Investing in Your Community. Not Wall Street
Former Wall Street Investor Diane Freaney created Rooted Investing in 2014 as means to bring accessible capital to her community in Portland, Oregon. Some projects have included investing in solar for local Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), a service business that had a poorly owned mortgage, and a local organic farm that doubles as a sustainable innovation hub.
The My Own Money (MOM) Investment Model
The investment model is called My Own Money (MOM), where Rooted Investing only manages its own money vs using Other People’s Money (OPM), where Wall Street and hedge funds invest OTHER people’s money.
| My Own Money (MOM) | Other People’s Money (OPM) |
|---|---|
| For the 99% | For the 1% |
| Simple | Complex |
| Local | Global |
| Do-It-Yourself | Expert |
| People | Numbers |
International Living Future Institute (ILFI) – Living Community Challenge
Diane’s interests led her to the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), a nonprofit that is working to build an ecologically-minded, restorative world for all people. She found that the ILFI looks at the world as an integrated system, and she began to consider how ESH might act as a model for ILFI concepts.
The Emerson Street House recently became part of the Living Community Challenge, a guidance and framework that helps practitioners, politicians, and community members implement LCC principles in their neighborhoods.
This project explores how the Living Community Challenge can be used as a tool by existing residential neighborhoods to not only maximize the social and environmental benefits of community redevelopment, but also address some of the inherent challenges: maintaining affordability for existing residents, guarding against gentrification, and minimizing the displacement of homes, businesses, and institutions. The site is the Emerson Street Community, an 80-acre section of dense residential development in Northeast Portland’s former, historically African-American, Albina neighborhood, with one of the most racially, culturally, and socio-economically diverse populations in the city. The project team – includes all community residents, community-based artists, Oregon Benefits Companies, local non-profits and allied professionals — sees synergies in promoting energy efficiency, building resilient infrastructure, and activating resident owners and tenants to strengthening neighborhood relationships and create a restorative and sustainable live-work community.
The image above is courtesy of Julie Keefe.
Investment Highlight: Duncan Farms
Duncan Farms, in Gale Creek, Oregon, is a 20 acre “farm incubator” that focuses in producing a variety of value-added products, using permaculture and sustainable farming techniques. Rooted Investing purchased the farm in 2014 and created a path forward with Jeremy, the administrator, to create a sustainable lifestyle and provide a 3% simple interest return.