• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Optimized Portfolio

Investing and Personal Finance

  • Start Here
  • Investing 101
    • Beginners Start Here – 10 Steps To Start Building Wealth
    • What Is the Stock Market? How It Works & How to Invest in It
    • How To Invest in an Index Fund – The Best Index Funds
    • Portfolio Asset Allocation by Age
    • How To Invest Your Emergency Fund
    • Portfolio Diversification – How To Diversify Your Portfolio
    • Dollar Cost Averaging vs. Lump Sum Investing (DCA vs. LSI)
    • How To Invest Your HSA (Health Savings Account)
    • Factor Investing and Factor ETFs – The Ultimate Guide
    • more…
  • Lazy Portfolios
    • All Weather Portfolio
    • Bogleheads 3 Fund Portfolio
    • HEDGEFUNDIE’s Excellent Adventure
    • Warren Buffett Portfolio
    • Golden Butterfly Portfolio
    • Paul Merriman Ultimate Buy and Hold Portfolio
    • Ben Felix Model Portfolio
    • Permanent Portfolio
    • David Swensen Portfolio
    • 60/40 Portfolio
    • more…
  • Funds
    • VOO vs. VTI – Vanguard S&P 500 or Total Stock Market ETF?
    • The 7 Best International ETFs
    • The 8 Best Small Cap ETFs (4 From Vanguard)
    • The 5 Best REIT ETFs
    • The 5 Best EV ETFs – Electric Vehicles ETFs
    • VIG vs. VYM – Comparing Vanguard’s 2 Popular Dividend ETF’s
    • The Best Vanguard Dividend Funds – 4 Popular ETFs
    • The 5 Best Tech ETFs
    • The 7 Best Small Cap Value ETFs
    • The 6 Best ETFs for Taxable Accounts
    • The 5 Best Emerging Markets ETFs (1 From Vanguard) for 2023
    • more…
  • Leverage
    • What Is a Leveraged ETF and How Do They Work?
    • How To Beat the Market Using Leverage and Index Investing
    • The 9 Best Leveraged ETFs
    • Hedgefundie’s Excellent Adventure
    • Leveraged All Weather Portfolio
    • Leveraged Permanent Portfolio
    • Leveraged Golden Butterfly Portfolio
    • NTSX – Review and Summary
    • TQQQ – Is It A Good Investment?
    • PSLDX – A Review
    • SWAN – A Review
    • RPAR Risk Parity ETF Review
    • more…
  • Dividends
    • The Best M1 Finance Dividend Pie
    • The 11 Best Dividend ETFs
    • The Best Vanguard Dividend Funds – 4 Popular ETFs
    • VIG vs. VYM – Comparing Vanguard’s 2 Popular Dividend ETF’s
    • 8 Reasons Why I’m Not a Dividend Income Investor
    • QYLD – A Harsh Review
    • more…
  • Brokers
    • The 5 Best Stock Brokers
    • The 4 Best Investing Apps
    • M1 Finance Review
    • Brokers with the Lowest Margin Rates
    • M1 Finance vs. Fidelity
    • M1 Finance vs. Vanguard
    • Webull vs. Robinhood
    • Stash vs. Robinhood
    • M1 Borrow Review (How M1’s Margin Loan Works)
    • more…
  • Retirement
    • The 10 Best ETFs for Retirement Portfolios in 2023
    • The 4% Rule for Retirement Withdrawal Rate – A Revisitation
    • Sequence of Return Risk in Retirement Explained
    • Traditional IRA Explained
    • Roth IRA Explained
    • 401k vs. Roth IRA
    • Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA
    • Backdoor Roth IRA Explained
    • more…
  • My Toolbox

5 Nuveen Funds for Targeted ESG Exposure in 2025

Last Updated: March 22, 2022 No Comments – 3 min. read

Nuveen funds provide targeted style and cap size exposure through an ESG lens. Here we'll check out 5 of them.

Disclosure:  Some of the links on this page are referral links. At no additional cost to you, if you choose to make a purchase or sign up for a service after clicking through those links, I may receive a small commission. This allows me to continue producing high-quality content on this site and pays for the occasional cup of coffee. I have first-hand experience with every product or service I recommend, and I recommend them because I genuinely believe they are useful, not because of the commission I may get. Read more here.

