WELS INVESTMENT FUNDS
INVESTMENT INFORMATION
Download the annual report, the most recent audited financials, and the investment policy statement.
Our Mission
As an affiliate of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, WELS Investment Funds provides cost-effective, professionally managed investment portfolios exclusively for WELS and affiliated organizations. WELS Funds are designed primarily for the investment needs of endowment funds and scholarship funds that strengthen and enhance our ministry as a whole.
About WELS Investment Funds
About
The mission of WELS Investment Funds is to strengthen and enhance the ministry of WELS and WELS-affiliated organizations by providing professionally managed investment portfolios.
Board of Directors
WELS Investment Funds is governed by an independent board whose directors are members of WELS congregations and who are elected by the Synodical Council.
Officers & Staff
The day-to-day affairs are carried out by its officers and other WELS employees. For administrative convenience, efficiency, and cost effectiveness purposes, WELS Investment Funds leases its personnel from WELS. WELS also provides services relating to the processing of transactions, preparing investor account statements, and the preparation of corporate financial statements.
Investment Advisors
WELS Investment Funds has retained Vanguard Institutional Advisory Services® (VIAS) as its primary investment advisor. VIAS assists the board in implementing WELS Investment Funds’ investment policies by focusing on controlling three primary factors: risk through asset allocation and diversification, selection of quality investment managers, and investment-related costs.
Contact
A representative of WELS Investment Funds is available to answer your questions about WELS Funds. To request a copy of the WELS Investment Funds Annual Report, ask a question, or schedule a visit for your organization, please call Jim Holm, CFP®, or Monica Peavy at 877-888-8953.
FAQs
What are the benefits of investing through WELS Investment Funds?
- WELS Investment Funds was incorporated as a support services subsidiary of WELS in 1997. As of June 30, 2023, it managed $297 million for 255 WELS and affiliated ministries, including WELS Foundation, Martin Luther College, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Luther Preparatory School, Michigan Lutheran Seminary, WELS Home and World Missions, several area Lutheran high schools, and more than 200 congregations.
- WELS Investment Funds provides cost-effective, professionally managed investment portfolios exclusively for WELS and affiliated ministries. By pooling our God-given talents and resources, we can take advantage of lower-cost, institutionally priced investment opportunities that are not available to smaller investment accounts. As more congregations and organizations invest in WELS Investment Funds, the cost-reduction benefits increase. It’s a way we can support each other.
- WELS Investment Funds is easy to use. Executive Director Jim Holm, an employee of WELS, can meet with your organization (in person or via phone or video) to discuss the various investment options available through WELS. Our investor services specialist, Monica Peavy, is also available to guide you through the steps to open and maintain an investment account.
Who can invest in the WELS Funds?
Any 501(c)(3) organization that is a WELS or Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) ministry or a ministry in fellowship with WELS can invest in WELS Funds. This includes any ministry listed in the WELS Yearbook or otherwise approved by the WELS Conference of Presidents.
Individuals may not invest in WELS Funds, nor can organizations in the following states: Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, or Virginia.
How are the funds managed?
The WELS Investment Funds Board of Directors has retained Vanguard Institutional Advisory Services® as its investment consultant. As a co-fiduciary, the investment consultant assists the board in implementing investment policies by focusing on three primary factors: risk through asset allocation and diversification, selection of quality investment managers, and investment-related costs.
This benefits the ministries that invest in the WELS Funds in several ways:
- Vanguard is a leader in providing institutions with diversified investment strategies using world-class active and passive investment strategies.
- Vanguard is owned by its mutual fund investors, resulting in low investment fees—leaving more returns for WELS investors.
- Our Vanguard senior investment consultant works exclusively with nonprofits and regularly meets with our board to review portfolio performance and provide Vanguard’s market and economic outlook.
What are the investment options?
The WELS Balanced Fund seeks to reduce potential volatility by including fixed income securities. It is composed of 60 percent equity and 40 percent fixed income and has a mid- to long-range investment time horizon.
The WELS Endowment Fund seeks to maximize the long-term growth of principal and is designed primarily for endowment funds. It is composed of 75 percent equity and 25 percent fixed income and has a long-range investment time horizon.
The WELS Equity Fund seeks long-term capital growth by investing in a portfolio of equity securities that is well diversified by industry and company size. It is composed of 100 percent equities and has a long-range investment time horizon.
The WELS Income Fund seeks to provide income by investing primarily in investment-quality debt securities. It is composed of 100 percent fixed income securities and has a short- to mid-range investment time horizon.
The WELS Balanced Fund and WELS Endowment Fund invest in differing ratios of the same underlying mutual funds as the WELS Equity Fund and WELS Income Fund. The WELS Equity Fund and WELS Income Fund are for those ministries who desire an asset allocation other than the WELS Balanced Fund and WELS Endowment Fund.
What are the fees and expenses?
All direct expenses and any expenses allocated by WELS related to the operation of WELS Investment Funds (e.g., rent for office space; utilities; and financial, technological, and human resources expenses) are charged directly to the WELS Funds. While these expenses vary from year to year, for the fiscal year 2024, they are anticipated to be 0.17% of the assets in the WELS Funds.
All mutual funds that comprise the WELS Funds have investment expenses significantly below the industry average. The weighted average expense ratios are as follows:
- WELS Balanced Fund: 0.15%
- WELS Endowment Fund: 0.17%
- WELS Equity Fund: 0.20%
- WELS Income Fund: 0.07%
How frequently are WELS Funds’ additions or redemptions processed?
WELS Funds’ transactions are processed on the first business day of each month. Additions and/or redemption requests must be received by WELS Investment Funds at least one business day prior to month-end for processing. Funds received prior to month-end will be held in a non-interest-bearing cash account until processed. Redemption proceeds will be deposited in the organization’s bank account via direct deposit.
How do you open an account?
A custodial agreement and custodial account worksheet must be completed to establish a new account. All investments made pursuant to the custodial agreement will be held in the name of WELS Investment Funds (or such other entity selected by WELS Investment Funds) as nominee for the organization, with actual ownership of the investments remaining in the organization. Each organization investing in the WELS Funds will be assigned an interest (an “Ownership Interest”) in the assets of each chosen WELS Fund reflecting the pro rata interest of the organization in the assets of the particular WELS Fund. The value of the organization’s Ownership Interest may fluctuate as the value of the particular WELS Fund fluctuates.
Most recent annual report
New or existing account forms
Contact us
What is the minimum investment to open an account?
The minimum to open an account is $10,000.
Investment Cost Calculator
WELS Investment Funds online access
Monthly market values and transaction activity are available online. For login instructions, please contact Monica Peavy at [email protected].
Latest WELS Investment Funds Quarterly Update Video
WELS Investment Funds: A Strong Partner in Ministry
WELS Investment Funds: Here to Serve You
WELS Church Extension Fund
WELS Church Extension Fund exists to provide loans and grants to qualified mission congregations so they can acquire land and build or renovate ministry facilities—used as tools for gospel outreach.
WELS Foundation
WELS Foundation exists to assist God’s people in support of God’s ministry through the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
WELS Investment Funds
As an affiliate of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, WELS Investment Funds provides cost-effective, professionally managed investment portfolios exclusively for WELS and affiliated organizations.
