Impact investments made by more than 70% of millennials and Gen Xers

A large majority of affluent millennials (77%) and Generation X investors (72%) have made an impact investment, according to a study from Fidelity Charitable, an independent public charity. This compares with just 30% of affluent donors from the baby boomers and older generations, according to the study, "Impact Investing: A Tipping Point?" "Impact investing is the act of purposefully making investments that help achieve certain social and environmental benefits while generating financial returns," Fidelity Charitable said in a release. It noted that its donors are representative of the trend, increasing donor-advised fund assets invested for impact to $856 million at the end of the first quarter of this year, up 110% from 2017. The study found that investors were most interested in investing in public companies with good environmental or social practices, either by investing directly (58%), or through exchange-traded funds or mutual funds (56%). They also indicated a strong interest in investing in small businesses and start-ups with strong social or environmental practices (48%), venture capital or private funds focused on this category (45%) and in making loans to charitable organizations (42%).