Every Dollar of Profit Has a Story to Tell

Mark 836 and 37 reads what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul.

What can a man give in return for his soul by Rob West.

The purpose of investing is to earn a profit. The purpose of man is to glorify God. Yesterday, Jason Meyer of the faith driven investment movement says those two endeavors don't have to conflict all chat with him about that first today. That's all your calls at 800-525-7000 800-525-7000.

This is moneywise life biblical wisdom for your financial decision.

Well I guess Jason Myers, director of Eventide center investing Eventide is in the forefront of the rapidly growing faith-based investment movement and Jason so delighted to have you back on the program you Jason. Often the first question we ask about an investment is one of the returns, but a better question may be where are those returns coming from because as we talked about before, every dollar of profit has a story to tell.

Behind the returns or companies whose products and practices are having a real impact in the lives of others. Are there questions we should be asking about how our investing returns are being generated well-known fact that the Bible has a lot to say on the topic of money and Robert Byrd. You pay nothing here but there are over 2300 and you think they'll money more than on many other seemingly weightier and more spiritual matter where heaven and hell. Clearly the early money is something that matters a great deal to God, while an interesting question we get out if that person is trying to teach us if we were to take all these working on money and spread them out onto a very big table. Are there any common themes among the interesting question right service to looking at the pastor, like the friend he thought about all the money versus in much the same way inherently discovered there were only three main questions the Bible about money. 303 main question the Bible is backing up about money. Number one. How did you get earnest money you earn it righteously, unjustly or excitedly number two.

What are you doing with it are using money to indulge in the luxury for using it to help the needy, and number three. What is it doing to you.

Deafening question. How is your use of money changing you and making you a different person. For better or for worse, and many of the most transient parable in teaching the quote part of the matter on money one more time.

How did you get it. What you doing with it doing.

A handrail of the coat back your question about should we be asking about Howard that the returns are being generated absolutely right. This is one of the main question the Bible On money is tremendous and it really strikes me, Jason, this isn't the kind of question were used to asking is great impact question we get out the back of the three main questions the Bible backing up about money, one that believe talked about the church today. I think the first question how did you get it now. You earn your money. Think about it the last time you heard of turning our teaching on the importance of examining how we make our money with only teaching today in the church on generous giving on watching our heart relationship money but nothing on how we earn our money.

And I suspect Jason that's a question many of us would actually struggle to answer about our investing today almost certainly after Randy Alcorn.

He's written a lot on the topic of money have the say the average Christian whose retirement program taking a mutual fund or stock managed by other no clue where God's money is actually going no clear and Cavanaugh Dr. Catholic studies at Depaul University retirement account tends to go to mutual fund where adequate investor. Not only do I not have any idea of the companies that I have talking or being operated even though the companies I have stock in.

We often have no idea well is powerful, and perhaps God is calling us to ask some of these hard questions about how were earning our money, including through our investments in Jason. I know it's just around the corner you'll share some real life examples both how companies are using profits negatively, harmfully, perhaps, and positive examples of how were encouraging human flourishing faith-based investing is our topic today. Our guest is Jason Meyer of the Eventide center for faith in investing the moneywise live every dollar of profit has a story to tell, were joined today by Eventide center for faith in investing director Jason Meyer. Jason joins us regularly and were talking about the growing faith-based investing movement and Jason just before the break we were talking about how so few of us know where the prophets are coming from in the companies where investing in. I'd love to make this real for our listeners.

Can you share a real-life example of a problem we come up against in investing company here Example of a large company so the company make the drug called misoprostol which is a drug that is most commonly used to induce a medical abortion. The company felt more than $100 million annually of this drug evident. Currently 3.3% of this money is flowing directly into the pocket of his investors in the company of the S&P 500 between before the largest 500 companies in America and certainly a company that many people on many large Mutual funds and certainly in any large ETF example live.

Unfortunately, one of many that we could enumerate the problem so we can come into investing. I think most Christian thing if given the choice, would happily forgo these profit to come from sources like that, that's right. Now I know that many Christian investors simply don't know about this problem but on the other hand, Jason. There are many businesses we can actually be proud to own right that give us a positive example.

