Voicing Values Via Investments
by Randall Murphree
May 11, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Over the past two decades, most of the best-known names among financial services companies in the U.S. have followed lock-step fashion after politically correct liberal icons. "They are rushing toward the perceived pot of gold at the end of the gay-and-lesbian rainbow," said Stephen Bolt, co-founder and president of Faith Financial Planners, Inc.
Bolt and his brother, Andrew, launched Faith Financial in 2002 to offer financial services that integrate values-based research, products, education and advisor training to meet the unique needs of the Christian community. It is a company with a conscience.
For the Christian investor, the amoral bent of the investments industry has led to a dilemma that grows more problematic each year. For example, some of the major players only follow the trend of offering special benefits to homosexual employees. Unfortunately, that practice is guided not only by political correctness but also by legal and social pressure generated by a powerful pro-homosexual lobby.
However, beyond that trend, many companies eagerly jump aboard the pro-homosexual bandwagon by sponsoring or contributing to various "gay pride" festivals, parades, conferences and events of all sorts. So the question remains -- "How do I invest my retirement dollars with companies I can trust on moral issues?"
"I have always considered the idea of developing a national financial services company dedicated to the needs and values of the Christian community," Bolt said. Subsequently, Faith Financial now has a solution for Christians who wants their investments placed with companies that reflect their own moral values.
Faith Financial is based on the triune principles of Faith and Values, Academic Integrity and Product Neutrality. To uphold those principles, Faith Financial screens out companies whose products, services or philanthropy involve abortion, pornography, gambling or the homosexual activist agenda. Bolt also helped develop MoneyAndValues.com, the first Internet screening technology that allowed financial advisors to see what values are being supported by the stocks comprising 14,000 mutual funds and variable annuity sub-accounts.
Bolt's first book, Money for Life, was published in 2000 and his current release is Money On Loan from God. (See review below) Both titles answer a lot of the questions with which Christian investors struggle. Bolt's insights help the investor apply biblical principles in the sometimes-frightening financial world.
Today, the Nashville-based company's retinue of 100 financial advisors is in rapid growth mode. With sister firm American Values Financial Group, Inc. and broker dealer Capital Financial Services, Faith Financial boasts innovations such as PKValuesTrade.com, the industry's first values-based discount brokerage service, offered in association with Promise Keepers.
The company's wholly owned subsidiary, the Research Institute for Corporate Accountability (RICA), offers the most comprehensive data on publicly traded companies with regard to socially conservative issues of concern to most Christians.
According to media surveys, e.g. Time magazine (December 2004), and industry interest groups, most people desire to invest in a way that reflects their values. However, historically, even so-called socially responsible funds have failed to offer a true conservative investment option. And in today's social climate, many large financial services companies routinely tout their strong support for the homosexual agenda.
Faith Financial responds to both of those issues by offering strong support for traditional American values and by giving their financial advisors the training and resources to help each client integrate personal faith into an investment portfolio. The company is prepared to meet the needs of individual investors, corporate investment programs and financial advisors interested.
"Helping each individual investor develop a financial plan that integrates his or her values is of primary importance to us," said Bolt. "So, too, is the idea of helping foundations, endowments, churches and institutions manage their money with a focus on their values." Faith Financial offers a way to voice one's values with his investments.
Money On Loan From God
In this, his most recent book, Stephen Bolt weaves biblical principles and wise investment strategies into a method to help the reader develop a customized financial plan that also advances the investor's Christian values. Bolt discusses:
- What insurance and investments are most important?
- Can I get a good return without investing in the stock market?
- Can I guarantee my retirement income if my retirement money is invested in the stock market?
- How do I know which investments are right for me?
Bolt uses anecdotes and experiences from 25 years in the industry where he has been a top financial advisor, hedge fund manager, founder of MoneyAndValues.com and Research Institute for Corporate Accountability, co-developer of a mutual fund family, author, speaker and host of two radio programs.
Whether the reader is a retiree looking to secure a nest egg, an investor looking for more sophisticated ways to manage a portfolio, or a young family looking to develop a financial plan, Money On Loan From God has answers that are more than rhetoric.
Randall Murphree, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. This article, printed with permission, appears in the May 2006 issue.
