For many investors, simply making returns on their investments to be profitable is already quite a difficult task, so it’s only logical to assume that trying to achieve sustainable impact on top of that is nearly impossible. However, it is possible to achieve both financial returns and sustainable impact. In fact, for longer term investing, many argue that the 2 are somewhat associated; thus, investing for sustainable impact may result in financial results. In this Founder’s Thought, we will explore common myths of “Sacrificed Returns” and how to invest for sustainable impact or conduct impact investing. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

How do you evaluate the investability of a company? In the 20th century, most investors were speculative, with some conducting analysis that only looked at the company’s financials, the actions that the company was taking, and the current trends of the market. Today, this scope has expanded to analyze how a company also addresses ESG (environmental, social, and governance) factors through their operations as the marketplace is valuing sustainability and the actions a company is taking towards sustainability much greater now. In fact, to help investors in this analysis, agencies score companies on their exposure to these 3 factors. (This system is somewhat flawed, and I actually wrote a research paper about this, which can be found here). In this Founder’s Thought, we will investigate the evolution of ESG Risk Scores. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

In today’s Founder’s Thought, we will take a unique angle when exploring the effects of inflation as we examine how they affect recent trends toward sustainability. The sustainability movement is ballooning in popularity as the public becomes more aware of the threats that humanity faces, especially environmentally; however, the sustainability movement has truly picked up steam in the world of finance as impact investing is becoming more and more popular. In today’s Founder’s Thought, we will look at the effect inflation’s rising prices have on the macroeconomic and microeconomic levels. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

Despite the surprising effects of inflation we discussed in the previous Founder’s Thoughts, exploring the effects of inflation on the global economy is incredibly thought-provoking. Since the United States is the leading financial player in the world, any event in its economy should be observed and prepared for by the world. This interaction is what we will explore in today’s Founder’s Thought. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

In today’s Founder’s Thought, we will explore ideas discussed in the previous two Founder’s Thoughts, titled “Inflation: Effect of Inflation on Interest Rates” and “Inflation: Effect of Inflation on Poverty”. To be more specific, we will explore how the effects of rising interests and decreasing purchasing power can affect the financial condition of small businesses and affect their decision-making Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

In our previous Founder’s Thought, titled “Inflation: Effect of Inflation on Interest Rates,” we explored an incredibly powerful indirect effect of inflation, which was through the increase of interest rates. Yet, interests rates affect all classes as it increases the cost of debt. However, in today’s Founder’s Thought, we will explore a more direct effect of inflation and focus in on it’s specific effects on lower-income households and those in poverty. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

“We are looking for a house, but the interest rates are around 7%, while our friends who settled a couple of years earlier have 3% mortgages on their houses,” I remember having this conversation a few days ago when I attempted to connect with my uncle, who had just moved to Frisco. Despite a household income above $250k, the latest hikes in interest rates are currently wreaking havoc on households, and the culprit of these hikes is none other than our good friend: inflation. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

The United States is the most powerful country in the world, and a key reason is its economic dominance and control over international trade. Furthermore, the United States was able to establish its dominance over international trade through a strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia and the creation of the Petrodollar. In today’s founder’s thought, we will examine the effect of the petrodollar on financial markets. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

The United States has dominated the global scene politically and economically since the end of the Second World War. However, it has had strong rivals, namely the Soviet Union, Russia, and China. However, the economic and political worlds still revolve around the United States. Yet, emerging countries are gaining more and more influence economically, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, forming BRICS. In today’s founders' thoughts, we will explore the impact of BRICS on financial markets. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

Every four years, the United States holds its presidential election, earning attention worldwide as this decision of the American people is likely to dictate global politics for the next four years. Our bipartisan political system pits two extreme viewpoints against one another, resulting in extreme changes throughout our country. We will examine the financial changes due to the United States Presidential Election in today's founders' thoughts. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

The world was shocked when conflict erupted in the delicate Middle East early this month. Investors were anxious, anticipating the disastrous consequences the conflict between Israel and Hamas might have on the world since the Middle East is such a geopolitical hotspot. In today’s Founder’s Thought, we will explore how the Israel-Hamas conflict affected financial markets. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

With the world still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia took the world by surprise as it invaded its little brother, Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have had a detailed history throughout and after the era of the Soviet Union, with Russia even invading Crimea, Ukraine’s southeast peninsula, in 2014. The consequences of Russia’s actions were felt worldwide, especially financially. In this founder’s thought, we will explore the impact of the geopolitical conflict between Russia and Ukraine on financial markets. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

A huge focus of impact investing is diversity, equity, and inclusion. These factors measure how a company is working to socially enhance the community around them as well as supporting social groups within their company. DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) has evolved incredibly over the past 60 years, and in this Founder’s Thought, we will take a look at its incredible change over time. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

Impact Investing is the new hot buzzword in finance, but those who have been focused on sustainable finance for a while understand that it has been here for a greater time and has already made a tremendous impact on many different causes. Yet, as impact investing helps all these different causes, the one class that benefits that benefits the most is the one that has the most to gain: low-income households. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

With the debate of the value of a college education, financially, circulating, many fail to consider one of the most important variables: the career path. In a previous Founder’s Thought, titled “College: Is college education worth the time and money?”, we mentioned that a college degree opens up the door for incredible opportunities in the future, namely, high-paying jobs, but in today’s Founder’s Thought, we will dig deeper and analyze the specifics between 3 major career paths that a college education paves the way for. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

For most people intending to attend college, their largest issue is financially sponsoring their education. College Education is expensive, to say the least, but with knowledge about various financial aid options, you can take control and feel more confident, as we discussed in one of our previous Founders’ Thoughts, titled “Investing Strategies for Teens and Young Adults: College.” However, most individuals have started thinking about how they would pay for college too late, yet don’t worry. You still have many options to reduce your and your family’s financial obligations and graduate debt-free! Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

Recently, debate has sparked on whether or not a college education is worth the time and money as more college graduates are having difficulties securing a job after college. This is an incredibly nuanced topic, considering the variety of options in experiencing college and the current job market. In this article, we will investigate the value of a college education and provide you with some sort of guidance in making this decision. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

Retirement is a stage of life that most people look forward to: no work stress, freedom of time, and peace of mind. However, according to a 2023 Gallup poll, only 43% of non-retired adults expect to be financially comfortable in retirement. Yet, this number is expected to worsen, considering millennials' spending habits and, soon, Gen-Z. Despite the financial indiscipline of the younger generation, there are ways to prepare for retirement financially. Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"

Today, paying for a college education is no longer a walk in the park as it may have been in the late 1900s. In fact, according to Forbes, between 1980 and 2020, the average cost of tuition, fees, room, and board for an undergraduate degree increased by 169-180%. Such a price increase has led to $1.75 Trillion in student loan debt. Many students are now graduating college under incredible financial pressure, but how can we prepare for the cost of college to prevent this financial pressure? Wow! Your monitor is so big that we've ran out of preview content! Want to read the rest? Click "Read More!"