Hollywood, It’s Time to Kick the Habit

You’re nine years old, and you’re watching your favorite movie. The bad guy lights up a cigarette and smirks, surrounded by piles of money.

That single image won’t make you pick up a cigarette. But the 100th cigarette you see on screen? The 1,000th? Chances are, you’re going to pick up the habit.

Why not? Smoking is obviously a normal thing that cool people (and cuddly, anthropomorphic animals) do.

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Most smokers start before they’re 18. According to scientists and the world’s top health experts44% of new smokers start because they keep seeing it in movies. Thanks to Hollywood, tobacco is still the country’s (and the world’s) number one cause of preventable death.

Movie executives have known this for 15 years. And they’ve taken baby steps. But it’s time to really kick the habit.

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This is why we created Tobacco Free Funds, a free online search platform that tells you if your retirement account is funding smoky entertainment companies. We make it easy for you to screen your portfolio for companies that promote tobacco use and we find investments that are healthy for your finances — and the future.

Tobacco investments carry real financial and public health risks. The Surgeon General and CDC report that 1,000,000 lives are at risk, but the movie studios keep finding excuses to not ban smoking in kid-rated movies.

Take control of your investments — keep them from going up in smoke, for your future, and for the next generation of kids.