Investing With Progressive Values: New Options for Wespath Participants
Starting in 2026, Wespath participants can have Wespath use Social Value Choice Funds for their Life Stage retirement investments. These funds have stronger environmental and human rights considerations than Wespath’s regular funds. As a result, they do not invest in fossil fuel companies or securities associated with conflict affected areas such as the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.
Disclaimer: WMJM is not providing investment advice, but sharing informational resources about how to make this change. Individuals should consult their investment professionals before making any financial decisions.
Before 2026, clergy and lay participants had limited control over how Wespath invested their retirement funds. The largest part of their pension plan, money contributed by their church or employer, was required to be invested through the Life Stage Management Plan. Life Stage only used Wespath funds with weaker investment screens. Despite participants' values, their pensions were required to be invested in fossil fuel companies and companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.
All Wespath funds exclude investing in certain companies. This includes those engaged in gambling, tobacco, alcohol sales, private prisons, or companies deriving more than 5% of their income from defense spending. The Social Value Choice Funds have all of these exclusions, but they extend their screens further by excluding additional companies connected with fossil fuels or the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
Here’s how to direct Wespath to have its Life Stage Management Plan use its “Social Value Choice Funds” instead of its regular funds.
Option A. Call Wespath at 1-847-866-4100. Have the Wespath representative walk you through changing to the Social Value Choice Funds. (If the rep does not know how to do this, ask for a supervisor.) Prepare for the call by having your computer on and knowing how to log onto the Wespath Benefits Access page. After the call, make sure you get a confirmation from Wespath that the change has been made.
Option B. Work through the following steps on your own.
Log into Wespath’s Benefits Access page
Select the Retirement Tab
Select Accounts under the retirement Tab
Choose Life Stage Investment Options
Select Change Life Stage Personal Investment Profile
Follow the prompts to choose the Social Values Funds option. Then work through the several steps within this option. Make sure you complete the last step.
Verify you get a written confirmation from Wespath. Depending on options you have previously chosen, you will either get an immediate email or a letter by mail within a few days. If you do not get this confirmation, call Wespath.
How to have your change to Social Value Choice Funds happen ASAP. Depending on when you ask Wespath to make this change, it could take Wespath up to 3 months to actually implement it. So, you may want to call Wespath and ask when they will make this change. If you think the time frame is too long, ask to speak with a supervisor. Express your puzzlement about such a simple change taking 2 to 3 months. Share how you feel Wespath is violating your values by leaving your funds invested for several additional months in fossil fuel companies and companies profiting from Israeli occupations. Wespath can actually make the change in a day or two. So get them to do this.
When you choose the Social Value Choice (SVC) Funds option, within 3 months the Life Stage Management Plan will move your investments to:
– SVC Equities Fund, a passively managed global fund
– SVC Bond Fund, an actively managed global fund
– US Treasury Inflation Protection Fund, a passively managed inflation protection fund
For additional information about the Social Values Choice Funds option, see the article on page 5 of Wespath’s recent Dimensions newsletter.
