Did you know there are an estimated 50 million slaves in the world today? Would you like to be a modern-day abolitionist? [Click here to listen to the FaithFi (Moneywise Radio) interview based on this article.]   One of the most beloved and theologically rich Christmas carols is “O Holy Night.” The powerful lyrics of the 3rd stanza boldly proclaim: Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease   What if this isn’t just a nice thought we contemplate at Christmas time, but an invitation for us as Christian investors and ambassado ..read more

If you have been married for more than one day, you already know that when you say “I do,” you don’t instantly have all the same values and priorities. Many couples spend decades of frustration around the topic of money, even though husbands and wives desire unity and agreement. As a financial planner, I have walked hundreds of couples through financial conflict. I also happen to be a strong-minded wife myself who has experienced friction, and eventually, redemption in my own money and marriage. In nearly every couple, there is one person who is more skilled at managing day-to-day f ..read more

I see many parallels between the ancient, Biblical role of the steward and that of modern-day Financial Advisor, likely because of my own personal experience serving as a Financial Advisor. These roles require that decisions (or recommendations) be made based, not on self-interest of the one hired to manage the wealth, but on the interests of another – the owner. It’s a sacred trust that the owner places in the manager. Recently, I explained a complex private real estate investment to a new client who, despite her intelligence, wasn’t confident that she clearly understood all of the details ..read more

The first time my family moved to Kenya and I experienced interacting with street kids in Nairobi, I was 10-years-old. It was a year of intense learning for me. I learned what it meant to be a minority and to be treated very differently because of my white skin. I also learned that I was wealthy, by comparative measures. I still recall the first time a young Kenyan boy, about the same age as me, came up to me and asked for money. And, although I was only ten, and didn’t have a job, I did have some spending money in my pocket and I had a choice to make. In my developing understanding of t ..read more

Most investors have no idea what they own or why…and are too busy to do the research. We get that you’re busy and we’re here to help! But first you need to understand how this disconnect leads to some potentially devastating outcomes that you simply can’t afford to ignore. You see, every dollar invested is a vote – a vote for which companies we want to see prosper, so that we might prosper alongside them as shareholders. Vote for companies that create great products or services and provide good-paying jobs, and you’ve just made the world a little bit better while improving your own financial ..read more

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20a). In the same way that the political ambassadors of our day serve as representatives of their home countries while living abroad, we, as followers of Christ, live on the earth as representatives of heaven. We are here to represent the culture and the values of the kingdom of heaven, and to be a conduit through which God makes His appeal. But can we do that in our investments? As we mature in the Lord, all areas of our lives increasingly reflect a culture that contrasts sharply with ..read more

We consider many criteria in our investment selection process, but there’s one factor that carries the most weight. https://makeyourmoneycount.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/The-Most-Important-Factor-in-Investing.mp3 The post The Most Important Factor in Investing appeared first on Rachel McDonough - Christian Financial Advisor offering Biblically Responsible Investing ..read more

This newly-released book, Investing & Faith: The Impact of Faith-Based Investing, is a collaborative work that pulls together insights from 12 industry leaders. We hope it will be a blessing and encouragement to you. I was honored to contribute Chapter 7, “The Stewardship of Faith-Based Investing.”   Our team is busy this week sending the book out to the 1,130 financial advisors in our network, but the book is great for individual investors too. Anyone who wants to make their money count by investing in alignment with their deeply-held personal beliefs and values will enjoy the test ..read more

One of the fund companies I have admired and partnered with over the years recently put forth a new slogan, “Investing that Makes the World Rejoice.” Honestly, it took me by surprise. Even though I’ve been actively involved in faith-based investing for several years, I would never have thought of Proverbs 11:10a “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices…” as a key verse for this type of investing. One of the criticisms of the faith-based investing movement has been that it sometimes feels too focused on negative things. For example, we’re not going to invest in or profit from abortion, p ..read more

The recently-released 2018 Report on US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends, published by US SIF Foundation shows an incredible amount of momentum. More and more investors are aligning their resources with their values. According to the report, “Sustainable, responsible and impact investing (SRI) in the United States continues to expand at a healthy pace. Total US-domiciled assets under management (AUM) using SRI strategies grew from $8.7 trillion at the start of 2016 to $12.0 trillion at the start of 2018, a 38 percent increase. This represents 26 percent—or 1 in 4 dollars—o ..read more