Schwab lets DIY clients see MSCI ESG stock ratings

About a quarter of Schwab’s retail clients said their values or personal interests factor into their investment decisions.

Charles Schwab is helping DIY investors build their own socially responsible portfolios, on Wednesday announcing that it is giving clients access to MSCI’s ESG ratings for individual securities.

That includes ratings for 14,000 issuers, representing about 8,500 different companies, which are available through Schwab’s research tool or its Equity Ratings Reports for specific securities.

The move follows Schwab’s launch in March of thematic stock lists, which are designed to guide people who want to invest according to their values or interests, according to the company. And earlier in April Schwab announced that it was adding a direct indexing service to help clients further personalize their portfolios.

About a quarter of Schwab’s retail clients who were surveyed earlier this year said that their values or personal interests factor into their investment decisions, and an additional 20% said they would like to begin investing accordingly, the company stated.

“A growing number of people want to align their investments with their beliefs and values,” Malik Sievers, head of ESG strategy at Schwab Asset Management, said in the announcement. “Having an easy way to review a company’s ESG rating during the research process is something today’s investors find useful as they seek to integrate ESG in their portfolios and evaluate a company’s resilience to ESG risks.”