Delighted, but they problem of business and investing are actually distortion of God.

You design we have the conviction which comes from Scripture that did that in investing are meant to provide for the material needs of the world and bring glory and honor to God business in investing together are meant to enlarge the beauty and goodness of God's good creation, we can find many, many examples in the world of investing today that still reflect God for divine money share another healthcare example the popular contract to the negative one I shared this company is working on a treatment for children with growth hormone deficiency children with growth hormone deficiency or GHD experienced a problem when their bodies don't produce enough of the specific hormone needed to grow to their full genetic potential is a disorder that is protected when they are Jeff Empson and them according to their height and weight on the on the chart are often done when when children are young, the trajectory of the ball below normal ranges. The standard of care for GHD for the past 25 years apply children with a competent court mandated growth hormone identical to that produced in the body and get it allowed children GHD to reach their full stature but bad news that while effective treatment required daily injection from infancy through puberty roughly age 416 because the pain of injections and demanding daily schedule. Two out of three patient nurse more than one dose weekly and productively missing data associated with children not reaching their full potential and to what the company is behind it to develop a novel way make life better for these children and their parents by linking the needed hormone faith organic polymer. They found a way that the release of that hormone in the body, thereby changing the regimen from daily to only one quickly and make the treatment. Of course much more manageable family and in early clinical outcomes of actually shown even better growth in the daily injection regimen that's an incredible story.

Jason and ones like it really highlight the value of states driven investments available today. Don't think you had upright, you know, at the heart of the faith you have in investing movement in the recognition that behind every dollar of profit. There is a story story about how the dollars are earned and I believe that God cares about the dollars. I do more than the I believe he cared about the story about how the dollars and I think you want to story the good story to write stories about activities that are helping people or improving the lives of others that are bringing a measure of blessing and rejoicing into the world and faith driven investing for me.

I think all about the way for us to pursue good story behind every dollar profit that comes in your hand is really exciting's Jason you been on the forefront of this movement.

I know we've seen tremendous growth in assets flow into these types of investments which is good news where you see all of this headed because I suspect when Christians begin to become aware that this opportunity exists that they can ask these questions beyond just the return toward the activities that are generating the prophets that they are the recipients of that. This whole space is going to grow even quicker than it has been what you seeing in the future. So today really about one side of conducting which is decided that they may have to do with feeding profit and wanted to ensure that those profit are coming from sources that we can feel good about from a Christian perspective, there is another side of investing that I don't think gets enough attention and have to deal with the supply of our capital toward business. You know the reason businesses issue stocks and bonds before they can get capital to accomplish their work in the world. And so what I see happening is, it starts with the kind of examination of what were profiting from diet more more dollars flowing toward stories like positive example. I shared were actually reshaping the world more in line with God's design for business and for nothing and so the starting exciting possibilities behind more dollars, Gloria Smith, movement are actually the way from which the dollars will reshape the world around us and and actually bring about a greater practice of of God's intent or business conducting world. Well, this incredible. I suspect many of our listeners today. Jason are wondering how they can get more information about all the exciting things that you shared so where can they go to learn how to bring their faith to their investing yeah so were actually just launched the Eventide date and investing and going to be a website where many resources for Christian investors to actually learn about how to bring their case to bear in the world of investing today all the complexity and opacity and all the difficult decisions that are there that website you faith in investing.com that's faith and investing are common, and it's all spelled out there very good so excited that there's a growing number of resources even on the education side for believers to really acquaint themselves with everything that you're describing here today because really I think at the heart of it is a lack of awareness related to this opportunity, would you agree yeah absolutely all of the chart and paper symbol and all the numbers it often hi really what's happening in investing and so many about that. We don't become the questionably big company today, but I hope that were able to help people look behind those numbers and actually the deeper story that are taking place in the world a better path than the things that were nothing in well Jason, thank you for shedding some light on a few of those stories today. We appreciate you stopping by his pleasure Jason Myers that are yesterday's director of the Eventide center for faith and investing. You can learn more@faithandinvesting.com here because her next.

