2022 Cornerstone Recap

This year was probably the first year since COVID that things were back to "normal." Conferences were starting to go back to being in-person. Partway through the years, masks became optional on airplanes. Social distancing is almost non-existent. For me, 2022 flew by. Towards the end of the year, I enjoy looking back to reflect on everything that I did throughout the year. 2022 marked the 3rd year since the Cornerstone Portfolios launched! Starting in March, I was writing two different Cornerstone-specific blogs a month. Just like a did a Cornerstone recap last year, I wanted to do another this year in case you missed anything from the year or wanted to see all the 2022 blogs in one post.

Before I jump into the blog posts, there were two new Cornerstone shirt designs this year. If you'd like to order a FREE Cornerstone t-shirt, just fill out this form:

Here are the two shirt designs from the year (but you can still order the two 2021 designs, but the sizes are limited)

A Study Through the Gospel of Matthew

Instead of doing the individual topical studies each month like I did last year, I decided to focus on one book of the Bible for the whole year. Over the whole year, I covered the whole gospel of Matthew. I know I learned so much through this study, and I hope it was beneficial in some way to you!

You can find all 12 of the Matthew blogs here:

I mentioned above that in March I started writing an additional blog each month. These blogs were focused more on specific aspects of Biblically Responsible Investing and finances in general. The purpose of these blogs were to learn more about why we have Cornerstone and how you can align your faith with your finances. Here are all the mid-month blogs from 2022:

Aligning your investments: Avoid, Embrace, Engage

Our Cornerstone Portfolios have three mandates: avoid, embrace, and engage. In this short blog, I briefly cover what the three mandates are and the reason behind each mandate.

What are you profiting from?

If you are a Christian, it's important to be a good steward of all the resources God has given you. This includes your finances. Investing is important, but it's also important to understand what you're profiting from in those investments. We want to help educate you in what you're invested in. Check out this blog for more:

Looking at the facts (Part 1 & 2)

Back in May, there was a lot of talk about the potential overturning of Roe vs. Wade. Just like with everything we do at SEM, we wanted to provide factual information about what was going on, instead of all the noise in the media. SEM Client Portfolio Manager, Cody Hybiak provided the information on the decision in this blog. I also included some key differences between what Planned Parenthood and Pregnancy Centers offer.

In June, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade with a 5-4 vote, we wrote another blog on what the decision actually means. We also included a section on what Christians can be doing.

BRI & Performance

Since we started offering our Biblically Responsible Investment (BRI) options, the biggest questions centered around performance. Questions like, "Will I have to sacrifice performance if I switch to a BRI portfolio?" Although seeking performance was never our reason behind getting into BRI, we do want to share information about the performance since it's a major obstacle for some. Check out this blog for more:

Companies to 'embrace'

Embrace, the second of the three BRI mandates, is seeking to own companies that align with your values. I provided some examples and included a screening tool we use for our portfolios in this blog:

Advocate for change: Engage

The final BRI mandate, engage, emphasizes working with companies to advocate for positive changes. This mandate really focuses on taking action and pushing companies for change. Check out some examples of this here:

A Biblical Approach to Finance: Attitude

In September, we started a new series, "A Biblical Approach to Finance." When we initially launched the Cornerstone Portfolios, we wanted to help those who serve God reflect that in their finances. Each month, we will be slowly going through the Biblical finance workshop we have, teaching Biblical principles of investing and finances.

The first part focused all on our attitude:

A Biblical Approach to Finance: Giving/Tithing

Talking about money and giving can make people uncomfortable, but it shouldn't! This blog goes hand in hand with our attitude and aligning our finances with God through giving/tithing. Learn how Christians should be giving to God:

A Biblical Approach to Finance: Attitude Framework (Part 1)

The last Biblical finance blog for the year focused on understanding "stuff" and God's attitude. Here is part 1:

Stay tuned in the middle of January for part 2!

Thank you for a great year! I enjoyed sharing this content with everyone and look forward to what 2023 holds! New blog content will start at the beginning of January, so make sure you're subscribed! I hope you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year's! See you in 2023!