August 24, 2013
I own stocks in a variety of companies as a part of my retirement portfolio. I absolutely want to know how those companies are spending the money I have invested. That includes political spending. So I urge the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue a rule requiring publicly traded corporations to publicly disclose all their political spending – and to do so this year.
As an investor, I have the right to know whether the companies I invest in are using my money wisely. It has a direct bearing on whether or not I consider them a good investment. If they're spending the money I invested on unrelated political efforts that are unlikely to have a good return for me, I should get to know about it. If they're spending money I invested on political efforts I disagree with, I should get to know about it.
In addition to wanting a good return, I consider myself an ethical investor. I don't invest in companies that are in the business of waging war or imprisoning people, are despoiling the environment or compromising the health of their customers, and companies that evade taxes or treat their workers badly. I would also choose not to invest in companies that are financially supporting causes I feel are dangerous to the economy or our democracy. However, in order to invest this way, I have to know about the companies I invest in. I do my homework. But, without full information on company spending, I can't do that.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Christine Finnie
Boulder Creek, CA