800-525-7000 800-525-7000 and Rob Weston. This is moneywise live right back to joining us today and moneywise live with us today. Just a moment were going to be taking your calls and questions on anything financial here for hundred 525-7000 a few lines open again 800-525-7000 begin today in Wichita, Kansas Quinton, thank you for calling today. How can I help all eyes are blessed and we can start investing a little more than we do like in our 401(k) and that savings account and we have we have been talking to a advisor actually about eight years ago got what is called cash value life insurance through this friend of ours really and he suggesting that we put all of this extra money that now we are wanting to cash value life insurance and while it seems like it's a guaranteed 5%. You know point I think it was 7169 or something like that. I wanted to get your take on cash value life insurance versus just like and invest and investing investing in something true like another sure yeah like a kingdom advisor. Okay this is someone that we have talked to, but haven't made a decision yet.

It's just a little thumbnail sketch of where you are at, what is your age work status where you're at in life for my wife and I she works for a nonprofit and an associate of all 403BI think it is and I will 401(k) not we don't have a lot of money leader one of those. Maybe close to hundred thousand in each and then a life insurance policy which I think it's about 100,000 in maps that cash value life insurance.

What is the cash value that's accumulated in the post. I don't I don't know the answer to that question okay no problem. What percent of your income.

Are you putting in those 401(k)s. If you were to combine the contributions that she's putting in place what you're putting in, plus any matches give a sense of the percentage of your total take-home pay.

That's going into those retirement plans 15 to 20% okay right and over and above that you have some extra money and that's what you wanted to put to work dollars a month okay very good you know I'm not a huge fan of whole life insurance because it mixes insurance with an investing component into my experiences that you can do better by keeping those things separate buying an inexpensive term life policy and then combining that with a qualified retirement plan, you know, that allows you to get the coverage you need inexpensive basis to make sure that you are adequately insured so that if you were to predecease your wife that she has the death benefit. She needs to maintain her lifestyle continue to save for the future and perhaps pay off the house if that hasn't been done and you give her a replacement for your income in the same for her. If you if she were to predecease you that you have the coverage you need and a lot of times we buy whole life insurance. We just end up being underinsured with a smaller death benefit than you really need.

So I want to make sure first are adequately covered. I want to do that in X as inexpensively as possible in terms of just the whole life policy is a savings vehicle.

It tends to be asked expensive and you have less control and fewer investment options now where is it good because I'm not one of those it says it never has a place. Well it can make sense if you've maxed out all of your other qualified plan contributions and you still have money to invest because it can grow tax-deferred. And then of course the death benefit if it's ever needed is tax-free.

In most cases, so there is a place for it, but I would be looking to max out your 401(k) first and look at perhaps funding a Roth IRA for each of you, which over the age of 50. You could do 7000 apiece or a total of 14,000 a year which would give you your you roughly thousand dollars a month that you're looking to put away that would typically be my preferred option and then you get that investing. Now obviously you're assuming the risk with that because it has to be invested in the time it's invested without a guarantee from an insurance company there is the risk of loss. You could have a principal loss we were to you to start investing systematically and begins moving up and then we had a recession the markets down you know 20 or 30% and not for 30 days like we saw with the view of the beginning of the pandemic. But where it's down for nearly 2 months or couple years but the idea would be that you continue dollar cost averaging in every month with $1000 a month and you'd be buying more shares with the same contribution so that as the market recovered and historically it always does. You would benefit from those lower entry points and then you would get more and more conservative over time as you neared retirement so that ultimately you would have this your visa retirement accounts that would be able to supplement other retirement income like Social Security in your 401(k) so that would be my your approach unless you said I just am so risk-averse. I like the guarantee of an insurance company.

Even though I know I'm giving up a few things or be no authority maxed out all of my qualified retirement accounts at work and know this is the place where I can continue to accumulate because perhaps were little behind or something like that that give me your thoughts on that. Well, I'm not adverse to risk it all but I am old. I'm getting old and so that rest doesn't concern me some I I am still alone. I am still not comfortable with 5% off if I can get 5% from the market, but I think are big concern was really the money into it is the return on like a law and with 10 years till retirement and then if your good health and the Lord Terry's you need this money the last decade, so you still have a long time horizon here. You should be able to outpace that but I think the question is, what's the right option for you so if it were me, I like the option of keeping those separate buying. The term insurance you need. Investing in those retirement plans being consistent letting that grow over time.

