So how does one actually get started with investing for profit and purpose? I’ve been a sustainable investor for many years. After I left the banking world in 2015, I threw myself into learning about impact investing, and eventually started making these investments. I loved learning about the different thematic sectors such as education, healthcare, poverty eradication, urban renewal, sustainable fashion and gender lens investing to name a few. When I started seeing the disproportionate gender imbalances in the investing world, it made me even more committed to investing with purpose: not only did I want to invest in change, but I wanted to be the change too. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, it’s your turn. Here are five steps to investing sustainably:

1. Take stock of what you are already invested in. The first place you might want to start is your pension. Look at what your pension is invested in. Do you know if you have a green or socially responsible pension? For those who have started investing, review your current investments. Does your portfolio match your values?
   
   
2. Find your ‘why’. If you are looking to add sustainable investments to your portfolio, it’s important to start with understanding what you care about. Is it the climate emergency that triggers you to action? Do you want to see more women in C-Suite leadership positions? Take the time to reflect. Start by educating yourself on the areas that you’d like to invest in.
   
   
3. Reflect on which financial products are right for you. As always, you need to assess your goals, your risk tolerance and your time horizon, and understand the pros and cons of the various asset classes out there to decide which ones are right for you.
   
   
4. Find out what’s available on your brokerage accounts, through your financial advisor or robo-advisor and put it all together. Match your preferred asset classes with the causes you want to invest in. If you’ve decided, for example, that you want to invest in a more diversified product and want to invest in renewable energy technologies, ask your advisor or check with your robo-advisor if there are any suitable ESG ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) in this space. If you are a D-I-Y investor, check what’s available on your brokerage account.
   
   
5. Invest—and keep up with your investments. Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to put that money to work and invest. But it doesn’t stop there: it’s a good practice to be regularly engaged in all your investments and to keep learning.

Sustainable investing is an exciting, purposeful and potentially profitable way to invest. With the range of financial products now available (and increasing by the day), it’s a way of investing that is within reach. So go on, unleash your inner purpose-driven investor. Invest in change and be the change. As we at Sophia always say: learn, invest and change the world.

Christine Yu is a co-founder of Sophia. She is also a co-founder of Hong Kong NGO, Girls Just Wanna Have Fund$, a community of women learning together to prioritise their financial futures. Christine is also a frequent guest host on Sophia’s podcast The Money Makers by Sophia, which tackles topics on money and investing that affect all aspects of women's lives. On the show, she tackles interviews on money, mindsets and markets.

Front & Female’s Wealth With Sophia series is a collaboration with Sophia, a financial education platform built by women for women, to open up the conversation about money and help drive female financial literacy. The series covers all things money and investing to enable women to gain the confidence to take control of their wealth creation.

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