Contents

  • Introduction – Nuveen Funds
  • NULV – Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF
  • NULG – Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF
  • NUSC – Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF
  • NUMV – Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF
  • NUBD – Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
  • Where To Buy These Nuveen Funds

Introduction – Nuveen Funds

Nuveen is a subsidiary of TIAA providing funds for specific styles, cap sizes, and geographies with an ESG filter overlaid. Nuveen aims to invest “to make an enduring impact on our world.”

nuveen funds logo

Nuveen claim to not avoid particular sectors, but rather to identify ESG leaders in their respective spaces. The idea is to deliver market-like risk and returns but with a lower carbon footprint for the investor's portfolio. Nuveen is famous in the ESG realm for having a fairly robust selection methodology compared to big providers like Fidelity and Vanguard who may simply stamp “ESG” on a fund after a light exclusionary screen.

Nuveen states:

We want ESG investors to have the same choice of asset classes and strategies that non-ESG investors have. We don’t need to have 19 different types of multifactor large-cap strategy like you have in the non-ESG space. But we want the ESG investor to not have to compromise their asset allocation to remain aligned with their ESG mandate.

Below we'll explore a few of the most popular Nuveen ETFs.

NULV – Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF

NULV provides an ESG overlay for U.S. large cap value stocks. It is the most popular Nuveen ETF with over $800 million in assets.

NULV starts with the MSCI USA Value Index, excludes controversial businesses like alcohol and gambling, and then ranks the remaining companies based on an ESG “quality score” within each sector and takes the leaders for inclusion in the fund.

This fund seeks to track the TIAA ESG USA Large-Cap Value Index and has 191 holdings and an expense ratio of 0.35%.

NULG – Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF

Those targeting large cap growth can use NULG. This ETF has nearly $600 million in assets and an expense ratio of 0.35%. Note that with its ESG overlay, sector exposure will differ somewhat from a typical large cap growth benchmark index.

NUSC – Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF

NUSC provides an ESG filter for the U.S. small cap universe. Ideally I'd like to see a small cap value fund from Nuveen, but for now we'll have to settle for small cap blend here.

While it excludes companies with involvement in alcohol, tobacco, firearms, gambling and nuclear weapons, NUSC is pretty well diversified with 679 holdings. The fund has an expense ratio of 0.40% and nearly $800 million in assets.

NUMV – Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF

Nuveen may not have a small cap value fund yet but they do oddly have a mid cap value fund. NUMV has nearly $200 million in assets and an expense ratio of 0.40%.

NUBD – Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

NUBD is Nuveen's play on an ESG version of a broad U.S. total bond market ETF like Vanguard's BND or AGG from iShares.

An ESG overlay in bonds is rare, as rankings data is hard to come by for fixed income. NUBD excludes issuers with high levels of fossil-fuel reserve ownership, including metals miners and oil and gas producers. Agency bonds and MBS are included without ESG rankings since data isn't available for them.

NUBD has over $200 million in assets and a fee of 0.20%.

Where To Buy These Nuveen Funds

All the above Nuveen ETFs should now be available at any major broker. My choice is M1 Finance. The broker has zero trade commissions and zero account fees, and offers fractional shares, dynamic rebalancing, intuitive pie visualization, and a sleek, user-friendly interface and mobile app. I wrote a comprehensive review of M1 Finance here.


Interested in more Lazy Portfolios? See the full list here.

Disclaimer:  While I love diving into investing-related data and playing around with backtests, this is not financial advice, investing advice, or tax advice. The information on this website is for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Investment products discussed (ETFs, mutual funds, etc.) are for illustrative purposes only. It is not a research report. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell, or otherwise transact in any of the products mentioned. I always attempt to ensure the accuracy of information presented but that accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Do your own due diligence. I mention M1 Finance a lot around here. M1 does not provide investment advice, and this is not an offer or solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell any security, and you are encouraged to consult your personal investment, legal, and tax advisors. Hypothetical examples used, such as historical backtests, do not reflect any specific investments, are for illustrative purposes only, and should not be considered an offer to buy or sell any products. All investing involves risk, including the risk of losing the money you invest. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of other parties mentioned. Read my lengthier disclaimer here.

m1 finance get started

Are you nearing or in retirement? Use my link here to get a free holistic financial plan and to take advantage of 25% exclusive savings on financial planning and wealth management services from fiduciary advisors at Retirable to manage your savings, spend smarter, and navigate key decisions.

