It’s an old axiom that you shouldn’t talk religion or politics if you want to keep things peaceful. But advisors who hew to that line on religion may do so to the detriment of their relationships, according to Crossmark Global Investments in Houston.
Investors under 50 with a religious affiliation say they invest with those religious values in mind, according to a recent survey by Crossmark, a global investment firm focusing on faith-based and values investing. And yet the advisors for 73% of those clients have not asked about their religious values or whether those values should be taken into consideration when investing.
Older investors were the least likely to have discussed religious values with their advisors. Ninety percent of those over 50 said they had not been asked about their values compared with roughly 40% of investors aged 23 to 34.
Religiously affiliated millennials are particularly concerned about adhering to their values, the survey said. Sixty-three percent of millennials, those born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, reported that it is extremely or very important to them that their financial advisor share those principles.
The survey included 1,008 adults who said they were affiliated with a religion and who had $250,000 in investable assets.
Crossmark cited a recent Pew study that showed about 72% of Americans being affiliated with a religion.
“Over the last decade or more, people have realized they can combine their religious values with their investing,” said Victoria Fernandez, chief market strategist at Crossmark. “It was surprising to us to see that investing by religious values was more important to millennials.”
“This is about trust,” she added. “Many people want their doctors and their children’s teachers and now their financial advisors to share their values. If they do not share these values, it will not be a longstanding relationship.”
“I am not surprised Christians want to live their lives faithfully and want their values expressed,” said Nathan Manahan, investment strategist with Ronald Blue Trust in Alpharetta, Ga., which specializes in investing by biblical principles. “But it does not get brought up because advisors hesitate to talk about religion.”
By considering faith-based principles, “you are by definition complicating the situation. You can make a case for almost any company or investment based on religious principles or governance or environmental principles. The advisor then has to delve deeper into what the client wants,” Manahan added.
Investing with religion in mind usually involves exclusionary screens eliminating such things as alcohol, tobacco and gambling interests from investments. In the survey, adult entertainment took over the top spot for the investments people want to avoid.
Discussions about religious values are often avoided in business settings, but Fernandez said she did not feel investors would be offended if an advisor asked about what values they want included in their investment options.
Investors said they feel aligning their portfolio with their values will make achieving their investment goals easier, with younger investors feeling more strongly.
“Clearly, investors care deeply about aligning their investments with their values, and they are paying attention to how they are invested,” said Michael Kern, president and CEO of Crossmark. “Religious values are at the heart of how many people live their lives, and it is important for advisors to recognize what their clients value.”