Ron
   Robins
     MBA

 Founder
& Analyst

Media Coverage of Investing for the Soul

• Report on Business Television's Business Morning

• CBS MarketWatch

• The Financial Post

• Rogers Television's Money Line

• CBC Radio One's Metro Morning

• 680 News Radio

• New Directions Magazine

• Environmental News Network Radio

• The Catholic Register
                    More...

Editorials

• LOHAS - opportunities for ethical investors
• Everyone becoming a Cultural Creative
• Retiring the GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
• The Media & Government Statistics
• Unethical US Job Numbers?
• Unethical Statistics – the US consumer price index?

Shareholder Values

"88% of respondents felt
that it was either “fairly” or “very” important for companies to take environmental, social and governance issues seriously'"
-- F&C Investments
    (UK) May 2008

84% of Canadian shareholders agreed with this statement: "[The] financial community should pay more attention to social and environmental performance when valuing companies."
-- GlobeScan
    (Canada) February 2004

MMA survey: Most Americans do NOT separate their faith and personal finances

Survey finds “enormous potential” for further growth of religious investing; most religious and non-religious investors hold firm to same standards

Goshen, Ind. – More than half of all investors – including three out of five who are religious – would like to make their religious beliefs and other personal values part of the process when deciding how to invest and make other financial choices, according to a new national opinion survey released today by MMA.

MMA’s new report, “Where Faith and Wall Street Intersect,” analyzes data from an Opinion Research Corporation International (ORCI) survey of 1,141 U.S. investors.

MMA President & CEO Howard L. Brenneman said, “The facts are now in: The vast majority of U.S. investors are guided in their financial decisions by a spiritual life and ethical concerns. The result is that faith and money are just as inseparable today as they were 2,000 years ago. In biblical times, people of faith were guided by their beliefs on questions of wealth and how it was to be used. In fact, some theologians calculate that the New Testament gives more instruction on money and resources than most other issues.”

“Many in the financial world mistakenly see religion and values mixing with investing only for a small niche of investors,” commented John L. Liechty, MMA senior vice president of financial services. “This survey reveals that religion and ethical issues are cutting a much wider swath across investing than previously was understood. If anything, the data suggest that this trend is gaining speed and will become even more pronounced in the future.”

Key findings

Highlights of the ORCI survey findings:

• The vast majority of U.S. investors are religious. Eight out of 10 (79 percent) investors describe themselves as religious or spiritual. Women are more likely to characterize themselves as religious or spiritual than are men; 83 percent compared to 74 percent. The only significant factor by race is among African Americans, 90 percent of whom classify themselves as religious or spiritual. The large majority of investors identified themselves with one of three Christian traditions: Protestant, Catholic, and fundamentalist Christian.
• Most religious Americans who invest combine faith with their finances. Three out of five (62 percent) religious Americans who currently invest exercise their faith or personal ethical values in financial decision-making or are inclined to do so. This compares to only 33 percent of non-religious investors exhibiting a tendency to combine their personal values in their financial decision-making process.
• More than half of all U.S. investors make faith or personal values part of their financial decision-making process. More than half (56 percent) of all U.S. Investors (including those who are not religious) incorporate their personal ethical values into financial decisions or are inclined to do so.
• Women are significantly more likely than men to combine religion and investing. The survey data show that nearly two out of three (63 percent) women are interested in incorporating their faith into financial decisions, compared to just under half (49 percent) of all men. Conversely, men are more likely than women to say their religious beliefs do not come into play by a margin 48 percent versus 32 percent.
• There is considerable room for further growth of religious investing alternatives. More than four out of five (81 percent) investors have not heard of religiously oriented mutual funds. However, over half (56 percent) of religious investors who currently are unaware of such funds would be at least somewhat likely to consider purchasing the financial products upon learning more about them. Respondents that show above-average interest in religiously oriented mutual funds include those between the ages of 25 to 44 (55 percent), African Americans (65 percent), and those with minor children in the household (57 percent).
• Religious and non-religious investors share similar outlooks on key issues. The top five corporate ethical issues – product safety, involvement in sweatshops, environmental impact, labor relations, and equal employment opportunity – are the same for religious and non-religious investors. However, religious investors are somewhat more likely to avoid investments in the traditional “sin” industries (alcohol, gambling, and tobacco), as well as companies producing abortion-related products. Among religious investors, fundamentalist Christians are the most passionate about corporate ethical issues. This group differed from other religious respondents in that one of their top five ethical concerns is corporate involvement in the production of abortion products.