |
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| Equity |
GCEQX |
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| Integrity Growth & Income |
IGIAX |
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Legg Mason Partners
Social Awareness |
SSIAX |
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| MMA Praxis |
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| Core Stock |
MMPGX |
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| Growth Index |
MGNDX |
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| Intermediate Income |
MMPIX |
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| International |
MMPNX |
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| Small Cap |
MMSCX |
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| Value Index |
MVIAX |
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Neuberger Berman
Socially Responsive |
NBSRX |
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| New Alternatives |
NALFX |
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| New Covenant |
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| Balanced Growth |
NCBGX |
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| Balanced Income |
NCBIX |
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| Growth |
NCGFX |
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| Income |
NCICX |
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| Parnassus |
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| Equity Income |
PRBLX |
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| Fixed Income |
PRFIX |
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| Fund |
PARNX |
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| Mid-Cap Fund |
PARMX |
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| Small-Cap Fund |
PARSX |
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| Workplace Fund |
PARWX |
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| Pax World |
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| Balanced Fund |
PAXWX |
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| Growth |
PXWGX |
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| High Yield |
PAXHX |
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| Value Fund |
PAXVX |
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| Womens Equity |
PXWEX
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| Portfolio 21 |
PORTX |
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| Spectra Green Fund |
SPEGX |
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| TIAA-CREF Social Choice |
TCSCX |
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Touchstone Premium Yield
Equity
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TPYAX
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| USAA First Start Growth |
UFSGX |
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| Vanguard FTSE Social Index |
VFTSX |
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| Walden/BBT |
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| International Social Index |
WISIX |
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| Domestic Index |
WDSIX |
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| Walden Social |
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| Balanced |
WSBFX |
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| Equity |
WSEFX |
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| Winslow |
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| Green Growth |
WGGFX |
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Green Solutions
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WGSLX
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For individual fund performance, visit the Social Investment Forum.
Copyright Natural Investments, LLC 2008
Publication or Reproduction without written permission of Natural Investments, LLC, P.O. Box 747, Paonia, CO 81428 is prohibited.
______________________________
The information available on this website is posted for informational purposes only. Links to other Internet sites are included as a convenience. Natural Investments, LLC is not responsible for and assume no liability for its content since the parties are unrelated. In addition, Natural Investments, LLC does not review the website and does not make any representation as to the accuracy of the content.
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Read more...
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The Heart Rating 
