Biblically Responsible Investing

Never before have investors had more options regarding where and how they invest. Many want to ensure their money is aligned with their values or faith. Investments are no longer judged solely on returns or expense ratios. People want their wealth to be an instrument or tool to further their beliefs.

Many have turned to Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) hoping to maintain financial returns while making a material impact in specific areas of concern.

A sub-set of this approach is Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) where certain religious, political, or ethical investments are actively eliminated from portfolios.

Impact Investing is also a subset of ESG, but instead of eliminating investments, efforts are made to positively change business or organizations to better align with the investors beliefs and values.

So what is Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI)? It is also a subset of ESG, having characteristics of both SRI and Impact Investing.

The Christian Investment Forum defines BRI as follows:

“BRI is an investment decision making process that applies Christian values to issues facing shareholders and stakeholders regarding moral and social principles.  This coupled with traditional financial analysis provides a platform for investment decisions that allows us to be faithful stewards of God’s gifts and respect the foundational beliefs of our shared Christian faith.”

BrightPortfolios lays out “The Case for Biblically Responsible Investing”

Fact 1: Everything is God’s, including our wealth

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” -Psalm 24:1

The stewardship mindset flows directly from this truth. It’s only once we wrap our arms around this concept that Biblical investing starts to become extremely compelling. God owns it all and we are merely stewards.  

Fact 2: Stock investing equates to ownership

“Holding a company’s stock means that you are one of the many owners (shareholders) of a company and, as such, you have a claim (albeit usually very small) to everything the company owns. As an owner, you are entitled to your share of the company’s earnings as well as any voting rights attached to the stock.” -Investopedia

When we buy stocks, mutual funds, or ETFs, we’re taking ownership stakes in businesses. Therefore, we are supporting and profiting from the activities of the businesses we own in our investment portfolios.

Fact 3: We’re called to use our wealth for the glory of God

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” -Proverbs 3:9

This verse from Proverbs is pretty straightforward: we’re called to honor God with the wealth he has entrusted to our care.

Biblically Responsible Investing is not new, but has recently seen substantial growth as both investors and advisors begin to adopt it’s principles. BRI Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds are now readily available and software screens can identify companies that do not adhere to biblical principles.

Christians today have the opportunity to ensure their investments do not support activities like pornography, abortion, gambling, or the alternative lifestyle movement.

If you would like to visit about how to implement BRI into your financial plan, please contact us and schedule a free initial consultation.

You can email us at info@faithfulfinancialservices.com or give us a call at 409/782-4114.

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Important Disclosures
Faithful Financial LLC is a registered investment advisor.