Episode 55: Taking Ethical Investing Seriously with Tom Abood

In this episode of the Capital Insight Podcast, we chat with impact investor Tom Abood about his journey with ethical investing.

Tom is a member of Angels of Main Street, a nationwide investment community run by The Kassan Group for anyone who wants to learn about direct investing in businesses that are doing work they care about. His investing journey began with penny stocks and eventually evolved into socially responsible investing when he realized the companies he was investing in through his stockbroker didn’t align with his values. Tom states, “We need to become citizens again, take responsibility, and invest locally, as well as globally, in those businesses and communities that don’t have access to capital.”

Tom says the most educational part of his investing journey was his time interacting in investor circles. His involvement in Boulder Slow Money Investment Club enabled him to gain a wealth of experience and connections in ethical investing.

He believes that all of our actions are investments and that in order to create a positive impact we must evaluate the choices we make every day and act in our daily lives to take steps toward creating a more equitable and just world. “My goal is to have a low carbon footprint but make the highest positive impact I can.” Listen to the episode to learn more insights into Tom’s investment journey.

Tom Abood practiced law in the Denver, Colorado area since graduating from the University of Denver College of Law in 1977 until retirement in December 2021. He believes that in order to address the significant Environmental, Social, and Economic Challenges of our time, we need to 1) be in the right relationship with nature; 2) be in the right relationship with money, and 3) create a well-being/regenerative economy that is embedded in nature and is in service to all life. On a continuing transformational life journey, he completely divested from Wall Street and Big Banks in 2012 and has divested from fossil fuels by installing rooftop solar, riding bicycles, using public transportation, and driving an EV when a vehicle is necessary. Tom converted his entire yard from grass into an organic, permaculture-inspired garden with edibles, native and pollinator-friendly plants, and beehives. He is a local food, energy, and community advocate and investor who believes that everything he does is an investment and that investing should not be just about increasing net worth and financial rates of return, but more importantly, should support the deeper and more profound purpose of life, improve our communities, and build a more just and equitable world.

The Capital Insight podcast intro and outro is voiced by Marina Verlaine. She can be contacted at reel.peach.vo@gmail.com