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With a gift of $35 a month or $400 a year, you help sustain this ministry and receive ongoing resources to support your own stewardship journey. Visit faithfi.com slash give to become a partner. That's faithfi.com/slash give. A growing number of Christians are asking not just how to invest, but whether their investments reflect what they believe. Hi, I'm Rob West.
For many of us, investing has been treated as a purely financial activity. But what if it's something more, something deeply connected to our faith and calling? Luke Bolton joins us today to talk about what is often called faith-based investing and why it may be more about theology than strategy. And then it's on to your calls at 800-525-7000. This is Faith and Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial decisions.
Well, it's always a joy to explore how our faith shapes every area of life, including our finances. Luke Bolton joins us today. He serves as executive for strategic relationships here at Kingdom Advisors. He's the co-author, along with our friend Tim McCready, of The Theology of Investing: A Biblical Perspective for Contemporary Investors. Luke, great to have you with us.
Oh, thanks, Rob. It's always a joy. Appreciate you having me on. Luke, for those hearing that title for the first time, give them a vision behind this book. What does it mean to approach investing through a theological lens?
Yeah, great question.
So, when you see a book entitled Theology of Investing, someone might wonder if this is a really complicated book. But actually, it's a short book. It's very accessible, only about 75 pages long when it's all done. And I was talking with a friend recently about the book, and she said. After having looked through it, that this is the most easy-to-read introduction she's ever seen on Christian investing.
And so, at least for her, it's going to become the go-to resource when introducing people to this whole idea of Christian investing for the first time. You know, I think a lot of people, when they are able to look at something like this, are going to be pleased with how much thought has gone into putting it together. You know, These days, you have to say there was no artificial intelligence used in the construction of this book. But it was actually written over an entire year by a group of individuals, including myself. And so the quality and the significance of what actually is said in the book is really, really high.
You know, I would also just note that there is a layer of complexity, sure, because you're actually. Addressing a combination of two different kinds of conceptual worlds. On the one hand, you have an introduction to how the biblical worldview, Christian beliefs, and theology works in everyday life. And then on the other hand, you have this kind of Basic introduction to how the modern investing world works as well. And so the book is purposed to engage readers from both kind of areas, whether their interest is theology and church kind of stuff, background.
Or if they're coming more from a strictly business and finance background and those who might not be deep in either, but interested to see how they work together.
Well, Luke, I think that's a helpful introduction. I'm sure you've gotten our listeners excited about it. And this is an important work. It was so needed. And I appreciate the care that you and the team gave to it.
Let's start with the foundation here. Why should believers care about this conversation in the first place? And why does a theology of investing really matter? Yeah, I think you have a point there, Rob. The case for making this type of a book.
Um it's worth considering. You know, just take a Two minutes and think about why I would want to read a book on this topic. And so I would just start by saying most of the folks listening here today have probably already encountered investing somewhere in their lives, whether Uh by contributing as a newer employee to a retirement plan. Or maybe they're more seasoned or they're experienced with financial advice, and perhaps they have read the newspaper, perhaps they've seen the evening report on the markets. And so I think the why question really begins with wondering about what my Christian faith has to say about.
this thing I've encountered called investing. And then, you know, kind of more pointedly, does the Christian faith that I hold to offer anything distinctive to say about it? That you know, is there just kind of generic? Or is there something more specific coming from Scripture? And so I'm here at the table to say, yes, it does matter.
The bottom line is, if you are a person who confesses Jesus as Lord, that you're inviting him And acknowledging that he is Lord over everything: our money, our savings accounts, our investing. Colossians 3.17. And whatever you do in word or deed, Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. And I believe that everything means everything, including our investments. Luke Bolton is here today.
Luke is a key part of our team here at Kingdom Advisors. He's also the co-author of a new resource called The Theology of Investing: a biblical perspective for contemporary investors. When we come back, we'll get practical. How should this or could this shape your investments in general and the actual investments you select for your portfolio? Don't go anywhere, we're just getting started.
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Our mission is to lead people away from despair and toward the hope of Jesus. Bring emergency aid and the hope of the gospel to a family impacted by the war. Text the word faith to 98656 or visit faithfund.com/slash Lebanon. What does the Christian faith have to say about investing? And does it matter to your portfolio?
