On November 1, 2019, the Foundation will move its investments to Wespath Institutional Investments. Wespath may be familiar to many as they manage the pension benefits for the conference clergy and are highly trusted.
After a diligent review of multiple investment companies, the Board of Trustees of the Foundation voted to move the assets to Wespath. They are a leader in the investment industry and pioneer in providing sustainable and socially responsible investing in accordance with the Book of Discipline. The Board believes this relationship will help the Foundation better serve its churches and investment accounts. In cooperation with Wespath, the Foundation will be able to offer competitive investment returns as well as quarterly updates and investment trainings.
“I am excited about this new beginning for the Foundation and our partner churches and organizations,” Rev. Dr. Dustin Petz, President of the Foundation said. "This new relationship will provide strong returns, plus many other value-added benefits for our ministry.”
With this new relationship, the Foundation now will be offering an additional fund option, the Balanced Fund. It seeks to maximize long-term investment returns, while reducing short-term risk by investing in a broad mix of investments. This fund provides a simple solution for long-term legacy investments, with an asset allocation of 65% Equity and 35% Fixed Income.
“Working with Wespath will simplify the investing process, allowing us to focus more on helping people leave a lasting legacy to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world," Petz said.
The Foundation will continue to offer the flexible option of choosing percentage allocations with the Equity, Fixed-Income, and Short Term Funds to meet investments needs, if the Balanced Fund is not preferred.
For churches and organizations who are already invested with the Foundation, there will be no cost incurred from the change and no action is required unless they would like to move to the Balanced Fund or change the asset allocation on their accounts. The Foundation staff would be happy to discuss the new fund offering and the asset allocation that may be best for the church’s investments. This spring the Foundation plans to have a representative from Wespath available at regional meetings across Kansas, as well as at Annual Conference in May 2020. Details and dates for the meetings will be released at the beginning of the new year.
If you have any questions, would like to meet with the Foundation regarding the fund options, or are interested in investing with the Foundation, please contact our office at 620-664-9623 or foundation@kaumf.org.
