GIVE: How To Manage Your Money And Make A Difference

By Rebecca David

We are stewards of whatever resources we have, whether it is our time, our energy, or our money. We are also part of a larger community. GIVE: How To Manage Your Money And Make A Difference will serve as a guide to manage your money meaningfully.

In Part One: Create a fi

• Language: English
• Publisher: GIVE Works LLC
• Release date: Oct 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9798985048377

Book preview

Advanced Praise for

GIVE

"I recommend GIVE to anyone who wants to better themselves or the world."

—Lynne Twist, Author of The Soul of Money

"Individual agency lies at the heart of driving people-powered change. The movement for climate justice is growing stronger every day, as people come together and assert their collective power. GIVE offers a beautifully simple way for everyone to unlock their own agency, and invest in the future they desire"

—Namrata Chowdhary, Head of Public Engagement 350.org

"Impact investing-is a goal of many; yet often feels difficult to figure out, too complicated or simply, out of reach. In her new book, GIVE: How to Manage Your Money and Make a Difference, Rebecca David breaks it down for us, making the complicated less so and the opportunities to invest in our future and that of our childrens’-no matter at what level-accessible, understandable and doable. This book needs to be read widely and acted upon."

—Harriet Shugarman, Executive Director of ClimateMama, professor of global climate change policy and world sustainability, economist, award-winning author of How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change, Turning Angst into Action, and Climate Reality leader and mentor

Rebecca David’s book is a must-read for every investor interested in driving impact. Whether you are a billionaire or an ordinary investor, her insights will be interesting and impactful. You can learn to invest for impact like the pros. This is simply the best book I’ve found for learning how to invest for good.

—Devin Thorpe, Champion of social good, bestselling author, popular speaker, Forbes contributor

As a member of any human society we have agreed to give priority to the common good, at all times and in all we do. This priority is being rediscovered and Rebecca David shows us how to do this today in how we both invest and donate our money. Bravo!

—Terry Mollner, founder Calvert Social Funds, and the Calvert Foundation and Trusts for All Children

"Rebecca has been at the forefront of thinking on how investors can put their money to work and have a positive impact for many years. GIVE captures how practically to do this, and offers a clear and compelling guide for anyone serious about achieving that goal. The central message—that everyone, regardless of how much capital they have, can be part of the solution to society’s greatest challenges—has never been more important."

—Martin Whittaker, CEO of JUST Capital, co-founder of the CREO Syndicate, board member of the Carbon Disclosure Project US, and a member of the Forbes Finance Council

I was thoroughly impressed with the depth of information and the resources provided in this book. For those investors interested in taking a true journey through the world of investing from the basics to making a true impact, this book is for you. Kudos Rebecca for this needed work.

—Jeff Gitterman, Co-founding partner of Gitterman Wealth Management, LLC, associate producer of Planetary, and thought leader in the field of Sustainable, Impact, and ESG investing

"GIVE restores the connection between each of us and the powerful impact of our money. It offers a path forward to understand how we are part of the larger system and teaches us that we can align our investments with our values to profit from the new regenerative economy based on justice and sustainability."

—Andrew Behar, CEO As You Sow

Thank you Rebecca for such a needed and timely book! We all need to understand our finances, to invest for our futures and for our communities. For many of us who were not included in investing conversations, this book breaks down the principles of investing into easy to read and easy to understand chapters. It’s high time that all of us connect the dots-in that we get the economy we invest into. Rebecca shares ways to become a conscious investor, aligning our assets with our values.

—Kristin Hull, Founder and CEO Nia Impact Capital

"Impact investing is not just for large institutions. It’s a practice for all of us who want our money to do the most good it can. GIVE is an important and accessible contribution to the conversation, with practical tips for how to make an impact."

