Environmental, Social, and Governance Investing: Investor Demand, the Great Wealth Transfer, and Strategies for ESG Investing (Journal Article)

This review first examines the dramatic increase in investor awareness and demand for socially responsible investing. The review next examines the current and projected levels of generational wealth, followed by the impact of the “great wealth transfer” on the wealth levels of the various generations and the implications for environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing. Strategies for financial advisors to survive and thrive through the great wealth transfer by enlisting the next generation as clients are then reviewed. Lastly, approaches to building a client-directed ESG investment portfolio are examined and available ESG open-ended and exchanged-traded funds are reviewed.  

Author: James J. Tucker III, PhD, CPA, is associate professor of accounting at the Lerner College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware. He earned his PhD from the Pennsylvania State University and his BS from the University of Delaware. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and was a staff member of Deloitte. He has published over 30 articles in business journals including the Journal of Financial Service Professionals; Journal of Accountancy, Compensation and Benefits Review; and the CPA Journal. He is a recipient of the Kenneth Black, Jr. Journal Author Award sponsored by the Foundation for Financial Service Professionals.

Author:Scott Jones, PhD, is professor of accounting in the department of Accounting & Management Information Systems at the University of Delaware’s Lerner College of Business and Economics. Dr. Jones is also a member of the board of directors and chair of the Audit Committee of Junior Achievement of Delaware. Dr. Jones has published articles in journals that include the Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, Journal of Business Ethics, Advances in Management Accounting, and The Accounting Review. He received the PhD degree from Drexel University.

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