Publicly listed companies and anti-consumer practices

[DayDreamer]

For a while I've had this thought that publicly listed companies are subject to incentives that lead to anti-consumer or, even worse, anti-humaine behavior. I tried doing some research on my own but found no material specifically on this (maybe because I searched for the wrong terms?).

This topic is relevant if one is thinking of buying stocks as a way to invest. If my premise is correct, I don't think I want to support "bad behavior". Don't get me wrong, overall I believe that capitalism is a net positive. However, everyday we are exposed to business practices that seem to focus exclusively on short-term profits, above everything else.

So, if the regulators won't do much about it, I think I should vote with my wallet and steer away from the stock market, or at least the majority of publicly traded companies

If my premise is indeed right, how should I invest? I do not think I have the motivation and/or stamina to keep managing a small, curated, portfolio. I would end up neglecting it. So, how else should I grow my wealth? I've thought of real estate but that route has the problem of under diversification.

To finish, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my somewhat scattered, thoughts. I know I touched on multiple topics but I do feel like external feedback would help me reason. I welcome your opinions and I will at least try to change my mind if convincing arguments are put forth.

Thanks

[Chris]

Publicly-traded companies can be subject to negative incentives, but so can private companies and, for that matter, individuals.

Warren Buffet has long said, "short focus is not conducive to long profits." Berkshire Hathaway doesn't provide quarterly earnings estimates, and their annual reports they proudly display their growth in book value over decades. They're in it for the long term, and know that screwing their customers won't build sustained value.

So some (not all) businesses do value their customers in the long-term. It's not trivial to find such companies, but it is possible. Companies still run by their founders tend to care more about their image (compare HP or Apple before/after their founders left).

If you aren't interested in curating a personal portfolio, there's probably a fund out there. There are definitely funds focusing on long-term value (Ariel Investments), or are anti-vice (Ave Maria Funds), so I'd expect there's one out there for you.

[Gilberto de Piento]

One avenue for research is "socially responsible investing": https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sri.asp

[Henry]

Spare yourself the brain damage and allocate a percentage of your stock market profits (if you're fortunate to have any) to your favorite charity.