Hi, I'm Rob West. Luke Bolton is here today. Luke serves as executive for strategic relationships at Kingdom Advisors. He's also the co-author of a new resource, The Theology of Investing, a Biblical Perspective for Contemporary Investors. And Luke, before the break, you were talking about how everything matters to God, and that includes our investments.
But I want to get practical for a second. How would you distinguish investing shaped by a biblical worldview from investing in general? I love that question, Rob, because it demands an answer. Is there really a difference? Yeah.
I would say that two types of answers come to my mind. First, there's the internal stuff. What's going on in our thoughts, our motivations, in our heart? The answers there are probably familiar to most listening. We need to have a heart of contentment and gratitude for the Lord.
to trust in him, not to trust in the markets. We need to be casting our cares on the Lord, not to worry about what we're going to eat or where in the future, and all those heart-level issues. But secondly, there's the Expression stuff, the outward things as well, how we act in the decision of investing to show what we believe. And so, Um, how much we invest, what we invest in when we buy an investment, that all matters too. And so, certainly, not every Christian is going to agree on exactly how to implement their stewardship in this situation.
Of investing. And one investor will vary from another in terms of their context. But really, over the last 20 to 30 years, we've seen a growing consensus across the Christian community. Emerging in favor of taking meaningful action. through investing.
And it's really showing up in three primary ways. First, some Christians seek to avoid certain investments that hinder the integrity of their faith. Second, other Christians, or maybe the same, will engage opportunities to use their influence as investors For God's purposes. And that's a unique, whole nother topic we won't get into. But the third way it has been showing up is that some.
Have found that they can embrace investments that align especially well with God's heart and the goodness that He intended for all of His world.
So, regardless of the approach, we need to seek the Lord's guidance. What would He have us to do? Yeah, I love that there's a variety of approaches here and that you can actually do it now in a way that wasn't available even just a few years ago. Luke, when someone begins to think this way, How does that perspective start to influence the kinds of investments they choose?
Well, I hope it's beginning to be obvious that this can go far beyond just seeking to avoid harm. It certainly starts there. That's a baseline. But we also need to start asking questions like: how can these investments contribute to the good? To God's purposes for this world.
And that may take more attention and learning to begin to evaluate your options. But scripture invites us: Jeremiah 29:7 says, to seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you. For in its welfare, you will find your welfare. And so we have this invitation to make a difference for good in the world. And Galatians 6:10 similarly exhorts us: So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.
Especially to those who are of the household of faith, And so I'd just love to frame this entire topic around the idea of an invitation. An exhortation, maybe even an opportunity to consider how much glory we can give our Heavenly Father through the way that we invest our resources. not only to give a return for the future, but through the engagement and impact that we can have through those investments as well. Luke, I love this. As we listen to you talk and we think about that we can make a difference for good in the world and that that can include how we deploy capital into productive investments.
It's a beautiful picture. Let's get, though, even more practical. Let's say I'm listening today and I say, yes, Luke, I want to begin moving in this direction. What are some of the first steps that our listeners can take? One They could read a book about investing from a Christian worldview.
They could think for a minute about the investments they may already have and see if they can find out what companies they're already invested in. three, they could seek out good and godly counsel from others. Don't go it alone. It's probably not enough to just tinker around online and try to Google how to make this work. Godly wisdom and accountability is something that comes to us through relationships with friends, counselors.
even advisors. And lastly, Take a simple step. Ask yourself or your advisor, what is the one small step I can take this week? to begin moving in a better direction here. Luke, you mentioned talk to your advisor about this.
What would you say to listeners today who have never talked to their advisor about this? Perhaps they know their advisor is a believer, but this has not come up as a part of their investing options. How would you encourage them to approach that conversation with their advisor? A lot of times advisors are waiting to be asked that question. As we've surveyed the market, This topic of values-aligned investing is most often brought up by clients.
And advisors who are educated and could answer the question sometimes are hesitant to ask. And so I would just encourage our listeners. To go ahead and raise the topic and to say, how might I look at aligning my investments with my values? Yeah, that's really good. Luke, I know you have the opportunity to sit in a seat that surveys the landscape.
