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Why your 401k is not helping the climate or your savings
What if your retirement savings were quietly funding the very problem you care about solving?
In this episode of *What Do You Solve?*, we sit down with Alex Wright-Gladstein, Founder and CEO of Sphere, to unpack the surprising realities behind 401(k) investing and why portfolios are still tied to less profitable fossil fuels investments without people realizing it.
Alex shares the moment that led her to build Sphere, a platform designed to help individuals align their investments with their values—without sacrificing returns. We explore the hidden gaps in traditional retirement investing, why climate-focused portfolios can actually outperform, and how small shifts in behavior can unlock both financial and environmental impact.
Learn more about Sphere:
https://www.oursphere.org
https://www.oursphere.org/fund
If you’ve ever wondered where your money is really going—or how to make it work harder for both your future and the planet this conversation will change how you think about investing.
🎧 Topics we cover:
– The untold story behind most 401(k) investments
– Why many investors are missing out on better-performing, climate-aligned options
– How Sphere is redefining impact investing
– The psychology behind financial decision-making and behavior change
Alex is an entrepreneur with a passion for addressing climate change. Prior to founding Sphere, she co-founded and was founding CEO of Ayar Labs, which makes data centers and supercomputers faster and more energy efficient by using light to move data between chips. She has also been the energy entrepreneurship practice leader at MIT, and an energy efficiency program manager and energy markets specialist at smart grid company EnerNOC. She received an MBA from MIT and a BA in Political Science and Economics from Tufts University.
Subscribe for more conversations with founders and leaders solving real-world problems at scale.
#WhatDoYouSolve #ClimateInvesting #SustainableFinance #ImpactInvesting #401k #ClimateTech #Leadership
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By ClimateHiveWhat if your retirement savings were quietly funding the very problem you care about solving?
In this episode of *What Do You Solve?*, we sit down with Alex Wright-Gladstein, Founder and CEO of Sphere, to unpack the surprising realities behind 401(k) investing and why portfolios are still tied to less profitable fossil fuels investments without people realizing it.
Alex shares the moment that led her to build Sphere, a platform designed to help individuals align their investments with their values—without sacrificing returns. We explore the hidden gaps in traditional retirement investing, why climate-focused portfolios can actually outperform, and how small shifts in behavior can unlock both financial and environmental impact.
Learn more about Sphere:
https://www.oursphere.org
https://www.oursphere.org/fund
If you’ve ever wondered where your money is really going—or how to make it work harder for both your future and the planet this conversation will change how you think about investing.
🎧 Topics we cover:
– The untold story behind most 401(k) investments
– Why many investors are missing out on better-performing, climate-aligned options
– How Sphere is redefining impact investing
– The psychology behind financial decision-making and behavior change
Alex is an entrepreneur with a passion for addressing climate change. Prior to founding Sphere, she co-founded and was founding CEO of Ayar Labs, which makes data centers and supercomputers faster and more energy efficient by using light to move data between chips. She has also been the energy entrepreneurship practice leader at MIT, and an energy efficiency program manager and energy markets specialist at smart grid company EnerNOC. She received an MBA from MIT and a BA in Political Science and Economics from Tufts University.
Subscribe for more conversations with founders and leaders solving real-world problems at scale.
#WhatDoYouSolve #ClimateInvesting #SustainableFinance #ImpactInvesting #401k #ClimateTech #Leadership