Stewardship Through Proxy Voting with Jerry Bowyer

But if you're invested through mutual funds or ETFs, you hand that vote over to someone else—often a fund manager or institution. And unless you know how they’re voting, your values may not be represented at all.

Many Christian ministries, nonprofits, and even pro-life organizations are unknowingly voting against their own missions. Why? Because they either don’t engage in proxy voting or delegate it without vetting the recipient’s values.

How Can Investors Reclaim Their Voice?

Proxy statements are often long, complex, and written in confusing legal language. For that reason, many advisors default to saying, “Just let the client decide,” rather than helping them engage meaningfully.

They offer audits to show investors how they’ve been voting—often to their shock. They’ve never done one where people weren’t stunned by what they saw.

Mutual Funds, ETFs, and the Challenge of Indirect Ownership

If you're invested through mutual funds or ETFs, you're likely not voting directly. However, that doesn't mean you're powerless. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• You can request data on how your funds are voting. Bowyer Research tracks that.
   
• You can explore “direct indexing” solutions—an increasingly available strategy that allows you to own shares directly and reclaim your voting rights.
   
• You can ask your advisor questions. “How am I voting?” is a simple but powerful question. If your advisor can’t answer it, that’s a red flag.

What You Can Do Today

• Ask your advisor how your shares are being voted. If they don’t know, press in.
• Get an audit of your proxy voting records through BowyerResearch.com.
• Talk to companies, not just about them. Change happens through engagement, not complaint.

On Today’s Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:

• I'm 27 and own 20 acres of land. Should I use the land as collateral for a house loan, or use my saved money to get a bigger loan and increase my land's equity?
• I opened a Roth IRA with National Life Group in 2013. It's past the surrender fee date, but it's not earning me much. I'll be 66 in July, and I'm single with no one to depend on. I also have another annuity with F and G that I'm not happy with. What should I do with these investments?

Resources Mentioned:

• Faithful Steward: FaithFi’s New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)
• Bowyer Research
• Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money (Pre-Order)
• Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety
• Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool
• Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)
• FaithFi App