How to make more ethical choices for your family in everyday life

by Rebecca Robertson, mum of 2 from Evolution Financial Planning

 

Making Ethical Choices for your Family in Everyday Life

 Every time we do anything, when we make a decision, we are making an ethical choice. From where we buy our food and clothes, to which bank we put our household savings into and how we invest our money, there are many moral dilemmas to be considered. In recent years, being ethical has become a buzzword and as mums, there is increasing pressure to make more ethical choices for our families in everyday life. In order to start making more ethical choices, we need to understand what being ethical actually means...

 

What does it mean to make Ethical Choices for your Family in Everyday Life? 

What does it actually mean to make ethical choices for your family? Being ethical means something different to everyone, we all have our own ideas and assumptions about ethics and what being ethical involves. As individuals, we are all guided by our own moral compass and this plays hugely into how we define ethics. The Cambridge definition of ethical is something which is “relating to beliefs about what is morally right or wrong” and is connected to social responsibility and the idea that as individuals and families, we have a responsibility to make choices that benefit society as a whole.

 

The term ethical can relate to labour conditions, environmental impact, animal welfare, sustainability, human rights and so on. While the list of ethical considerations can feel overwhelming, sometimes it is best to start by focussing on one issue which has particular resonance to you. For example, if you resonate with sustainability and want to do your bit to fight against the climate crisis, then you might start by making ethical choices for your family that reflect this. These choices could include switching to a green energy supplier, reducing the amount of meat you consume, buying plastic-free groceries and cruelty-free toiletries.

 

The Importance of Making Ethical Money Choices for your Family 

Traditionally money has been a taboo subject and not something that is openly discussed. However, our money and how we spend and invest it can have huge ethical implications and is one of the biggest choices we can make for our families, to make a difference to the world we live in.

 

Making Ethical Spending Choices for your Family in Everyday Life 

Transparency is key when it comes to making ethical choices for your family in everyday life, particularly when it comes to how you spend your money. Although it can be difficult to find out how ethical a business is, there are online tools to help you such as the Good on You Directory which can help you to find out if fashion brands are sustainable.

 

When it comes to making ethical spending choices for your family in everyday life, one simple step to try is shopping small and shopping locally. By spending your money with small businesses, you are supporting people in your community instead of huge multinational corporations. As well as supporting your local community, by shopping small, you are also likely to be able to gain a better understanding of where your purchase has come from and the ethics of the practices involved.

Making Ethical Investment Choices for your Family in Everyday Life

It isn’t only your spending choices that have ethical implications and ethical investing has rapidly increased in popularity in recent years. Just like any other investment, if you choose to invest ethically you are helping your family’s money to work harder for you and will benefit from a financial return. However, unlike other investments, ethical investing involves only investing in businesses and organisations which have a positive impact on the world, either socially or environmentally and you can trust that your money isn’t being used to fund harmful activities.

 

Similar to there being different interpretations of what it means to be ethical, there is also no set definition of ethical investing so it is vital you do your research to ensure your money is doing what you want it to. In order to make the most ethical investment choices for your family, it is important to understand your own values and what type of ethical investment scheme you would like to support. For more information about ethical investing and how you can make ethical investment choices for your family, have a look at my free Ethical Investment Guide.

 

A Guide to Making More Ethical Choices for your Family in Everyday Life 

When it comes to making more ethical choices for your family, it can all feel pretty overwhelming. But by deciding that you want to make more ethical choices for your family in everyday life, you have already taken the first step! Rome wasn’t built in a day, choose one ethical consideration that you would like to work on with your family and start making choices that reflect your values. Remember, every single ethical choice you make for your family in everyday life has an impact.

 

Rebecca is a busy mum and businesswoman, running a business (Evolution Financial Planning) and family from her home in Kent.

Rebecca has over 20 years of experience within the financial sector and has been featured in Forbes Magazines and BBC Radio as well as being a Tedx Speaker and Amazon bestseller! Since founding Evolution Financial Planning Ltd, Rebecca and her team have supported thousands of women and helped them to take control of their money and gain clarity on their finances. Rebecca specialises in ethical investing and helping women like you, to grow their wealth whilst also helping to do good in the world.