January 9, 2026

My 401(k) worked against my day job

Dear Just Futures community,

It’s incredible to think how much Just Futures has grown since I joined as the first employee at a company that was little more than an idea with big plans. As your new CEO, I carry a deep sense of gratitude and an even deeper sense of responsibility to care for what we have built together and carry it forward.

On the surface, my journey into financial services may not seem obvious, but in hindsight it makes all the sense in the world. Early in my nonprofit career, my work focused on improving conditions for people in prison, first by helping advance sexual safety in confinement settings and later by exposing inhumane food conditions that define daily life for so many incarcerated people. Most of my energy went into supporting a national carceral audit program and leading research that might shift policy and practice. But one day, while looking closely at my own 401(k), I realized my retirement savings were being built on the success of companies and industries profiting from incarceration and other harms I was working against. The disconnect between my day job and my dollars made it painfully clear that solutions designed to make the world better also have to confront the financial systems that undermine them.

Personally, I have a complex emotional relationship with money. This relationship was shaped at a young age by periods of financial instability when uncertainty was real, even if basic needs were met. My experience instilled a lasting sense of vigilance—an instinct to plan carefully, anticipate risk, and hold on tightly. As I began thinking about money beyond my own household, that vigilance raised a larger question: What does it mean to be careful in a world where money doesn’t just sit still, but actively impacts people’s everyday lives and experiences? For me, the answer has been to turn that instinct into intention. At the helm of Just Futures, this translates to making it possible for our clients to be as thoughtful about what future our resources are helping build as we are about making sure the resources will be there when we need them in that future.

I suspect many of you–like me–also have complicated relationships with money. For too many of us, the financial system has long been a maze to struggle through–not to be trusted, and certainly not a place to look for community care. Instead, we learn that financial institutions are places where we compromise our values in exchange for economic security.

As Chief Executive Officer of Just Futures, I envision a future where engaging with your finances feels less like decoding jargon and more like being in a trusted partnership rooted in clarity, care, and shared purpose. In that future, aligning your money with your values isn’t intimidating or out of reach—it’s simple, affordable, and powerful. At Just Futures, we believe everyone, regardless of their investing experience, deserves the opportunity to build long-term financial wellness while having their financial assets reflect their values, their work, and the needs of their communities. We want to make values-aligned investing the accessible choice, not the difficult one. And we’re committed to building solutions that go beyond negative screening—simply avoiding harm—to proactively investing in solutions like affordable housing, renewable energy, worker-owned cooperatives, and regenerative agriculture.

The work of dreaming and building a just economy isn’t something Just Futures can do on its own, and it can’t be individuals taking standalone action either. When you consider the scale of our collective savings, the stakes—and our power—become clear. There are trillions of dollars currently invested in retirement, almost entirely in the same Wall Street investments. I see an enormous untapped opportunity to give our clients a way to leverage their collective capital to advance an economy that takes care of people and the planet by holding companies accountable to that goal.

Being entrusted with your savings and organizational assets is a tremendous responsibility that my team and I embrace wholeheartedly. Stewardship is at the core of our work: supporting your financial goals always comes first. Stewardship and innovation go hand-in-hand at Just Futures, and we believe that caring for your assets demands we continuously seek better ways to help you invest thoughtfully. With our community always at the center of our decisions, we commit to perpetually innovating, expanding our research capabilities, and deepening our toolset so that investing in alignment with your values becomes more accessible, impactful, and hopefully, common.

The future we’re building is one where financial choices reinforce, rather than undermine, our values. We firmly believe investing can be a tool for care, accountability, and collective possibility. Thank you for trusting us with this work and for walking alongside us as we build that future together.

In service,

Mika
Chief Executive Officer, Just Futures