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Conventional investing is all about diversification and maximizing returns. While both of these are still fundamental, some investors also want to use their economic influence to drive meaningful change. As these investors make financial decisions informed by both heart and mind, traditional barriers between making money and making a difference are dissolving. That’s good news for young companies that are seeking "angel investors" for capital.

More than $80 trillion of wealth is expected to be transferred within families over the next two decades. Given the rise in wealth and aging populations globally, the number of family offices has surged to help guide succession planning and the transfer of assets. This brief outlook further highlights the investing trends impacting the path forward for families and family offices that is shifting as the next generation potentially reorients family goals toward qualitative objections (mission-driven) in addition to quantitative metrics (investment returns).

In an era marked by unprecedented wealth transfer and shifting societal dynamics, philanthropy is being called to actively adjust to a new reality. In the middle of all this, younger people are starting to have a bigger say in where philanthropic money goes. They care more about equity, inclusion, and transparency, as well as changing systems that cause problems.

For the wealth owners—and the family offices managing their assets—the opportunities that impact investing presents are arguably greater than for any other type of investor. While impact investing is a natural fit for family offices, most are still working out where to start—mulling over issues like how to source deals and measure impacts. In order to help them in this quest, we have captured the questions that family offices ask most frequently about impact investing and provided responses to create a thorough and accessible how-to guide on impact investing for family offices.

Families of wealth often ask for views on two related topics—how to think about philanthropy versus impact investing and how to best implement a socially and/or environmentally impactful investment strategy. While common themes transcend these topics, each is distinct and presents an opportunity by allowing families to engage in a powerful combination of both philanthropy and impact investing.

In this second paper of a two-part series on philanthropy and sustainable investing, we outline how families may wish to identify opportunities within sustainable and impact investing themes.

Sustainability is increasingly material to investment return, and there are five prominent trends—including climate change and technological revolution—that are likely to have relevant implications for investment portfolios over the long term. Ultimately, investors that evolve more quickly to incorporate these risks and opportunities into their investment decision-making frameworks are likely to be better prepared for the future than their

Impact investing, which seeks to generate social and/or environmental benefits while delivering a financial return, is expanding as a promising tool for both investors and philanthropists. This guide is part of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Philanthropy Roadmap series and acts as an introduction to impact investing.

Developing an impact investing strategy and taking subsequent action steps can be organized into three stages: Prepare, Build, and Refine. In this guide, which builds from the introductory guide on impact investing, the three phases are explored further to explain how to take practical steps towards implementing your first impact investment.