The company was incorporated (Subchapter S Corporation) as the Center for Economic Revitalization in state of Vermont by Ritchie and Peter Lowry in 1982. The first publications by CENTER were two newsletters, GOOD MONEY and NETBACK. Shortly thereafter, CENTER published special handbooks and guides about socially responsible investing, including a how-to guide for beginners, a handbook detailing how non-nuclear and alternative/renewable energy companies with good environmental records provided investors with better long-term gains than utilities with nuclear-generated power, and a handbook describing the GOOD MONEY Industrial and Utility Averages.
In 1985, the company initiated social audit services for both individual and institutional investors who wanted their portfolios screened for a variety of social issues. Related to these audits, CENTER began publication of Issue Papers that described the strategies used by social investors interested in a variety of social issues. The issues included animal rights, defense contractors, environmental pollution, minorities, nuclear power, South Africa, and womens issues.
In the Spring of 1986, the business was reorganized and the company's name was changed to
GOOD MONEY Publications, Inc. to more accurately reflect its mission as a for-profit,
educational and publishing company for the social investment community. New products
included an annual Guide to the Socially Screened Funds, an Energy, Environment & Animal Rights Strategy Report, and a pamphlet describing the opportunities available for socially concerned consumers in banking, retirement accounts, insurance, telephone service and everyday buying of consumer products. A new service, The Social Investors Bookshelf, made available books, videos and cassettes dealing with socially responsible investing, environmental investing and socially responsible business practices. Another new product consisted of overhead transparencies and handouts for use in public presentations about SRI and related issues.
In 1991, GOOD MONEY: A Guide to Profitable Social Investing in the '90s by Ritchie P. Lowry was published by W. W. Norton & Company in hardcover. Norton published a paperback version in 1993, and a Japanese-language version was published by Shobun-sha Publishers in Tokyo in 1992. In 1994, GOOD MONEY Publications completed the filming with two Massachusetts-based television production companies of a 14-minute Preview tape for a proposed television series about socially responsible consuming, investing and companies, GOOD MONEY Reports. A new company, Good Money Reports, Inc. was formed to market the proposed series. GOOD MONEY Publications became active in a Socially Responsible Funds topic in the Morningstar Forum and Socially Responsible Investing topic in The Motley Fool both on America Online. The company has also participated in Morningstar's Socially Responsible Investing Forum at their web site. Once again, the company was reorganized and the name was changed to Good Money, Inc. to reflect the broadening mission as a multi-media information provider for socially and environmentally concerned consumers, investors and businesspeople.
Over the years, the business has been featured on the Tom Brokaw's NBC Nightly News and in hundreds of national newspapers and magazines such as Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and Working Woman. Both Ritchie, who is also a Professor of Sociology at Boston College, and Peter Lowry have given dozens of public presentations and radio/television interviews about socially responsible investing, consuming and businesses.
