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Everyday investors, such as you and I, are able to open up investment accounts rather quickly in today’s day and age. But what about churches? Should churches invest in the stock market? Are they able to have investment accounts? Also, is it ethical, wise, or financially responsible for churches to have investment accounts? These are some of the questions that we will address today!

An even better question to ask is, if a church can have, and would like to have an investment or brokerage account, is there a way to utilize these types of accounts to potentially see increased generosity to the church?

 

So, should Churches Have Investment Accounts?

We will be addressing the following questions in today’s episode (so tune in!):

  • What is an investment account?
  • What is a brokerage account?
  • What is the difference between the two?
  • Can churches open investment/brokerage accounts? 
  • Should Churches open these kinds of accounts?
  • Why should (or shouldn’t) a church open up a brokerage account?
  • Is there something ethically challenging about church funds being in the stock market?
  • If a church chooses to invest extra funds, do you treat and/or service these funds differently than you would a regular investor coming in off the street?   
  • Do you think it is good and wise for a church to hold funds in these types of accounts for things like a building fund, so that their money has the potential of growing, just like mine would in the market?
  • If a church is interested in having an investment/brokerage account, how would one go about setting one up?
  • If a church does have this type of account, what would be the ongoing responsibilities on the church’s behalf to manage it?
  • Does having an investment account mess with the church’s tax exempt status or if/how they need to report anything for tax purposes?
  • The pew-sitter in the church is interested in giving to the church through a transfer of their appreciated stocks and/or mutual funds into the church’s brokerage account. How does someone do this? How does the church benefit?

Interesting Statistic: donating stock to your church allows you to avoid capital gains tax. This means the church gets the full value of your stock – potentially an additional 37% of your donation!

 

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The topics discussed in this podcast are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations.  Investing and investment strategies involve risk including the potential loss of principal. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

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