In Session 5 for Financial Advisors, Mary provides a history of Faith Driven Investing over the past several decades. She defends Faith Driven Investing on a theological and financial level, and highlights ways we can actively engage in the integration of our faith and investment portfolios.

• Over the past twenty years, there has been rapid growth and expansion of faith driven investing. In 2001, Mary cited eighteen negative screen mutual funds with a combined $90M in assets; now twenty years later, there are tens of billions of dollars in faith driven funds. 

• Mary highlights active investment steps we can take to avoid hurting our neighbor:

• Negative Portfolio Screening: Avoidance or divestment of unethical companies from one’s investment portfolio

• Positive Portfolio Screening: Seeking out and proactively investing in publicly traded companies with redeeming virtues.

• Shareholder Engagement: Influencing corporate boards for positive change by faithfully submitting and voting on shareholder resolutions.

• Creative Impact Investing: Making investments that provide opportunity for financial return and social benefit, including…

  • Social Venture Capital

  • Global Microlending

  • Community Banking

  • Real Estate Investing

• Mary argues that the thoughtful consideration of love and ethics in our investments decisions dates back to the very heart of god. She references Deuteronomy 24, when the Israelites are instructed to glean their land, receiving a return for their seed investments, while simultaneously caring for the poor. How does this passage in Deuteronomy illuminate our responsibility to care for others through our investments? 

• Mary shares the story of John Wesley being quoted “Gain all you can, give all you can”, but highlights additional context to his “Gain all you can” clause (see below). How do the principles John Wesley speaks of apply today?

  • “The first of these is: ‘Gain all you can.’ … But this it is certain we ought not to do; we ought not to gain money at the expense of life… Therefore, we may not engage or continue in any sinful trade… We are, thirdly, to gain all we can, without hurting our neighbor. We cannot, if we love everyone as ourselves, hurt anyone in his substance… [Those] who have anything to do with taverns, victualling-houses… if they are either sinful in themselves, or natural inlets to sin of various kinds, then, it is to be feared, you have sad account to make.” - John Wesley “The Use of Money” Sermon, 1789

Matthew 25:19-21

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Deuteronomy 24:19-22

“When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.”

• Consider the different ways you can implement faith driven investing in your portfolios, whether that be positive/negative screens, shareholder engagement, social venture capital, real estate investing, community banking, global microlending, and more.