“Wisdom for Wealth. For Life.” Episode 42: Faithful Investing

Scripture tells us God owns everything: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” [Psalm 24:1] But God’s word also tells us we are to be good stewards of the resources He provides, faithfully investing to further His Kingdom.

But what does it mean to invest faithfully? In a recent discussion, Blue Trust Managing Director Roger Gum and Chief Investment Officer Brian McClard explored this crucial topic – and looked at how Blue Trust can help you align your investment portfolio with your values.

What Does Faithful Investing Mean?

“Most Christians intellectually have no problem with this [concept that God owns it all], but putting it into practice can be more difficult,” Roger said.

Roger emphasized that faithfulness is fundamentally about obedience to God. We can be obedient in two ways. First, we can adhere to universal financial principles that apply to all Christians. These include:

• Avoid the desire to get rich quickly.
• Don’t place your hope in wealth; instead, place your hope in God.
• Diversify the resources God has given you.

We can also be obedient by adopting personal values that guide our financial decisions. These values are unique to each individual and family, and they will help shape our investment portfolios as we select what assets to own.

Personalized Values-Based Investing

In the past, investing according to your values has been labor-intensive and time-consuming. It takes a lot of work to do the research and weed out companies whose mission doesn’t align with yours.

Blue Trust wanted to make it easier for Christians to undertake values-based investing without giving up the opportunity for growth. Through our Access Portfolios, our clients can utilize 30 different screening categories to avoid companies that conflict with their values and increase exposure to those that reflect their beliefs.

Clients can use Access Portfolios to mimic any investment strategy without having to invest in mutual funds or ETFs. This makes it easier to pick and choose which investments to include in your portfolio. It can also make your portfolio more tax-efficient – without sacrificing overall returns.

“A lot of people have seen the benefits of having stocks in their portfolio, having bonds in their portfolio, private investments,” Roger said. “Our clients have really appreciated the ability to mimic the strategy that would make sense for them, even if it included a wide range of investments.”

Making an Impact

Access Portfolios can also be used to engage with companies and initiate change through proxy voting and corporate engagement. Recent successes include encouraging companies to add adoption benefits for employees and advocating for religious freedom in technology platforms.

“We have not and will never say everyone has to [use an Access Portfolio] to be a good Christian,” Brian said. Instead, it’s about providing options for those who want to express their values through their investments.

The Greater Purpose

The Bible has over 2,350 verses referencing money – second only to mentions of God Himself. But as Roger noted, “All those verses are about something much greater than just money.” The challenge is learning to manage resources faithfully while keeping our ultimate hope in God rather than wealth.

For Christians seeking to invest faithfully, the journey begins with understanding that we are stewards, not owners. Whether through specialized screening, corporate engagement, or simply following biblical principles, the goal remains the same: to be found faithful in managing the resources God has entrusted to us.

If you would like to know more about Access Portfolios and how we can help you invest according to your values, your Blue Trust advisor is here to help. If you do not have a Blue Trust advisor and would like more information, please reach out to info@bluetrust.com or call 800.841.0362.

 

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