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As Christians, we have certain duties: to be obedient, generous and always honest, to be like Christ and to do His will. How does that extend to our investing? Robert Netzly joins Rob West today to discuss that. Robert Netzly is CEO ofInspire Investing, an underwriter of this program. WHAT IS THE DUTY OF A CHRISTIAN INVESTOR? Many will answer that question by referencing the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, believing that the answer is to be a careful but assertive investor, earning high returns while minimizing risk. There is certainly some truth to that, but that doesn’t paint a complete picture. Consider also the need to clean the inside of the cup. Matthew 23:25-28:Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. What are the companies INSIDE your portfolio and what products and services are they selling? We must first ensure that we invest in activities that glorify God, avoiding investments in immoral businesses. And then we can move on to consider the outside of the cup, shrewdly managing our portfolio for optimal financial returns. EASIER SAID THE DONE? YES. BUT DOABLE. Yes, this is a higher calling, a harder job and greater responsibility than what the secular investor is faced with. But we serve a perfect God who calls us to be perfect even as He is perfect, so we shouldn’t expect obedience to be easy. Thankfully, He also promises to give wisdom to those who ask and to be with us always, even unto the end of the age. He also promises grace and forgiveness for all those who have trusted in Jesus when we inevitably fall short. A good investment steward seeks to glorify God by simultaneously ensuring the companies he or she invests in align with God’s values while also earning respectable returns. Between the two objectives of holiness and profit, the Bible tells us that we should give priority to holiness. Proverbs 16:9 clearly spells this out, Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. COMPANIES THAT DON’T HONOR GOD Robert Netzly says one example of a company that does not honor God would beAmazon. - 16 counts of LGBT Philanthropy - 3 counts of LGBT legislation - Counts of LGBT Promotion Another bad company would be Johnson Johnson: - 1 count Abortifacients - 1 count embryonic cell research COMPANIES THAT ARE DOING GOOD IN THE WORLD A good example would beCostco: - 13 counts of positive action with 0 negative - 5 counts of positive environmental action - 5 counts of positive social; action CLEANING THE INSIDE OF THE CUP What is a good way for a Christian investor to get started cleaning the inside of his cup? A good first step is to discover what’s really going on inside your portfolio using technology likeinspireinsight.comor talking with a Christian financial advisor specially trained in biblically responsible investing likeInspire Advisors. Making a bunch of money from immoral activities does not please or honor God. Likewise, making investments in companies with good morals but terrible business results that do nothing but make bad products and lose money is also poor stewardship and is not honoring to God. The resources at InspireInvesting.com can help us find companies that are in that sweet spot, engaged in activities that honor God, but also managing their companies well and producing products and services that give a return on investment. Thanks for dropping by, Robert. LISTENER QUESTIONS On today’s program, Rob also answers listener questions: ●How can you find the best possible option for a home loan? ●Do you have to refinance your FHA mortgage to get rid of private mortgage insurance? Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000 or email them toQuestions@MoneyWise.org. Also, visit our website atMoneyWise.orgwhere you can connect with a MoneyWise Coach, join the MoneyWise Community, and even download the free MoneyWise app. Like and Follow us on Facebook atMoneyWise Mediafor videos and the very latest discussion!Remember that it’s your prayerful and financial support that keeps MoneyWise on the air. Help us continue this outreach by clicking theDonate tab on our websiteor in our app. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1085/29