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ESG Investing: The Top 5 Drivers, According to Investors

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This infographic is available as a poster.

ESG Investing

ESG Investing

This infographic is available as a poster.

ESG Investing: The Top Five Drivers

Today, environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing has never been more popular, surpassing record levels seen in 2020, according to Google Trends.

By 2025, ESG investing is projected to reach $53 trillion in assets globally—roughly equal to a third of all investment assets under management. It raises an important question: why are people choosing to use an ESG strategy?

To answer this question, the above Markets in a Minute chart from New York Life Investments looks at the top drivers behind ESG investing, based on a survey of 2,800 Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) investment professionals.

What is ESG Investing?

ESG investing refers to assets that are selected according to their environmental, social, and governance factors.

These include everything from carbon intensity and gender representation, to executive pay. Often, these variables are analyzed through sources such as sustainability reports or government data, among others.

Broadly speaking, ESG investing strategies can fall into four main categories:

  • Values & Screening: Determines sectors, companies, and activities that are included or excluded from investment such as fossil fuels. This can also be based on investors’ values.
  • Integration: Identifies the risks and opportunities of ESG factors on companies. Typically more complex than screening approaches.
  • Thematic: Focuses on structural themes in ESG such as women’s leadership or smart cities.
  • Impact: Specific goals are designed to be met, such as companies that are working towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Given its rapid rise, here are the most influential reasons why investors—retail and institutional alike—are paying attention to this trend.

The Top 5 Drivers of ESG Investing

Simply put, risk management and client demand were the most prominent factors behind ESG investing in 2020.

Driver of ESG Investing20172020
To help manage investment risks65%64%
Clients/investors demand it45%59%
It's our fiduciary duty36%43%
My firm derives reputational benefits32%41%
To improve financial returnsN/A*35%

Based on a March 2020 survey of 2,800 CFA institute members who were asked: ‘Why do you or your organization take ESG issues into consideration in your investment analysis/decision? (Select all that apply)
*No data available in 2017

Fiduciary duty ranked third highest, impacting the decisions of 43% of investment professionals.

Here, fiduciary duty is when an investment professional acts in the best interest of a client. From Brazil to the U.S., over 500 socially responsible regulations have been enforced globally, including corporate disclosures and pension fund regulations.

Additionally, improving financial returns was a primary reason for 35% of the respondents. In 2020, for example, 22 out of 23 ESG index funds outperformed their comparable non-ESG index.

ESG Investing: Age is Just a Number

Who is investing in ESG?

Across age groups, people were motivated by higher risk-adjusted returns and values to varying degrees. For instance, 42% of investors between 25-34 expected higher risk-adjusted returns from ESG compared to 16% of investors aged 55-64.

At the same time, 47% of investors across all age groups wanted to invest in ESG to express their personal values or focus on companies that were making a positive contribution to society and the climate.

Reason for Investing in ESG25-3435-4445-5455-6465+
To realize higher risk-adjusted returns42%39%18%16%14%
To express personal values or invest in companies with a positive societal/environmental impact44%41%54%50%50%
Both14%19%28%34%35%

Source: CFA (Apr, 2020)

Meanwhile, roughly a quarter of investors said that both higher risk-adjusted returns and sustainable impact underscore their interest in ESG.

Reason for Investing in ESGOverall
To realize higher risk-adjusted returns29%
To express personal values or invest in companies with a positive societal/environmental impact47%
Both24%

Source: CFA (Apr, 2020)

In 2020, 10% of retail investors invested in ESG. By comparison, interest in ESG is much higher. Almost 70% of individual investors expressed interest in these strategies.

Investment in ESGRetail InvestorsInstitutional Investors
Currently invest in ESG10%19%
Show interest in ESG69%76%

Source: CFA (Apr, 2020)

Perhaps one of the most interesting takeaways from this study, however, is the wide gap between interest and investment in ESG. One factor behind this gap could be due to the fact that just 41% of advisors have spoken to clients about ESG investing, research shows.

However, underlying perspectives on performance, demand, and personal preferences show that ESG may further cement its way into not only the investment dialogue, but investors’ portfolios.

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Markets in a Minute

The Average American’s Financial Portfolio by Account Type

From retirement plans to bank accounts, we show the percentage of an American’s financial portfolio that is typically held in each account.