Historically you can do better that way. Let's talk over more of the I got hit a break will be right back on moneywise lives. Thanks for tuning in the moneywise live biblical wisdom for your financial decisions when you create a free moneywise talent you signed up for our moneywise we clean wisdom which the latest installment will go out tomorrow.

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By the way, three lines are open 800-525-7000. Rebecca is in the Quad cities. Rebecca, thanks for calling. How can I help you, I love your program and the great strain. I know you got on time. Like what price without and I would like to know whether that it mandatory that I get a legal law year by a family member to be my executor. Well, you will want to have an executor's name for your state.

This is the person that is ultimately you have a big job in charge of everything from filing the will with the court to paying off your debts, closing accounts, making sure your remaining assets are distributed as specified in the will. You know that on average. This can take over a year to do and so you know it is a big job and I think you can want to choose that person wisely in terms of obviously need to be somebody responsible and good financial standing. You know you want to make sure this is somebody that can be objective and I would have a successor executor. In the event that that person can't fulfill their duties and in some cases, a Rebecca, you mentioned are you choosing a corporate executor that can make some sense as well.

In certain cases if you don't have family members living close buyer you have complex assets for blended or nontraditional families that can make a lot of sense or if you have family members in spirit with special needs. If you have assets or beneficiaries out of the country. These kinds of things make that a no-brainer where a corporate executor you know has complete objectivity and can fulfill this responsibility so that is certainly something you need in terms of drafting the will and the related estate documents. I generally recommend as opposed to using a free service or an online service. I recommend using an estate planning attorney in the state in which you reside or the individual resides just so they can be in compliance with the state laws they can help you think through all of the related issues and then draft a document or documents that to reflect your wishes that will stand up in court and will be appropriate for your situation but DME questions related to that. I like Kate and my family and a 59 is those that need and I'm not married I had no property. I just want an great great great life insurance that I really don't own anything.

I would like and what whether or not it was like a book booklet that a layperson can just follow the instruction letter you do, do you call all of your credit card companies and utility of and yet they appeared and I are at that they owe wow this person is defeat I don't know if that layperson I fed the book available. I whether not I should go to a legal law year and in the state planning nine that my family then another state, and I don't own anything other than you love and sharing and car that I'm going to give away. Okay, yeah, well, couple of things.

Number one is I'd like to send you a copy of the resource from our date and encompass code set your house in order. I think it'll be a great tool just to make sure you've thought through all of the issues related to that again. It's called, set your house in order. Will send it as our gift to you.

You just hang on the line after were done here today and that will help you organize your finances and plan your estate in terms of drafting the will and you can certainly do that align a great website to get you started would be no low.com in oh LOL oh but I just generally recommend Rebecca that you get legal counsel here.

I think this is just one of those areas, like preparing your taxes or selling a house where it's just invaluable to have an expert who can walk alongside you, but if your situation is just real simple and you feel like you can do it yourself. Then there are plenty of online tools to do that, and no low could get you pointed in the right direction so I hope that's helpful to you. We certainly reset your calling today. If you stay on the line will get this the resource at your house in order, right out to you. It's our gift to you in accomplishing but said to now to PA Pennsylvania.

Glenn is waiting patiently. Glenn, how can help you. Good afternoon, I was wanting to get a secured card credit card open an Amazon account that I was a little leery of blinking a debit card to the Amazon in case got hacked and make the rest of my money.

Any recommendations or card and it is my concern legitimate.

