Category Archives: tax planning

“Lobbying” for Morally Responsible Investing

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It’s been an embarrassing time for Hobby Lobby, the retail store chain that had most of us cheering when they took their case against the Obamacare mandate all the way to the Supreme Court. Regardless if Hobby Lobby wins in court what promises to be a landmark case exempting it from abiding by the HHS mandate, the company has other issues to address internally.

Hobby LobbyAfter a little digging into Hobby Lobby’s 401(k) plan, Mother Jones, a nonprofit news organization that specializes in investigative, political, and social justice reporting uncovered that the closely-held company’s 401(k) employee retirement plan held more than $73 million in mutual funds with investments in companies that produce emergency contraceptive pills, intrauterine devices, and drugs commonly used in abortions. Hobby Lobby makes matching contributions to their company-sponsored 401(k).

Considering the investment the Green family has made fighting the mandate, the story is likely more unfortunate than hypocritical. It didn’t need to happen! And what’s worse, other pro-life companies and ordinary pro-life investors all have an easy choice – there are pro-life investment funds that screen out stocks of companies that may be engaged in Planned Parenthood, certain abortion drugs, or embryonic stem cell research. If this news about Hobby Lobby has made you uncomfortable about your retirement plan choices, you are not alone. Fortunately, we have a policy of preventing our investors from making morally objectionable investments.

The Stewardship Foundation is adamant about carefully selecting our investment portfolios. We guide our donors and partner nonprofit organizations to practice morally responsible investing that matches the foundation’s call to Christian conscience. And we do this with no sacrifice in investment returns. If you or your organization is unsure whether or not your portfolio matches your morals, we are happy to assist you make that determination.

The following is a summation of the companies behind the Hobby Lobby debacle:

“These companies include Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, which makes Plan B and ParaGard, a copper IUD, and Actavis, which makes a generic version of Plan B and distributes Ella. Other stock holdings in the mutual funds selected by Hobby Lobby include Pfizer, the maker of Cytotec and Prostin E2, which are used to induce abortions; Bayer, which manufactures the hormonal IUDs Skyla and Mirena; AstraZeneca, which has an Indian subsidiary that manufactures Prostodin, Cerviprime, and Partocin, three drugs commonly used in abortions; and Forest Laboratories, which makes Cervidil, a drug used to induce abortions. Several funds in the Hobby Lobby retirement plan also invested in Aetna and Humana, two health insurance companies that cover surgical abortions, abortion drugs, and emergency contraception in many of the health care policies they sell.”

— Mother Jones Article ‘Hobby Lobby’s Hypocrisy: The Company’s Retirement Plan Invests in Contraception Manufacturers’, April 1, 2014

— Patrick Finneran

April is the Cruelest Month

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“April is the cruelest month,
breeding lilacs out of the dead land,
mixing memory and desire,
stirring dull roots with spring rain.”

― T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land

I am often reminded of this quotation by renowned poet T.S. Eliot around tax filing time. These lines talk about the expectations and disillusionments that can befall the investment decisions that are revealed in your tax returns.

snow irisSome of your investments unexpectedly become “lilacs out of the dead land…” Whether by your efforts or those of your financial partner they yield the positive results your desire. Your tax return can also revive memories of poor decisions and lost opportunities… “mixing memory and desire”

Whether you were pleased with your investment returns this year or not, you know that tax laws continually change. However, there remains one constant — charitable giving. Giving always yields positive results! Your giving affects the bottom line of the charities you support, and it changes lives of real people in ways most of us will never know. The way you give can also affect your financial health. For example:

  • If you bought or sold property this past year but did not go through the Stewardship Foundation, you might have missed some important tax benefits.
  • If you are holding onto property or a business because the market does not favor selling, you might benefit from alternative options the Stewardship Foundation can suggest.
  • If you tried to support a charity or non-profit using non-cash assets, but your preferred charity or non-profit was not in a position to receive it, you should contact the Stewardship Foundation for our assistance.

The Stewardship Foundation can work with donors and investors of most charities and non-profits. We are experienced at stirring dull roots with spring rain. Now is the time to plan and to explore your investment options for the 2104 tax year. Now is the time that your charities and non-profits need your financial support.

Taxing Weather

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Those of us in Central Ohio saw temperatures see-saw from well below zero to well above zero this winter, but mostly below. If you are like me, you too are wondering if spring will ever come. The calendar says March, but the temperature shouts January. To add to the misery (for some), it’s also tax season.

Uncle SamOur unusually cold winter doesn’t necessarily mean that next winter will be as cold, or as erratic, or as depressing. And the same holds true for tax returns. If after navigating your 2013 tax forms you were disappointed with the return, or regret any of 2013’s financial decisions in regards to charity (Form 990) or income (1040), or business (2106), you don’t have to repeat last year’s actions. There are ways to avoid paying taxes.

Before you call the sheriff, there’s a difference between tax evasion and tax avoidance. Tax evasion is breaking the law and is illegal; tax avoidance is minimizing your taxes through legitimate means and is totally legal.

Judge Learned Hand (1872 – 1961) famously wrote: “Anyone may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the Treasury; there is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes.”

The wise judge is right. So we remind you once again to contact the Stewardship Foundation. As a public foundation, we can offer anyone (you don’t have to be wealthy) possible tax avoidance scenarios customized to your individual financial needs, as well as the needs of your family or business. Developing a strategy now lays the foundation for a happy 2014 tax return next year.

Oh, and about that spring—according the Old Farmers Almanac, the rest of March is expected to have an average temperature of 42 degrees, with rain and snow through March 9, followed by sun and showers, then a few flurries around the 22nd – 24th, and finally mild temps. April is forecasted to be 4 degrees above normal. Alleluia!