News coming out of financial giant Merrill Lynch these days is more positive and hopeful than all of the litigation news from 2008 and 2009.  The most positive news for me was the article that appeared in Financial Advisor magazine about Mary King, Hilary Giles, and the 650 Merrill advisors who are working together to develop a presence in the faith based sphere of investors.  Trying to understand client’s needs who wish to invest according to their faith experiences and their values is important enough to get top level management at BankAmerica Merrill Lynch to notice. 

The best part of this movement is that it covers advisors from a wide range of practice sizes, and also investors from both modest and very large portfolios.  Advisors also include non-Christians who wish to understand their Christian clients better.  Modesty and integrity prevent advisors from discussing their financial contributions to their firms, but I am aware enough to know that this group includes several million dollar annual producers.  That also tells me that this values based movement is gaining traction.  YOU can also be part of this movement by getting involved yourself or demanding that your advisors help you become part of it! 

In my last few years as an advisor, I decided to offer BRI services to any clients who were interested.  After approaching several money managers, some agreed to help us and some did not.  Even the ones who wanted to help us required us to sign an extra form waiving the client’s right to complain about sub par performance.  We signed the forms for the first two years but then the managers realized, our clients were actually outperforming everyone else and they decided they did not need the waivers.  You may not experience the same performance plus but the odds are in your favor that when you invest without participation from negative forces, you are going to do better! 

Psalm 24:1 (RSV) “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…”
Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (RSV) “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’  You shall remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you power to get wealth; that he may confirm his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as at this day.”

Monday Morning Message Sent 6/7/10

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