When it comes to retirement and group benefit plans, Envoy Financial understands the unique needs of missionaries, missionary couples and mission-sending agencies. We know that even within the world of Christian ministries, mission-sending agencies have specific and unique needs when it comes to finances and planning for retirement.

In 1989, God used a missionary couple in Timbuktu with Mission Aviation Fellowship to open the eyes of our CEO to the financial situation of Christians in ministry and their need for counsel and planning assistance. God prompted our CEO and Executive Director to start Envoy Financial to help Christian men and women serving ministry organizations be better prepared for retirement and better financial stewards with their resources.

For almost 20 years, Envoy Financial has served the retirement and group benefits needs of ministries making a difference for Christ around the world. We know that, as Christians, retirement is not only a reward for past service, but a stepping-stone to future ministry. We are thankful that as a support ministry we can contribute to the financial peace of mind of those working on the front lines for the cause of Christ. Envoy exclusively serves Christian ministries and has the privilege of serving over 7,000 Christian Ministry Professionals in 37 countries. Our ministry is to serve your ministry!

The following are ten areas where Envoy Financial understands the needs of Missionary Agencies better than local financial planners or large corporations.  Click on any of the titles to access the details of the specific subject.

1. Envoy Financial understands the importance of the new Roth 403(b) for Missionaries.
2. Envoy Financial understands the technical and legislative aspects of 403(b) plans.
3. Envoy Financial’s delivery system allows us to reach beyond our immediate community to the entire United States and the world.
4. Envoy Financial effectively and securely communicates with missionaries in restricted areas without compromising their security and safety.
5. Envoy Financial serves missionaries overseas with online enrollment for retirement plans and personal access to their retirement plan information.
6. Envoy Financial understands how to fully utilize the special tax advantages available to missionaries such as the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and Housing Allowance.
7. Envoy Financial offers online account access to all retirement plan participants enabling them to access, monitor, and manage their investments from anywhere in the world.
8. Envoy Financial provides unbiased personal financial counsel to plan participants from licensed financial advisors who are salaried, not paid a commission.
9. Envoy Financial speaks the language of ministry professionals, here and overseas. We understand terms like “On-field staff” and “Home side staff” and know what you are talking about when you refer to “Raising support.” We also understand the need for sensitive language when communicating with missionaries in certain parts of the world and that their survival may depend on it.
10. Envoy Financial: Trusted advisor for defined-benefit to defined-contribution plan transitions. We are experienced in guiding missionary agencies through the process of moving from their Defined Benefit/Pension plan to a new Defined Contribution/403(b) plan.

1. Envoy Financial understands the importance of the new Roth 403(b) for Missionaries.          (Back to Top)

At Envoy Financial, we know that the Roth 403(b) is the single largest change to employer-sponsored retirement plans and will dramatically impact the ability of missionaries abroad to save for retirement! And, we know we’re not exaggerating when we make that statement!!

Missionaries working abroad qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion which exempts their first $75,000 of income from taxes. This means that when a mission-sending agency offers the Roth provision in its retirement plan, missionaries abroad will be able to contribute to the retirement plan tax-free. And, since funds in a Roth account are distributed tax-free at retirement, a missionary will be able to pay no taxes when contributing and pay no taxes at retirement! Funds go into the plan tax-free, grow tax-free and are distributed tax-free. Roth is a huge benefit to missionaries and mission-sending agencies who want to help their missionaries save for the future!

Few others have this benefit when saving for retirement!

Envoy Financial understands the impact of this provision for mission-sending agencies. We can provide counsel on plan design so your retirement plan meets the needs of the ministry, your domestic staff and overseas missionaries.

Does your retirement plan provider keep you abreast of important legislative changes?  And, more importantly, do they keep you informed as to the impact of those changes on the ministry, its staff, and your retirement plan.  If not, contact us today to learn more about how we work with and serve ministries.

2. Envoy Financial understands the technical and legislative aspects of 403(b) plans.           (Back to Top)

Many financial planners will tell you that a 401(k) and 403(b) are pretty much the same. When they do, they are clearly demonstrating their lack of understanding regarding the important differences and advantages of 403(b) plans for mission-sending organizations. Whether it’s selecting specific plan design options or constructing the plan to really meet the needs of both employees and you the employer, working with Envoy Financial means you’re working with a Trusted Advisor who specializes in retirement plans for Christian non-profits.

At Envoy Financial, we exclusively serve Christian ministries. We understand the intricacies and unique needs of Christian ministries, and specifically mission-sending agencies. Also, our commitment to staying informed on legislative changes provides us a unique perspective on the industry. Staying informed provides us with an understanding of what our plan sponsors need in order to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities, operate their retirement plan in a compliant manner, and safeguard their tax-exempt status with the IRS.

