James is an experienced quantitative equity analyst and data scientist with an entrepreneurial streak and a passion for socially responsible investing. He is an expert in Behavioral Economics with a PhD from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Currently the Chief Executive Officer of Humankind Investments.
Amid the increasingly crowded sustainable investing landscape, we launched Humankind to bring a fresh, unified, scientific approach to the ESG discourse. While many managers develop ESG strategies as just one part of a broader platform of active and passive offerings, Humankind is exclusively focused on socially responsible investing. We developed our Humankind Value score with the belief that traditional investment analysis, with its typically narrow focus on standalone financial performance, fails to fully capture a company’s ability to remain sustainable and competitive in the long run. By concentrating our investments in the companies that maximize value across a wider range of key stakeholders and thematic issues, we aim to promote the best possible outcomes for people as both investors and as human beings.
The ESG investing trend exploded before regulators and major Wall Street firms had a strong agreement on the definition of the phenomenon, making it difficult for investors to figure out how to best spend their money.
Rating companies on environmental, social and governance issues should use common standards that give money managers and investors confidence.
James Katz tailors his RIA, Humankind Investments, to clients who put the greater good at top of mind through socially responsible investing.