In what ways do personal values influence the choice of investment?

Give some examples? please!

There are various 'green', 'socially conscious' or 'virtuous' funds that you can invest in that only buy stocks in companies that meet those criteria. These would all be modern examples of personal values influencing their investments.

However, throughout history, people have invested in businesses or enterprises that in addition to pecuniary benefits would provide the psychic profits associated with overtly helping humanity.

In modern times, the constant talk from businesses about "corporate social responsibility" (by which they mean neither their actual responsibility to maximise shareholder wealth nor their social benefit of providing goods and services that the public demand) is a sign of the popular demand from investors for companies to appear to share the social values of the public.

Stepping away from the 'social' aspect of values, there is another side to personal values and investing. When older people invest in apparently safer, blue chip companies, stodgy-looking mutual funds, and T-bills, they are expressing their personal value of low-risk capital preservation. When younger, more risk-seeking individuals buy into early-stage high growth companies and complex derivatives, they are expressing their personal value of quick and substantial profits together with higher risk.

Companies consider their likely investors when they structure their offerings (riskier companies will make more use of common shares while safer companies might be more inclined to issue debt instruments).

If you want to make money, then focus on company business prospect only. If you want to feel good about yourself and money is no object, then buy stocks in companies you share values with. It is that simple...you get your kick anyway you like but you may not make money though.