Does your retirement plan provider really understand the needs of ministry?  Are you sure that they know the specifics of Code pertaining to 403(b)(9) Retirement Income Accounts, Roth Accounts, Housing Allowance, and Foreign Earned Income Exclusion?  At Envoy Financial, we know.  Contact us today to see how we can help you.

3. Envoy Financial’s delivery system allows us to reach United States and the world.           (Back to Top)

From our offices in Colorado Springs, CO, we serve Christian ministries and their employees in 48 states and 37 countries around the world. In fact, our service delivery model is all about serving people in ministry, independent of geographical boundaries.

We utilize the power of today’s technology to communicate from one centralized location with a proprietary delivery system that is both highly efficient and cost-effective. Through the use of the Internet, phone, fax and email, we are able to build and maintain relationships with people in ministry. Other providers simply cannot serve people as we can.

Does your ministry have a missionary in Timbuktu who needs to enroll in the retirement plan? Or a missionary in Romania who needs to change a beneficiary? Or a missionary in Uganda who needs his account reviewed?  At Envoy Financial, we accommodate requests like these every day as if the people were right here in the United States.

Do you have missionaries in restricted or sensitive areas?  We understand the communication implications for missionaries serving in these areas and can accommodate their needs to help encourage them and ensure their safety.

Our ministry is to serve your ministry and a large part of that calling is to make it easy for your people to take action that will help them save for their “Future Funded Ministry” – the time when the paycheck stops, but the call to ministry remains.

To get your ministry started on implementing or changing to a Roth 403(b) retirement plan that takes advantage of technology to serve your people better here and around the world, contact us today!

4. Envoy Financial effectively and securely communicates with missionaries in restricted areas.           (Back to Top)

At Envoy Financial, as a Christian ministry, we understand the work of missionaries in restricted areas and the reality that their very lives would be at risk if their faith and work were revealed. We have taken the steps to ensure that all our communication with missionaries in restricted areas of the world are “sanitized” to eliminate any hint of Christian content.

Through our use of technology, we are able to manage the information for each missionary in a restricted area so that any communication from Envoy is free of any Christian content. In fact, we implemented an automated system that notifies our staff whenever we access a contact record for someone in a restricted area reminding them to use specific communication templates created specifically for those in restricted areas.

At Envoy Financial, our systems are flexible and we are committed to protecting missionaries working for the cause of Christ around the world. We challenge you to find another financial services organization that will provide this level of care and service for those working in the harvest field.

To start working with Envoy Financial on a retirement plan that will help move your ministry forward and keep your missionaries safe, contact us today.

5. Envoy Financial serves missionaries overseas with online enrollment for retirement plans.           (Back to Top)

When we work with a missionary, enrolling them in a retirement plan is easy through our online enrollment process that they can access from anywhere in the world at any time.

Through a secure website, missionaries abroad access the system and provide contact information (including privacy preferences), designate a beneficiary, complete an investor profile, determine their contribution amount, and select how their contributions will be invested. We process their enrollment information and send them an email with the resulting paperwork that is password-protected and already pre-filled so all they have to do is print, review, sign, and fax or email back to us.

Once their account is established, we advise them so they can establish online access for their account. Online access allows missionaries to view and manage their account from anywhere in the world.

To provide a Roth 403(b) retirement plan with online enrollment and online account access to your missionaries around the world, contact us today to see how simple the process can be!

6. Envoy Financial understands how to utilize Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and Housing Allowance.           (Back to Top)

If you talk with most financial planners, they won’t have a clue about the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion or how to design a retirement plan so that Housing Allowance can continue to be a significant benefit to those in retirement. Working with non-profits and missionaries simply isn’t their specialty. In most cases, they will likely recommend that you implement a 401(k) plan simply because they don’t know all the significant benefits and administrative cost savings of a 403(b) plan.

At Envoy Financial, we exclusively work with Christian ministries and our focus is on serving those ministries with the best retirement and group benefit plans for their needs. We understand FEIC and Housing Allowance and their importance to missionaries as part of the planning process. We can help you design a plan that includes Roth provisions so that your missionaries can contribute to their retirement accounts tax-free and receive their funds in retirement tax-free. We can also help you design a plan so that your employer contributions are not taxed.

When you are implementing a retirement plan for your ministry, you need Trusted Advice Along The Way from an organization that understands your needs. For help creating a plan that meets the needs of your ministry, call us today!

7. Envoy Financial offers online account access to all retirement plan participants.           (Back to Top)

When you’re half a world from home, it’s easy to feel out of touch. When it comes to your finances, from our perspective at Envoy Financial, being out of touch is simply unacceptable! With the Internet and email, we are able to serve and be in contact with Christian Ministry Professionals all around the world. 

Every participant in a retirement plan through Envoy Financial can access their account online, wherever they are, at their convenience. A missionary in Uganda can access their account and see how their investments are performing. Nothing brings more peace of mind than being able to see how your plans are coming together and being able to make changes when needed. Online access provides flexibility, convenience, and up-to-date information.

