The Catholic Investor: Some Great Investment Ideas

On January 22, the Catholic Church in the United States observes a “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children”. As a past president and former board member of Wisconsin Right to Life, this day is especially meaningful to me.

And, somewhat oddly, it inspired me today to share some rather different investment ideas. What companies are “doing good” as part of their business?

As discussed in prior articles, the USCCB’s investment guidelines call for the avoidance of evil, but also for doing good.

Usually, when I talk about these instructions, I will discuss the various activities that mandate a company’s exclusion from the list of acceptable investments (avoid evil) and about the need to engage other companies in dialogue to lead them to clean up their practices which are less than totally acceptable (doing good). Both are important and necessary for an investor to be considered as following the USCCB guidelines.

Sometimes when I speak with prospective clients, they want to know what companies are available for investment that are doing good as part of their business. The short answer is that most publicly traded companies are doing good in one way or another. And, as suggested above, that activity needs to be encouraged and anything contrary weeded out.

The greatest evil in our country

In my opinion, abortion is the greatest evil plaguing our country. Since the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade, it is estimated that abortion has killed more than 63 million babies (and that number is out of date and admittedly doesn’t include all abortions).

The FDA’s easing of restrictions on the distribution of abortion pills has made matters worse. Now, with the legality of abortion having been returned to the states after the overturning of the Roe v. Wade ruling, the battle against legalized abortion continues.

The great investment idea

And here’s the “great investment idea” part: If you have a set amount that you commit to investments every month, add an additional amount that you invest in (donate to) a pro-life organization. There are many great ones. Some are local and some national.

Here is a list (surely not exhaustive) to get you started:

• National Right to Life (nrlc.org)
• Americans United for Life (aul.org)
• Students for Life of America (studentsforlife.org)
• Live Action (liveaction.org)
• American Life League (all.org)
• American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (tfp.org)
• Heartbeat International (heartbeatinternational.org)
• Women’s Care Center (womenscarecenter.org)
• There are many more possibilities if you wish to do further research. As should always be done when donating to a charity, make sure that you’re comfortable with the activities of these organizations and with the way they handle their finances.

What if you simply can’t come up with additional money above and beyond what you’re currently allotting to investments?

There’s an old saying: time is money. Perhaps, instead of money, you could find a local pro-life organization that would benefit from your expertise and experience. That’s certainly of value, too, and sometimes even more valuable than a cash donation.

Lastly, if both time and money are in short supply, then a Rosary or Memorare for an end to abortion is a worthwhile option.

Through the efforts of organizations like those listed above, helped by you, it is possible that one day the scourge of abortion can be lifted from the United States. That would be an amazing return on your investment.

“And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.” Matthew 18:5

Post from: Insights