Several companies like mine offer investors the option of investing in socially responsible mutual funds, which are based on the principle that the way we invest today will shape the world we live in tomorrow. Social investors use social and environmental factors to choose their investments. Some socially responsible funds use their leverage as shareholders to improve the social and environmental performance of their holdings. Social investors also look for opportunities to use their investments to help communities in need. A good place to look for socially responsible mutual funds is www.socialfunds.com.

A mutual fund is not a bank deposit and is not secured. There is no guarantee on returns and you can lose money. If you are investing in a domestic equity fund (a mutual fund that only holds stocks of U.S. companies), you are buying stock in the American economy, which is more and more connected to the global economy. If investors believe that the global economy is expanding and that it will continue to expand, they are willing to bet on higher risk investments. If investors see indicators that the global economy is not expanding, they would put their money into safer investments like bonds, or keep their money in savings and CDs.