Is ESG Dead? The Price of Performance, Politics, and Fees

In this episode, Jason Britton, founder of Reflection Asset Management, joins etf.com Wealth Management Editor Jeff Benjamin to reflect on the recent highs and lows of the broad category of environmental, social, and governance investing.

It was a category that everyone was talking about with great optimism just two years ago, but ESG has since fallen off the charts, saddled by poor performance, high fees and politics.

Recent examples of regulatory crackdowns on the practice of greenwashing by some high profile ESG issuers are part of the evolution of the category, according to Britton, who expects more such fines from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

But Britton, for all his gloomy candor, does not believe ESG is going away completely; it’s just going to continue to evolve. But don’t be surprised if the three letters, E, S and G, continue to fade from view.