Zoe Williams' DIY money manifesto : invest in many. Six months ago, I took all my "investable wealth" out of normal financial circulation; I put a grand into the environment village Findhorn (these are shares), although if I'm honest, I didn't find out exactly what they did or what they wanted the money for, I'm just assuming they were environmental because someone on the website had a beard. I put £2,000 into Golden Lane Housing (this is a bond), a housing association for people with a learning disability.
I put £5,000 into a solar energy project called Hoo Solar (this is a debenture), and because of some combination of capital returns and dividends, I got £165, which I put into SunShare Community in Nottingham. I put two grand in something for which I've lost the paperwork, but it'll turn up. I invested £10,000 directly into setting up a local cafe, which is, I guess, also in the form of a debenture, but that's a moot point, given that neither the cafe's owner nor I know what debenture means. There is no element of that sentence that I don't find.....
By: Zoe Williams