You know, there are protections by most of the debit cards but you're right it. It is more complicated because as opposed to the money you know being charged against your account and then you disputing it in the company then you not making you responsible for than the credit card company goes after the party that you know compromised it with the debit card. It's more complicated because he has to your point, the money comes right out and there is a process to remedy that. But in the meantime, it creates a mess because of you have automatic debits and checks that are clearing you know you could be an overdraft situation so I totally get that why the secured card versus an unsecured card and just curious if you were to get this specifically for the purpose you're describing. Just in case that were accessed inappropriately, they would be limited as till how much they could charge yeah well you could do the same thing with an unsecured card. It would just be a matter of asking them to throttle the limits of what's available but I get that in your most unsecured cards would want to set the limit.

Higher than what you might want for the secured credit card so I don't have any problem with that in terms of finding the best secured card you know there it did changes over time, just depending on who has the best programs out there at that given time and and I like this idea because you are capping your liability there, especially if any of the unsecured card companies give you a hard time about setting it, perhaps as low as you want. This would be a way to do that.

So in terms of where to find the best secured card. Glenn, I do give you a couple of websites I'd look@nerdwallet.com every month they rate the best secured credit cards, nerve quality.com and then credit Karma.com credit KKR MA they do the same thing and I think between the two of them. You can find one with no annual fee that would be a great starting point.

You can also check with your local bank that I think for the purpose you're describing this would be a great solution to be able to link that to your credit card. Keep your risk very low and still feel thanks. Call 800-525-7000 give us a call so glad you chosen to spend some time with us is likewise.

This is biblical wisdom for your financial journey West here as we head toward the end of the year. It's a great opportunity. Think about our giving, what are we going to do with the resources we have this we head toward 1231. Perhaps there's an opportunity to accelerate our giving will we certainly love and be grateful for you to keep money wise media in mind with your year in giving. This is certainly a time of year where were planning for next year and the gifts that come in between now and 1231 really help us. We make plans for how we can serve you in the new year. It's quick and easy to give online just headwear website moneywise live.org, click the donate button give securely and it is tax deductible moneywise is a not-for-profit ministry would be grateful again moneywise live.org just click the donate button. Let's head back to the phones. Marsha is in Tennessee. Marsha, how can I assist you how about my retirement, not by retired client abruptly and detailing mandate that I want to partake tired. I'm 69 years out and I would like to know what I should do with my 403D. Yes, I had thought about taking it and putting an end to the bank and I had a friend to tell me that that was not such a good idea to get get settled getting interest. Very good. What I would be looking to roll it over to an IRA. Marsha, it's not a taxable event, but you will have to decide before you do that, the approach you want to take with the investments. Do you want to manage it yourself you can certainly do that you could avail yourself of some resources like you might find it sound mind investing.org are good friends who would provide you with the some mutual fund suggestions and help you position that portfolio. A second option would be to look at perhaps one of the Robo advisors where through exchange traded funds you'd basically have what's called an indexed portfolio. It's just a passive approach to investing that mirrors the broad market indexes with a mix of stock indexes and bond indexes that's appropriate for your age and risk tolerance, and you just capture the broad moves of the market in the long term trend historically has always been up even though it does your ebb and flow along the way there might be a period of a year or two were the markets down, but if you just look at the last dozen years as an example you can see how the market does your move to higher territory. Over time, and you would capture those moves in and the third approach which you know kind of comes into play around $75,000 would be to have an investment professional actually take responsibility for making the buy and sell decisions for you based on what God is doing in your life, your goals and objectives, but building and maintaining the investment portfolio on your behalf which sounds like it might be what you're looking for those three rollover company that my 403 day railyard.

Should I get a different company and not necessarily. I would begin once you decide how you want to approach it. You want to do it yourself. You want more of a passive approach would you want an advisor to handle it that would determine where you roll it, but you would typically roll it outside. Now you might find if you're with one of the low-cost providers like Vanguard or something you want to leave it right there and just move it within the firm, but typically you would roll it out to a new what's called custodian, which is where the account lives and then you would deploy the investment strategy from that new custodian, whether that's something you direct as in choosing those investments or whether that something an advisor does for you so I might start with connecting with an advisor there locally.

Marsha, you can find a certified kingdom advisor. I'd actually interviewed two or three there locally on our website moneywise live.org just click find the CK and this professional would help you not only look at where your add to and where you're headed in terms of what are your needs of financially speaking, and what lifestyle do you want to maintain and how does this portfolio fit into that but also talking about the various investment strategies that could be taken and then if you decided to move ahead with one of those advisors, they would tell you which firm to roll the money over into in your new IRA in your name.

