The Big Exchange: Make an ethical investment for your child’s future this Christmas

Build a future for your children in more ways than one this Christmas by putting your savings to work and investing in social and environmental causes you care about.

A Junior ISA with The Big Exchange offers tax-free investing for customers and transparency, so everyone knows where their money is being invested. Parents and guardians can build a pot of money for their child while building a positive future for the world they will grow up in.

“I like to invest in my child’s future,” says Helen Westhead, who opened a JISA for her four-year-old son Jamie through The Big Exchange. “I was looking for a long-term place to put some money aside. In the context of climate change and everything we are experiencing as a society, I see the future being volatile and uncertain for him and his generation.”

‘I wanted to invest in something that was sustainable and ethical for my son’

Helen and Jamie

Westhead is an environmental and sustainability professional and is also standing for election as the deputy leader of the Green Party in Wales, so particularly wanted to avoid a savings account that would use the money to invest in fossil fuels.

“Our financial systems are so linked to fossil fuels so we need as a society to make significant changes as the time to act on the climate crisis is now,” she says. “We have a real shot in the next decade to mitigate the impacts of climate change that we are already seeing. Divesting from fossil fuels is key to this and now is a sensible time to invest for the long-term future in cleaner, more sustainable finance.

“It did not seem right to be investing in Jamie’s future, while simultaneously putting money in something that was a significant threat to his future. So, I wanted to invest in something that was sustainable and ethical for him.”

Westhead is new to investing and browsed different providers before deciding The Big Exchange was the right place for her to put her money.

“It was surprisingly difficult to find a product that is fully transparent,” she says. “I am mindful of the potential for greenwashing on financial products so I want to be able to look at the details and find out where the money is actually invested. For me, The Big Exchange and the JISA ticked all the boxes as I knew what I was investing in.

“When I realised The Big Issue was a co-founder of The Big Exchange, this gave me more confidence that it was both a social and ethical business. For someone who is new to investing and a bit sceptical about it, I found the platform easy to access and really transparent.”

‘The way the Big Exchange talks about funds was easy for me to understand’

Caroline and Patrick

Another satisfied customer is Caroline Jack, who has invested in a JISA through The Big Exchange for her son Patrick, who is also four years old.

“What really appealed to me about The Big Exchange was its relationship with The Big Issue addressing social issues,” she says. “A different way of thinking about investing means it is not just about us but also about the type of world we want to live in.

“We thought about what kind of future Patrick will have and what kind of world he will be living in, and it felt like an ethical or sustainable option was the right thing to do both environmentally and socially.”

The freelance communications consultant wanted a separate savings account for her son and after exploring her options through price comparison sites decided The Big Exchange was the best option for her family. “I knew I wanted something tax-free as we already pay enough on taxes,” she says. “When I started googling JISAs, companies came up that had good offerings and potentially good returns but none of them was focused on long-term sustainability or any meaning.

“The Big Exchange ticked all of those boxes. Being totally new to investment, it was important for me to be able to easily select funds, and the way The Big Exchange talks about them was easy for me to understand. I am also really pleased to see the financial results. I know it is for the long term and it can go up and down, but it is still good to see.”

Jack adds: “If you are thinking about your child’s future and if you want to invest in what their future world will look like then The Big Exchange is a great option for you. The funds are really making a difference and align with the ethos of The Big Issue so, yeah, go for it.”

bigexchange.com

@BeckyBarnesB

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine. If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play.