retirement peace of mind

Related Posts

  • 8 Reasons Why I’m Not a Dividend Income Investor
  • The 5 Best Industrials ETFs for 2025
  • A Telemedicine ETF To Invest in Telehealth in 2025
  • 23 Investing Biases and How To Avoid Them
  • VIOV ETF Review – Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 Value Index Fund

About John Williamson, APMA®

Analytical data nerd, investing enthusiast, fintech consultant, Boglehead, and Oxford comma advocate. I'm not a big fan of social media, but you can find me on LinkedIn and Reddit.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Patreon

Join 5,372 other investors

Take control of your financial future by subscribing to receive exclusive emails with expert tips, news, and notifications of new posts and important updates.

Don't worry, I hate spam too. No ads.

John Williamson, APMA®

Analytical data nerd, investing enthusiast, fintech consultant, Boglehead, and Oxford comma advocate. I'm not a big fan of social media, but you can find me on LinkedIn and Reddit. Read More…

Most Popular

Ray Dalio All Weather Portfolio Review, ETFs, & Leverage (2025)

HEDGEFUNDIE’s Excellent Adventure (UPRO/TMF) – A Summary

Golden Butterfly Portfolio Review and M1 Finance ETF Pie

David Swensen Portfolio (Yale Model) Review and ETFs To Use

55 Lazy Portfolios and Their ETF Pies for M1 Finance (2025)

VIG vs. VYM – Vanguard’s 2 Popular Dividend ETFs (Review)

Warren Buffett ETF Portfolio (90/10) Review and ETFs (2025)

Bogleheads 3 Fund Portfolio Review and Vanguard ETFs (2025)

Paul Merriman Ultimate Buy and Hold Portfolio Review & ETFs (2025)

The Best M1 Finance Dividend Pie for FIRE & Income Investors

m1 sidebar

retirable

Portfolio Asset Allocation by Age – Beginners To Retirees

The 7 Best Small Cap ETFs (3 From Vanguard) for 2025

9 Best International ETFs To Buy (6 From Vanguard) in 2025

The 3 Best Inverse ETFs to Short the S&P 500 Index in 2025

Ben Felix Model Portfolio (Rational Reminder, PWL) ETFs & Review

Factor Investing and Factor ETFs – The Ultimate Guide

NTSX ETF Review – WisdomTree U.S. Efficient Core ETF (90/60)

The Ginger Ale Portfolio (My Own Portfolio) and M1 ETF Pie

TQQQ – Is It A Good Investment for a Long Term Hold Strategy?

QYLD – Avoid This ETF as a Long-Term Investment (A Review)

The 9 Best T Bill ETFs (Treasury Bills) To Park Cash in 2025

JEPI ETF Review – JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF

SPAXX vs. FZFXX, FDIC, FCASH, FDRXX – Fidelity Core Position

Recent Posts

M1 Earn High Yield Cash Account Review – 4% APY (2025)

RSBY ETF Review – Return Stacked® U.S. Bonds & Futures Yield ETF

1 ETF for Life to Get Rich? It’s Not One You’d Guess…

How to Get 35% off a New Tesla Model Y (1.99% APR Financing Promo)

M1 Finance New Dividend Reinvestment Features Are Here! (Sneak Peek)

RSSY ETF Review – Return Stacked® U.S. Stocks & Futures Yield ETF

RSBT ETF Review – Return Stacked® Bonds & Managed Futures ETF

RSST ETF Review – Return Stacked® US Stocks & Managed Futures ETF

CAOS ETF Review – Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF

How to Get 33% off a New Tesla Model Y (0.99% APR Promo)

CALF ETF Review – Pacer U.S. Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF

Is THIS the Best Portfolio?

AVMA ETF Review – Avantis Moderate Allocation ETF (60/40 + Factors)

COWZ ETF Review – Pacer U.S. Cash Cows 100 ETF

BOXX ETF Review – Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF

View All...

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Patreon

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure

OptimizedPortfolio.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates when a new post is published.

Don't worry, I hate spam too. No ads.

About - My Toolbox - Privacy - Terms - Contact


Copyright © 2025 OptimizedPortfolio.com

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Ok, Got ItReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT