08/09/2026
Does ESG investing produce better returns?
It is one of the questions we hear most often.
And I would be cautious of anyone who answers it with a simple yes or no.
An ESG investment can perform well.
It can also underperform.
Performance can depend on the fund itself, the sectors it invests in or excludes, how concentrated it is, the market environment and what you are paying in charges.
For example, excluding a particular sector may help performance during one period and work against you during another.
A specialist sustainable fund may also behave very differently from a broadly diversified global fund.
So for me, the more useful question is not:
“Is ESG better?”
It is:
“Does this investment make sense for my goals, time frame, attitude to risk and wider financial plan?”
That is one of the areas we will be exploring in our next Finance on Friday session.
ESG Investing: Can your money reflect your values without falling for the hype?
Friday 25 September
12:00 PM BST
30 minutes
We will look at ESG in plain English, greenwashing, risk and returns, and the questions worth asking about investments you already hold.
Register here: https://www.womenswealthnetwork.co.uk/live-webinar/finance-on-friday-live/register?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_campaign=esg_webinar_sep_2026&utm_content=post_04_returns