But to answer your question, you would likely roll it out to a new institution.

I think the question at hand is you want to manage yourself or do you want to turn it over to somebody to do that for you a ballpark and hear how how much I STK anyway and when charge based on the assets under management.

Did you say this is about $75,000.

Okay so you would probably typically expect to pay about 1 1/2% a year so about $1100 on the $75,000 account that would be the typical fee that would be charged for the management but again that's if you choose to have somebody actually take responsibility for managing this for you. You can do it much less expensive if you decide to do it yourself with more of a passive approach. You might be looking at something is Lois. You know could be a $250 a year or something like that but I think that's kind of the next step and I would look to find an advisor locally again on our website moneywise live.org just click find the CK. We appreciate your call today. Let's head to Oklahoma where Catherine is located hi Catherine, how can I assist call on Friday and he spent 23 years at the company and he's standing 3978, stay at home.

We had 625 step in and trust in an annuity and Nutley Kauai 110,000 how we got to paying $41,000 in income taxes this year went out we went to EPA because we don't have to go through that anymore. But I'm real concerned about not having paid off. We get $800 a month from the trust toward to Jamaica house payment.

Is it better to just go ahead and bite the bullet and take the money on the annuity and pay off the how or is it better to get away. I don't like not having my half yeah I completely get that you said Catherine you're both retired correct you're not planning on working any longer and lower in a manner straight time and in rural Oklahoma where the ministry that he had held a full-time job and you know that we pay him in the ministry is very low right right now we're just working for the we got a horse shouting. And we knew that study service foreshadows and the workshop and then we just kind of a ministry that we forget to take an offering half the time dealing the Lord and pastor in the area that we I don't like not having my half paid for by my husband and I were nervous we don't know we don't want to really take that 625,000 that we have set aside for retirement.

I thought, I'm sure. Well, you know, I think ultimately there's the financial and then the non-financial consideration.

So from a financial standpoint you know you could make the argument that you can do better by continuing to pay on this mortgage and keep that money invested on a tax-deferred basis over the long haul.

But that's just one part of the equation.

I think the nonfinancial side is exactly what you just said and that is the peace of mind that comes from knowing your unencumbered and that you own your home free and clear, and the practical benefit to that is that it just reduces your monthly need and so you know you all can live you know very comfortably on and modestly on you know less income. Just because your largest expense goes away. At that point, and as you said, you will have a conviction that you'd like to be debt free and so I think you know.

For that reason, I would certainly move in this direction. If you and your husband are on the same page about it. The one consideration you might want to factor in. Though Catherine is just the timing on this you if you decided to do this I would work with your CPA or if not find one who can determine the tax implications of this on the front end so that you may want to spread this over to tax years, for instance, so that if you are increasing your taxable income.

You're doing that in two or three pieces, so you're not bumping inadvertently apportion this up into a higher tax bracket by taking a major withdrawal in a single tax year so I think that might be one consideration in the just looking at any considerations with regard to the insurance company that holds the annuity contract is to make sure he understands what's possible in terms of pulling that money out, so I'd probably as you find that CPA if you already go ahead and do that. Talk this over with him or her and make these plans but I am fully in favor of this idea that you want to be debt free and that that would mean depleting a portion of your retirement assets but in doing so, you would then have no more margin that you would not be sending to the mortgage company every month and you get the added peace of mind that comes with it okay if I have told us we could take $19,000 more than higher, and so that maybe the consideration is just going spread it out over the next five years, so you're not paying unnecessary taxes and I think that's what you guys need to figure out. Maybe there's a compromise it's three years instead of five. I got a run. We appreciate your call today. God bless you moneywise live is a partnership between Moody radio and moneywise media. Thank you for being there today for calling this is such a privilege to be able to partner with you and share God's principles thinking my team as well.

Thank you, Deb and Jim Henry as well, plus article screeners come back and join us tomorrow. I'll be