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The Average American’s Financial Portfolio by Account Type

Where does the average American put their money? From retirement plans to banks, the typical financial portfolio includes a variety of accounts.

In this graphic from Morningstar, we explore what percentage of a person’s money is typically held within each account.

Breaking Down a Typical Financial Portfolio

People put the most money in employer retirement plans, which make up nearly two-fifths of the average financial portfolio. Bank accounts, which include checking, savings, and CDs, hold the second-largest percentage of people’s money.

Account Type% of Financial Portfolio
Employer retirement plan38%
Bank account23%
Brokerage/investment account14%
Traditional IRA10%
Roth IRA7%
Crypto wallet/account4%
Education savings account3%
Other1%

Source: Morningstar Voice of the Investor Report 2024, based on 1,261 U.S. respondents.

Outside of employer retirement plans and bank accounts, the average American keeps nearly 40% of their money in accounts that advisors typically help manage. For instance, people also hold a large portion of their assets in investment accounts and IRAs.

Three pages with data visualizations that are zoomed out so they arent fully readable along with the text

Account Insight for Advisors

Given the large focus on retirement accounts in financial portfolios, advisors can clearly communicate how they will help investors achieve their retirement goals. Notably, Americans say that funding retirement accounts is a top financial goal in the next three years (39% of people), second only to reducing debt (40%).

Americans also say that building an emergency fund is one of their financial goals (35%), which can be supported by the money they hold in bank accounts. However, it can be helpful for advisors to educate clients on the lower return potential of savings accounts and CDs. In comparison, advisors can highlight that investment or retirement accounts can hold assets with more potential for building wealth, like mutual funds or ETFs. With this knowledge in mind, clients will be better able to balance short-term and long-term financial goals.

The survey results also highlight the importance of advisors staying up to date on emerging trends and products. People hold 4% of their money in crypto accounts on average, and nearly a quarter of people said they hold crypto assets like bitcoin. Advisors who educate themselves on these assets can more effectively answer investors’ questions.

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5 Factors Linked to Higher Investor Engagement

Engaged investors review their goals often and are more involved in decisions, but which factors are tied to higher investor engagement?

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5 Factors Linked to Higher Investor Engagement

Imagine two investors. One investor reviews their investment goals every quarter and actively makes decisions. The second investor hasn’t reviewed their goals in over a year and doesn’t take part in any investment decisions. Are there traits that the first, more involved investor would be more likely to have?

In this graphic from Morningstar, we explore five factors that are associated with high investor engagement.

Influences on Investor Engagement

Morningstar scores their Investor Engagement Index from a low of zero to a high of 100, which indicates full engagement. In their survey, they discovered five traits that are tied to higher average engagement levels among investors.

FactorInvestor Engagement Index Score (Max = 100)
Financial advisor relationshipDon’t work with financial advisor: 63
Work with financial advisor: 70
Sustainability alignmentNo actions/alignment: 63
Some/full alignment: 74
Trust in AILow trust: 61
High trust: 74
Risk toleranceConservative: 62
Aggressive: 76
Comfort making investment decisionsLow comfort: 42
High comfort: 76

Morningstar’s Investor Engagement Index is equally weighted based on retail investors’ responses to seven questions: feeling informed about composition and performance of investments, frequency of investment portfolio review, involvement in investment decision-making, understanding of investment concepts and financial markets, frequency of goals review, clarity of investment strategy aligning to long-term goals, and frequency of engagement in financial education activities.

Three pages with data visualizations that are zoomed out so they arent fully readable along with the text

On average, people who work with financial advisors, have sustainability alignment, trust AI, and have a high risk tolerance are more engaged.

The starkest contrast was that people with high comfort making investment decisions have engagement levels that are nearly two times higher than those with low comfort. In fact, people with a high comfort level were significantly more likely to say they were knowledgeable about the composition and performance of their investments (84%) vs. those with low comfort (18%).

Personalizing Experiences Based on Engagement

Advisors can consider adjusting their approach depending on an investor’s engagement level. For example, if a client has an aggressive risk tolerance this may indicate the client is more engaged. Based on this, the advisor could check if the client would prefer more frequent portfolio reviews.

On the other hand, soft skills can play a key role for those who are less engaged. People with low comfort making investment decisions indicated that the top ways their financial advisor provides value is through optimizing for growth and risk management (62%), making them feel more secure about their financial future (38%), and offering peace of mind and relief from the stress of money management (30%).

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