—Meg Massey, author of Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good by Giving Up Control

"What a brilliant idea this book is! And what a brilliant and beautiful execution of the concept. Rebecca David has gone way, way beyond showing you the power and satisfaction of giving—she has also spread before you a complete how-to banquet, covering everything from simple everyday giving, to the ABCs of putting a strong financial foundation underneath your giving, to a detailed map of the institutions, vehicles, and technical concepts that may be involved. Love may indeed make the world go ’round—but it’s the spirit of generosity that makes love go ’round. If Rebecca didn’t exist, we would need to invent her immediately!"

—John David Mann, award-winning coauthor of the million-seller The Go-Giver

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GIVE: How to Manage Your Money and Make a Difference

Copyright © 2021 Rebecca Orlowitz David

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher.

GIVE Works LLC

[e-mail]

www.give.how

Print production by Domini Dragoone - dominidragoone.com

Ebook production by EbookPbook.com

Cover images: JaneKelly/iStock, Salamatik/iStock

ISBN (print): 979-8-9850483-9-1

ISBN (ebook): 979-8-9850483-7-7

Disclaimer: The included information is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, tax or other professional advice. The information should not be relied on for purposes of transacting in securities or other investments. All content is of a general nature and does not address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. The information in the book does not constitute a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by GIVE Works LLC to buy or sell any securities. GIVE Works LLC does not represent or warrant that the information is accurate, complete, reliable, current or error-free. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless GIVE Works LLC, our independent contractors, service providers and consultants, and our and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any claims, damages, costs, liabilities and expenses related to your use of the information. In no event shall GIVE Works LLC be liable for any damages, including but not limited to loss of use, loss of profits or loss of data.

For Everyone.

We Are All in This Together.

Contents

Introduction

Part 1: Planning to Give

Chapter 1: Begin with the End in Mind

Chapter 2: Start Where You Are

Chapter 3: Spend to Give

Chapter 4: Investing Crash Course

Chapter 5: Getting Started

Chapter 6: Goals-Based Investing

Part 2: Giving of Yourself

Chapter 7: See the Big Picture

Chapter 8: Finding the One

Chapter 9: Choosing Nonprofit Partners

Chapter 10: Financial Donations

Chapter 11: Helping Hand Volunteering

Chapter 12: Good Trouble Advocacy

Chapter 13: Everyday Giving

Chapter 14: Corporate Citizens

Part 3: Impact Investing

Chapter 15: Introduction to Impact Investing

Chapter 16: Banks, Savings, and Loans

Chapter 17: Public Equity

Chapter 18: Shareholder Advocacy

Chapter 19: Public Fixed Income

Chapter 20: Impact Integration

Chapter 21: Private Investments

Chapter 22: Impact Measurement

Chapter 23: Putting It All Together

Acknowledgments

Endnotes

About the Author

Introduction

"It is not about how much we have but

what we do with what we have."

—Rebecca David

We are stewards of whatever resources we have, whether it is our time, our energy, or our money. We are also part of a larger community. How we use our resources is what we choose to put out into the world. It is what we give, what we give both to ourselves and of ourselves. When we manage our money meaningfully, we can not only make a difference, but we can change our role in the world.

When I think of who I want to be, it is someone who used my life to make a difference. Everyone wants their life to matter, and it is through being of service that we find meaning. I think being of service is how you can best serve the world. There are different ways to do this, but all of them are a form of service. When we are connected to the whole and to something bigger than ourselves, we find meaning. Herman Maslow found that it is actually a human need to become what we are potentially capable of being. I wrote this book because I want to help others find meaning and make a difference with their resources.

For many years I have been on a journey of wanting to be of service and to help others to do the same. I wanted to write something tangible, where the words helped you to help yourself and others instead of just focusing on research or a call to action. At an early age, my family instilled in me that service was a part of life. Helping others, making donations, and volunteering were normal daily activities. As I began working in finance, I decided to spend my career using money to make a difference. As an advisor, I worked with families and foundations on how they could use their resources to make a difference. This kind of service is available to those who have means, but I believe it is something that everyone should be able to take part in and understand. I believe that giving is an opportunity for each of us to find meaning, to make a difference, and to live in the world we want to see. I also realized that most of my clients had little understanding of finance or investing, and it was difficult for them to make decisions when they didn’t understand the options available to them. There also wasn’t any objective guidance, and the fear of being sold to was a barrier for everyone. I founded GIVE so that regardless of how much someone had, they could find the resources they needed to manage their money in a way that gives them meaning and gives to the world. Until recently, impact investing was only available to those who had means, and now it accounts for trillions of dollars. Investors both large and small are choosing to invest in a way that supports who and what they want to give to, and GIVE is here to help them do it.

