I recently received an e-mail from a subscriber who objected to our inclusion of a property-and-casualty insurer in one of our investment articles. She was concerned that we were encouraging our readers to benefit from the hardships of others.
This is not the first time a reader has reached out about this type of thing. Over the years, subscribers have objected when we mentioned tobacco, liquor and firearms companies because they felt we were promoting unhealthy and unsafe behaviors.
I applaud these readers! They clearly have strong convictions about what they will and won’t invest in…and they took the time to write to us. Credible publications and other media outlets face this dilemma all the time.
But as a source of information that you rely on to make your money and health decisions—a role we take very seriously—we also take great pains to provide unbiased information from our experts, and we encourage our readers to make informed decisions about that information. We know that Bottom Line readers are intelligent and well-informed. We know that you have strong opinions and values that you live by.
So, yes…upon occasion, we will mention companies that have products and services that some of you may object to. But we trust that you will not blindly invest in those companies or purchase those products without considering whether they fit with your values and financial situation.
And thank you to the readers who have reached out to me! Your feedback is always appreciated.
