I agree with this. If you look at morality in the process of investing, and dig deeper into every company, I am sure you can find enough dirt on people, management and their products. When you do that, you won’t be able to invest in any company as a moral person.

Keep aside your morality and stop being a hypocrite. You are into investing for only one thing - money. You’re not doing the society a service by investing into companies. Your primary motive is profit. Acknowledge that to yourself first.

Now I draw a line too. I won’t do anything unethical and won’t invest in companies that breach ethics of running a company. But beyond that, speaking morals and investing in only “feel good” companies is a bunch of hogwash. If you only invested that way, you wouldn’t make money.

There are these “good” companies that make environment-friendly products, customer health friendly products. If you dig deeper into their corporate culture, their management, and people, you can find some rot somewhere that will put you off.

Draw a line and stop fooling yourself saying by not investing in a cigarette company, you’re not contributing to millions of deaths. By visiting a tea-stall regularly and buying tea, you’re prospering the tea-wala’s business where he sells cigarettes.

If you get enough data points, each and every one of us is contributing to millions of deaths - animals, plants, humans too. Our fridge, AC, etc., cause harm to the environment. We use vehicles, cars, buses, which cause pollution. If you drive stupidly, it causes accidents. If you’re a non-vegetarian, you’re basically contributing to the deaths of millions of plants. You are indirectly responsible for the loss of gallons of water, and deaths of lots of animals. Where are your morals here? Prospering that chai-wala by giving him business, you’re contributing to cigarette smokers.

Because, if nobody went there to drink tea, how can he have a stall, how can he sell cigarettes? Significant percentage of the cigarette sales in India happen in such chai-shops. Aren’t you contributing to deaths then? If you look deep enough, you’ll be guilty of a lot of things.

So, call a spade a spade and chill the heck out. Your primary intention is to make money. Try and do it ethically without cheating anyone if you can. And, draw your line where that ends. If you still want to look at morals, as suggested, leave stock markets, live in a farm land, and run a charity.