Wespath Benefits and Investments

Wespath Benefits and Investments (formerly General Board of Pension and Health Benefits) is a non-profit agency that has been serving the United Methodist Church for over a century. In accordance with its fiduciary duties, Wespath administers benefit plans and invests approximately $23 billion in assets for over 100,000 participants and over 100 United Methodist-affiliated institutions. Wespath Benefits and Investments maintains the largest reporting faith-based pension fund in the world, which is among the top 100 pension funds in the United States. Its sustainable investment activities are carried out by Wespath Investment Management, the agency’s investments division. Wespath supervises and administers retirement plans, investment funds and health and welfare benefit plans for active and retired clergy and lay employees of the Church.

Established in 1908 its current head office is in Glenview, Illinois.^[1]

The Wespath Mission

Wespath cares for those who serve by providing investment and benefit services that honor the mission and principles of The United Methodist Church.

Sustainable Investment

Wespath follows the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.^[2] It identifies several countries as having "prolonged and systematic patterns of human rights violations."^[3]

These countries include the Central African Republic, Israel, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia.^[4] A total of 44 companies are excluded from its investment funds including all of Israel's major banks. The board also excludes a further nine companies due to their contribution to global warming.^[5][6]

References