Are you Pro Life? If so, are you a Pro Life Investor?

Are you a pro-life investor? Like most conscientious Christians, you want to do the right thing in your relationships, in your business and in your investments. Like most Americans who own mutual funds and participate in a variety of financial instruments, including your 401k, you are not really sure how and where you money is invested. You don't know for certain if your money is supporting companies that are involved in all sorts of morally questionable business, from abortion, to the promotion of nonmarital lifestyles. Then one day you learn that one of the best performers in your portfolio is really a hospital or medical organization that allows elective abortion. Your response? Disbelief. Anger. You ask, "Could it possibly be true? Why am I investing in that company?"

These are a few of the comments that I hear from investors when their emotional alarm sounds.

Look around you; moral decay in our society is everywhere. Abortion, pornography, anti-family entertainment; and the promotion of non-marital lifestyles have all evolved into booming industries. Money is needed by virtually every organization, to pay its employees, its bills, to grow, to exist. "Could my money really be supporting these moral cancers?" Yes, it could and most likely does. If you have money invested in a mutual fund that owns stock in these companies, you are a part owner. The shocking fact is that, unknowingly, investors are profiting from and/or supporting these moral and cultural polluters, through their mutual-fund investments. You may say to yourself, "My financial advisor wouldn't put me into something like that," but the reality is most financial and investment advisors do not realize what some of these companies are involved in, and they don't know which portfolios and mutual funds contain these violators.

Perhaps an example or two would help. Let's take the stock of HCA Inc. HCA is a large corporation that owns several hospitals and outpatient surgical centers. This for profit organization allows elective abortions, so this would violate most pro lifer's beliefs. If we look at the top 15 mutual fund owners of the HCA Stock, we will find that several well known mutual funds are the top holders of the stock. The Growth Fund of America (American Funds) at last check owned over 12 million shares. The Investment Company of America (American Funds) held over 7.7 million shares. The Amcap Fund (also American Funds) held 4.8 million shares. The Basic Value (Aim Funds) held over 3.3 million shares and the Cref Stock Account held over 2.6 million shares. There are many more mutual funds that own this stock that we could mention, and the institutional owners represent an even greater proportion. For a second example, let's take a look at the stock of Wyeth, a company that manufactures contraceptives. If we look at some of the top holders of the stock they include the Cref Stock Account with over 12 million shares, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund with over 11.5 million shares, Fidelity Magellan with over 11 million shares, the Putnam Voyager Fund with 8 million shares, Alliance Growth and Income with over 5.7 million shares, Morgan Stanley Dividend Growth with over 5 million shares, and these are just a sampling of the mutual fund owners. Institutional ownership is represented by such companies as Barclays Global Investors with over 71 million shares, Wellington with over 34 million shares, Alliance Capital Management with over 32 million shares, TIAA/Cref with over 20 million shares, Goldman Sachs with over 19 million, Smith Barney Asset Management with over 15 million shares, Capital Research and Management (American Funds) with over 14 million shares, and Lord Abbett with over 14 million. Again there are many more mutual funds and institutions that own these shares of a " violating company." This is public information, and many cases can be found by going to the company's website, where it is shown as publicly disclosed equity holdings.

You may have been one of those brave persons that stood outside in the cold weather to pray at Planned Parenthood or you may have participated at the pro-life rally, only to return home to a mutual fund statement, retirement plan report or stock brokerage statement on the counter that actually violated the very reason that you were trying to stand up for. It has been my experience that most people, and especially well meaning pro-life people, do not want to unconsciously support a culture of death by investing in companies like this, and they want to know about how to do something about it!

So what to do? First, consider doing a moral audit. There are mechanisms for screening mutual funds and investments to see if and where they might violate. Second, write to these corporations to challenge them to discontinue their practices, especially the funding of Planned Parenthood. Third, have a shareholder resolution drafted to be presented to the Corporation's Board of Directors at their annual meeting asking them to change. Fourth, seek out Mutual Funds and Investments that do not violate. Fifth, ask your employer to consider adopting or allowing some morally responsible investments as part of the portfolio.

We provide a testing and selection process to serious and interested people and will provide a detailed list of the stocks of companies that violate in the areas of abortion, contraception, pornography, anti-family entertainment, anti-family lifestyle, gambling, alcohol and tobacco. This would include a complete list of corporations that have made contributions to Planned Parenthood within the past five years and have stated that they will not discontinue.

Perhaps your investment in your mutual fund, retirement plan or stock brokerage account actually may been in a company that helped fund Planned Parenthood. We believe that you can make a difference by refusing to invest in the companies that violate. We will provide our list of corporations that have contributed to Planned Parenthood and will ask for a free-will donation which will help continue to work on these issues and to help educate the public. So what is Morally Responsible Investing? Values-Based Investing allows the concerned investor to set up moral guidelines, which are used by investors or the advisor to evaluate, choose and monitor investments that are consistent with their belief system, as well as their financial objectives.

Compliments of Kalos Investment Insights, Inc. - www.kalosinsights.com