Catholics Must Not Support Sinful Activities with Investments
It is important to remember that any time you buy a stock, you have become part owner (albeit a minority owner) of the company. The USCCB Investment Guidelines state that as part owners of a company, Catholic shareholders in U.S. corporations must see to it that invested funds are used responsibly.
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These shareholders should not serve as passive actors in the companies in which they invest, but rather utilize their rights and influence to actively encourage firms to serve the common good.
Some activities are never acceptable and some companies are unable or unwilling to change.
In some cases, a company’s primary line of business may be morally objectionable. Such a company would be severely financially damaged or forced to go out of business if it ceased conducting its questionable business activities. In that case, no advocacy effort can succeed. Under these circumstances, there is no alternative but to simply exclude the stock from the list of ethical investments under consideration for the portfolio.
When you invest with us, you will never be invested in any businesses connected to the following:
For a more complete examination of Catholic investment principles, please see our page on the USCCB’s investment guidelines.
Catholic Stock Portfolios: Why Exclusions Are Necessary
Regardless of the reason, some businesses intentionally engage in activities contrary to Church teaching. Unfortunately, a company’s immoral activities make it an illegitimate option for Catholic portfolios. For Catholics concerned with getting a good return on their investments, it can be frustrating to exclude certain high-value stocks and the return they promise. But, for those who believe the promises of Christ, no monetary gain makes complicity with evil worthwhile. Summit’s investing strategies allow Catholics to exclude morally illicit companies without compromising the value of their portfolio.
Excluding equities from businesses engaged in immoral activities does not necessarily reduce your chance of receiving competitive returns.
Our financial advisors have decades of experience managing investment portfolios. We are not a start-up with a big idea or a secular firm masquerading as Catholics. The Summit team understands the stock market and Church teaching. Our portfolios are 100% in accord with the USCCB guidelines and have a track record equaling or exceeding that of most secular portfolios.
While excluding immoral companies is important, it is also important to work with companies that have moral problems in an effort to persuade them to change their ways. This is the point of the advocacy work undertaken by Summit on behalf of our clients. Offending companies are actively engaged at the highest levels of management with arguments intended to show why they will be better off if positive changes are implemented. This work truly drives society in the direction of Catholic morality.