And, for the changes or situations that come up which cannot be updated online, our Ministry Services team is here to support your missionaries no matter where they are in the world.  If your missionaries need forms, or paperwork, or some other assistance, we can help.  Our ministry is to serve your ministry!

To learn more about working with Envoy Financial and implementing a retirement plan with online account access for your missionaries stationed abroad, contact us today!

8. Envoy Financial provides unbiased financial counsel from salaried financial advisors.           (Back to Top)

In the financial services industry, the norm is to compensate financial advisors on commission. This can create two problems when it comes to providing quality service. First, when an advisor gets paid commission on the initial investment, they may be less inclined to provide quality service over the entire time that the investment is held. Second, there can be an ethical challenge because the advisor has a vested interest in the investment decisions of his or her clients. Their decisions impact his or her pay. Clearly this situation can impact the nature and quality of the advice provided to a client and may result in an investor receiving advice that is clearly not in their best interest for today and not receiving quality customer service over the long term.

At Envoy Financial, all of our LifeStage Specialists (financial advisors) are salaried. When they work with a missionary, they have nothing personal at stake when they recommend investment A instead of investment B.  They are free to provide financial counsel that is truly Trusted Advice Along The Way, in the best interests of the one investing.

Also, all of our financial advisors and Ministry Services team are committed to serving your missionaries whenever they need our assistance.  When your agency works with Envoy Financial, you work with more than a single agent, you work with an entire ministry dedicated to serving the needs of your home office staff as well as missionaries abroad.

To learn more about how our entire team provides Trusted Advice Along The Way to mission-sending agencies and missionaries around the world, contact us today

9. Envoy Financial speaks the language of ministry professionals, here and overseas.           (Back to Top)

Would you ask your cardiologist for help fixing your car? Chances are no matter how skilled your cardiologist, he or she probably doesn’t know much about fuel injection or exhaust systems. The language and expertise of heart health does not translate to automotive performance.

The same is true with financial services and retirement plans. Simply because someone is a financial planner, that does not mean that he or she will have the qualifications or expertise to implement a 403(b) plan and provide service for a mission-sending agency with missionaries all over the world. Implementing a retirement plan is a significant undertaking for which you need Trusted Advice Along The Way from a financial services provider that specializes in 403(b) plans with mission sending agencies: Envoy Financial.

When you or your staff talks about “raising support,” “home-side” and “on-field” staff, our team at Envoy Financial know exactly what you mean. There is no learning curve to get us up to speed! We speak the language of Christian Ministry Professionals, mission-sending agencies, and missionaries working around the world. We understand the calling and passion that leads missionaries to serve in dangerous nations for the sake of the gospel going forward. We know the importance of protecting missionaries serving in dangerous locations. We understand the challenges faced by home office staff assisting missionaries abroad and maintaining relationships with people in various parts of the world as an entire team pursues a common goal.

For more information on how Envoy Financial can serve your agency and speak your language, contact us today!

10. Envoy Financial: Trusted advisor for defined-benefit to defined-contribution plan transition.           (Back to Top)

Many mission-sending agencies are facing the heart-wrenching reality that the pension plan offered by the ministry will be unsustainable in the future. The ministry sees the reality that it may not survive under the weight of the financial burden of the pension plan. And yet, canceling the pension plan is cannot be a viable option because of the commitment to care for those who have served the ministry over the years. The question often asked is, “How can we provide for those already retired or approaching retirement, and help our younger missionaries save for their retirement with limited help from the ministry?”

At Envoy Financial, we understand that the decision to end a defined-benefit (pension) plan and transition to a defined-contribution (403(b)) plan is based on today’s fiscal reality. But, we also know that the very idea of eliminating an existing pension plan sends fear and shock waves through a ministry like wildfire. Without a carefully thought out implementation strategy, people can be left to think “the ministry doesn’t care about its people anymore” or “after all those years of service, how could they do this?”

Thankfully, we can help you avoid this outcome. Envoy Financial has the specific experience of helping guide ministries through this process so that employees understand the fiscal realities and how the new plan will work for them, see the heart of ministry leaders to do what is best for the ministry and its missionaries, and rest assured that the ministry will carefully and wisely help their people navigate through the process of change.

We can help with that process.  From closing the existing pension plan, to helping you develop a strategy for communicating the upcoming changes, to helping missionaries enroll in the new 403(b) plan, we will work with you every step of the way to help you and your missionaries with Trusted Advice Along The Way.  If you need to look at transitioning from a defined benefit plan to a defined-contribution plan, call us today to get the process started.

For more information on partnering with Envoy to implement or revise a 403(b) Retirement Plan for your ministry and your missionaries abroad, contact Jeff Gater at (888) 879-1376, ext. 209 or by email.  We look forward to serving you.  Our Ministry Is To Serve Your Ministry!