You see the growing number of investment solutions that are coming to market literally every week in this area of faith based investing. Are you encouraged by what's happening in this space? Oh my, so much to be encouraged about, Rob. This is just a very upward-trending conversation, both in the pews and among Christians, as well as in the financial industry itself. There is a lot of appetite.
and interest to begin to provide additional solutions. That are frankly going to be game changers bringing this type of Christian-informed investing. To retirement plans, IRAs, Roth IRAs, and brokerage accounts near you. Yeah, very good. Luke, let's begin to tie a bow on this.
As we close, what do you most hope listeners will take away from this conversation? The first main point is that investing isn't just about increasing your wealth. It's really about stewarding what has been entrusted to you faithfully.
So, financial decisions are opportunities for us to consider how we might reflect. God's character. his purposes, his mission in this world. And so that pushes us to go into a whole nother layer of due diligence. You know, I'd rather go to that extra layer of work.
to try to find a faithful Christian asset manager. than to just stay on cruise control. or try to hit an easy button and ignore the potential here. There's a lot of joy, potential joy that I think people are missing out on and that they could be much more engaged with making a difference for good in the world and in the lives of others. That is so well said.
Luke, there is an opportunity for someone listening today who does not have an advisor to find a CKA specifically who works in this area of faith-based investing, right? Absolutely.
So FaithFi has a search engine for a certified Kingdom Advisor. And one of the first questions after you say you want help with investing is to identify that you're looking for an advisor who specializes in faith based investing. FindA CKA.com is that website. Folks, at the end of the day, our portfolios are more than accounts. They're opportunities to participate in God's redemptive work in the world.
Luke, thanks so much for your time today. Thank you, Rob. Happy to share. That's Luke Bolton, Executive for Strategic Relationships at Kingdom Advisors and co-author, along with Tim McCready, of the forthcoming book, Theology of Investing: A Biblical Perspective for Contemporary Investors. Folks, again, if you want to find an advisor who aligns with your faith and values, just go to findacka.com.
That's findacka.com. We'll be back with your questions after this break.
So call right now, 800-525-7000. Or if you'd prefer to email your question, send it to us at askrob at faithfy.com. Stick around. We are grateful for support from Praxis Investment Management. Since 1994, Praxis has offered investment products designed to meet practical needs for everyday investors seeking to steward their assets consistent with their desire to promote positive social and environmental impact.
Praxis aims to bring a faith-based approach to ETFs, mutual funds, multi-fund portfolio solutions, and money market accounts, reflecting their 500-year-old Anabaptist Christian faith tradition. More information is available at PraxisInvest.com. We are grateful for support from Movement Mortgage, who provides residential home loans and reverse mortgage options in all 50 states. Guided by a mission to love and value people, Movement seeks to help individuals and families make informed financial decisions from buying a home to planning for retirement. More information is available at faithfy.com/slash movement.
Movement Mortgage LLC supports equal housing opportunity and NMLS number 39179. For licensing information, visit NMLSconsumerAccess.org. Hey, thanks for joining us today on Faith and Finance. I'm Rob West. We're taking your calls and questions today: 800-525-7000.
You can call right now. Let's go to Texas. Paul, go ahead. Uh yes. If somebody were to open a fraudulent account in your name and social and whatever, What are the chances that it would only show up on one of the credit bureaus and not the other two.
Yeah. Actually, pretty good. Because it really just depends upon which bureaus that particular company reports to. And so, not all creditors report to all three bureaus.
So it very well could just only be on one, which is why, over the course of a year, you really do need to be pulling the reports from all three bureaus. Annualcreditreport.com will let you do that. And you may see one on one and not on the other two.
Some only report to one Bureau, some report to two, but not the third. And so you're not going to get that complete picture unless you have all three. Oh, okay. 'Cause I've every time I've checked mine of the three, I can't recall ever finding an account on one that isn't on the other two, and I'm thinking with computers and everything. That they do a lot of data sharing just for their own mutual benefit.
But apparently, that's not the case. And I got spoiled during COVID when you could go pull your credit report every day. And now we're apparently back to this one-year thing, and I'm going back to my four-month staggering.
So I have a little more radar, so to speak, throughout the year. Yeah, exactly right. And that's a good point. I'm glad you brought that up, Paul. What Paul's referring to, folks, is at annualcreditreport.com, if you can get one per year free, if you pull one of them every four months, then over the course of a year, you'll get all three.
And you're right. In most cases, you're going to see them by having one report. You're going to see everything, but you can't take that for granted.
