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Looking for some insight into the\u00a0societal cost of buying a cup of coffee, a double cheeseburger, or a pack of cigarettes? Well, financial services startup\u00a0Aspiration<\/a> now\u00a0has an app for that<\/a>.<\/p>\n The fascinating fintech company\u00a0that was co-founded\u00a0by former Bill Clinton speechwriter Andrei Cherny just\u00a0launched a new feature inside its mobile banking app that tracks a customer\u2019s spending and offers them a report on the social impact of their consumption at the end of each\u00a0month.<\/p>\n Several startups have tried to give consumers the tools to track which companies are aligned with their personal values, but none (to my knowledge) have integrated that\u00a0into a monthly roundup that is directly tied to a bank account.<\/p>\n Aspiration tracks how companies perform on two main metrics. The first is how they\u00a0treat their employees and the communities they operate in. The second is how companies treat the planet.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an extension of the push some big time money managers are making to hold corporations accountable through shareholder advocacy around what\u2019s called \u201cstakeholder rights\u201d \u2014 jargon for how a company treats the communities around it rather than the investors who back it. For example, does a company dump toxic waste into local streams and rivers or finance scholarships for underprivileged students and treat sick puppies?<\/p>\n \u201cIn this day and age, money talks,\u201d Cherny said. \u201cImagine weaponizing that consumer sentiment and putting it in your pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n For Cherny, the new tool is an extension of the work he\u2019s been doing since his days working with former\u00a0Vice President Al Gore, empowering consumers to understand how best to use the power of their purse.<\/p>\n