About Rebecca

Rebecca Orlowitz David is the founder of GIVE, where she helps everyone to manage their money for a better world. Rebecca worked at Mission Markets, Veris Wealth Partners, and Stakeholders Capital before starting GIVE. She is a certified investment management analyst (CIMA) and holds a Series 7, 63, and 65 (nonpracticing). Rebecca served on the Junior Board of UNICEF for ten years and regularly volunteers at the Food Bank For New York City.

Rebecca’s mom was a social worker and her dad was a financial advisor. She likes to think that there is a piece of each of them in her work. Ever since she was little, Rebecca always wanted to help those in need. After starting her career at a large bank, Rebecca very quickly saw that she wouldn’t be happy doing this work. At the same time, she joined the Junior Board of UNICEF and saw that this was the kind of work she wanted to do. Rebecca knew there was an opportunity to use her finance degree to make a difference, and she discovered impact investing.

Rebecca first worked at Mission Markets, which was an impact investing platform. Rebecca had the opportunity to meet with social entrepreneurs and impact investors daily, and it helped her learn the impact space. After leaving Mission Markets, Rebecca joined Veris Wealth Partners. Veris is an impact investing wealth management firm. They are pioneers in the impact investing space and in Rebecca’s opinion, she learned from the best.

After four years at Veris, Rebecca founded GIVE. Rebecca knew she wanted to take impact investing to a new level. If there was one thing Rebecca learned working with UNICEF, it is that you cannot impose solutions—you have to go to the source and you have to partner with the communities you seek to help. Rebecca felt that although her work was sincere, it was limited by what products were available and what the industry decided was impact. In 2019 Rebecca went on a trip around the world to meet with organizations and communities to learn about what they were doing, what they needed, and what they thought.

Rebecca is now working to help everyone find meaning and make a difference with what they have. She believes that everyone deserves to understand their finances, and everyone can do something to make a difference. She hasn’t figured out how to solve the world’s problems, but she tries to do better and learn every day.

Rebecca donates a portion of all GIVE’s revenue.

GIVE’s Mission: GIVE’s mission is to provide objective information so that anyone can understand their finances, how to give, and how to invest in a better world.

Why We’re Changing Things

As an advisor, I realized that the system wasn’t working, and I set out to change it. Within the current system, you can hire someone to oversee your finances as well as your investments. The more resources you have usually dictates the service you are able to receive. Although the more you have, the more difficult things can become because there are many different advisors involved and many people trying to sell to you. This means that those who have lesser means are suffering from a lack of service and information, and those with substantial means are suffering from too much information—and maybe not the right information.

As impact investing has grown, there are more products and services available for every type of investor, but there are few advisors who specialize in impact investing. Impact investing can be difficult to understand, especially because there is so much conflicting information about it. The industry is still struggling with the name alone, impact investing. Most financial management firms have research teams that look at investments for advisors to show to their clients. The more capacity a research team has to look at investments, the more investments clients can choose from (potentially). This means that smaller firms are at a disadvantage because they don’t have the capacity that larger firms do. It also means that clients who are seeking to have a certain impact with their investments are limited by what their firm can offer them. Because impact is a new language to most financial advisors, clients are limited by what their advisor knows and what investments their advisor will be able to show them.

Lastly, there are philanthropic advisors, but they tend to be separate from financial or impact investing advisors. Essentially, firms are working within business models of what they want to offer; however, it doesn’t necessarily serve the client’s best interest. There is also very little guidance for individuals