So ultimately, you need to have all three to have true visibility. Thanks for calling. To Georgia, Rob, go ahead. Hey uh Rob, how you doing? I'm doing great.
Thanks for your call today.
Okay, uh so I'm calling for a friend of mine from high school. Uh she's going to be 62 in July, and uh she wants to retire early because of health reasons. And I think she's misreading into the dot gov for Social Security. She thinks that because her husband still has an annual salary of about sixty thousand dollars a year, That there was going to be a penalty of 85% off for Social Security. Because he's still working.
I said, I don't think that's true, but I'm going to call my buddy Rob and see what he thinks. Got it.
So, yeah, let me just make sure I have the details here. Her husband is still working and plans to for some time. And she's wondering by taking hers early, he's not looking at taking his early, will that impact her benefit? Is that right? Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. It certainly could. There would be essentially two kinds of reductions that we'd be looking at here.
So, full retirement age matters.
So, for someone who's about to be 62, if she takes that early benefit, she's going to get a permanent reduction on her Social Security because she's taking it early that will be about 30% below what she would get at full retirement age, and that's permanent. There's a second reduction that would likely be coming, and that's based on the earnings limit. Because if she is under a full retirement age, there is an earnings limit that she and her husband together, if they're earning more than that, would play into this. Do you have any idea what the salary is? Yeah, it's about sixty thousand, sixty two thousand a year, something like that.
Okay, got it. Yeah. So in this case, you know, his income doesn't affect her earnings limit, even if they file taxes jointly. The earnings limit only looks at the income of the person receiving Social Security.
So that's not going to be an issue. And if he's not taking his early, then that's not going to affect him.
So the only thing she would have is that permanent reduction of about 30% because she's taking it at 62 rather than waiting until 67. Right.
Okay. I totally understand that. He's only fifty eight, so he's got a long ways to go. One last question. Does she qualify for the tax exemption for twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight?
Yeah. Uh so what did you say her age was? She's going to be sixty two in July.
Okay. Yes.
So the new exemption that you've been hearing a lot about, being 62 doesn't necessarily qualify someone for that senior tax deduction.
So the most federal tax benefits for seniors begin at 65, not 62. If that's what you're referring to, that additional standard deduction for seniors is 65 and older, and that's $1,650 per spouse for married couples. Right.
Well, you answered all the questions, and I knew I was right when I told her last night. I'll check with Rob, but I think I'm right. All right, very good. Yeah, if she has further questions, tell her to reach out. We'd be delighted to talk to her.
But yeah, if she's not going to continue working, there's not that additional reduction that would be in play there. Hey, thanks for your call today, Rob. Call anytime. All right, let's head to Texas. Lynette, thanks for your patience.
Go ahead. Hi there. I was wondering why if you bought a car and your note was for four years, if you paid it off within fourteen months, why your credit score goes down about maybe thirty eight points. Yeah, that can be frustrating. And it's actually pretty common when a loan is paid off, especially when it's paid off early.
When the car loan was paid off, that account was closed, which reduces the number of active credit accounts. And the credit scoring models like to see active accounts with payment history.
So, your credit mix, which is one of the five drivers of your score, changed. You didn't do anything wrong. You actually was a good thing. It just changed your credit mix, and you have now less active accounts with history. And so, you know, also we see that the credit score rewards those who have different credit types.
So, a car loan is what's called an installment loan, whereas a credit card is a revolving account. And so if you have mainly credit cards now, your credit mix, by eliminating this installment loan, because now it's no longer active, your credit mix has become less diverse, let's say. Which can temporarily lower your score. Also, the average age of active accounts matters, and that changed it.
Now, the reason it's temporary is Because usually your credit score will stabilize, and even though the loan is closed, the on-time payment history stays on your credit report for up to 10 years. Which continues to help your score.
So I would just say it's nothing to be concerned about. It's probably temporary, but it does happen, and it's for the reasons that I mentioned. Does that make sense? Yep, it sure does.
So I don't need to go buy another car. No, please don't.
Okay. It definitely. You are so welcome. Thanks for your call today.
That's going to do it for us.
So thankful to have you along with us today on Faith and Finance. I'm Rob West. A big thanks to my team today: Pat, Sandy, Devin, Jim, couldn't do it without them, and everybody here at Faith Fi that makes this happen. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye.
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