Invest Your Values

Columbia University's 403(b)
has coal, oil, and gas investments that are putting the global climate at risk.

Columbia University

Columbia University Retirement Program

Default option Vanguard Target Retirement Funds series
Default fund option managed by Vanguard
Other plan names: Columbia University Retirement Program, Columbia University Voluntary Retirement Savings Plan, Retirement Plan for Officers of Columbia University, Columbia University Defined Contribution Plan for Supporting Staff, Columbia University Defined Contribution Plan - Supporting Staff Association at the College of Physicians and Surgeons
Plan data 2022
Fund data Sep 2022

Environment
scorecard

Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels
Poor
Fossil fuel finance
Fossil fuel finance
Fair
Fossil fuel insurance
Fossil fuel insurance
Fair
Deforestation
Deforestation
Poor

We used our expertise in mutual fund sustainability analysis and extensive database of ESG-screened companies to rate corporations’ retirement plan investment options.

Methodology

Social
scorecard

Gender equality
Gender equality
Fair
Civilian firearms
Civilian firearms
Fair
Prison industrial complex
Prison industrial complex
Poor
Military weapons
Military weapons
Poor
Tobacco
Tobacco
Poor

We used our expertise in mutual fund sustainability analysis and extensive database of ESG-screened companies to rate corporations’ retirement plan investment options.

Methodology

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Most employer-offered retirement plans have what's called a Qualified Default Investment Alternative. When you sign up for the plan, your savings are put in a default investment, and most plan participants never switch. For many plans, that default investment is a series of target date funds, broadly diversified investments that offer different "target dates" for investors in different age brackets. These target date funds mostly invest in index funds that are not sustainably invested. For the plan scorecard above, we use the 2050 target date as the representative of the fund series.




This plan is missing allocation data.

We have data on the fund options offered to plan participants, but no data on how much is invested in each fund option, or the overall amount invested in risk categories like fossil fuels, deforestation-risk agribusiness, or arms manufacturers. This can happen when a plan updates their investment options, but a new Form 5500 has not yet been filed. Check back soon to see if allocation data for this fund has been added.

Access to sustainable funds

Only 1 / 27 plan options report a sustainability mandate.

While many people stick with the default option, 401(k)s and other employer-offered retirement plans usually have a line-up of additional investment options. If this plan offers any investment options marketed as "sustainable", "socially responsible", or "ESG" (short for environment, social, and governance), we'll show the scorecard results below.



Want more sustainable options in your 401(k) plan?

Learn how to work with your employer to ensure your retirement plan is sustainably invested.

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Self-directed option

Plan participants have access to sustainable funds via a self-directed option.

A self-directed option (also called a "brokerage window") can provide more access to sustainable funds. But a self-directed option requires more work from plan participants, and could lead to riskier investments. It's better for a retirement plan to offer access to sustainable funds without making people use a self-directed option - or even better, to make the default investment a sustainable fund. The Columbia University Retirement Program includes the TD Ameritrade self-directed option.

If your plan has a self-directed option, you can use our database of mutual funds and ETFs to find sustainable funds.








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As You Sow is not an investment adviser as that term is defined under federal and state (California) laws and regulations. As You Sow is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and empowering shareholders to change corporations for the good through the collection, analysis and dissemination of relevant information to the public, free of charge. As You Sow does not provide financial planning, legal or tax advice. Nothing on this website shall constitute or be construed as an offering of financial instruments, or as investment advice or investment recommendations.
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