Our reports and studies related to LDS Church finances

The Widow’s Mite

A report on the state of wealth in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
LDS Charities
A summary and analysis of reported humanitarian giving, covering LDSC reports from 2011 to 2021.

Related to LDS Charities:
Ensign Peak (the Church’s primary investment arm)
A data-driven study of Ensign Peak and affiliated Church investment funds. Analysis of EP’s direct holdings in US public stocks and overall investment portfolio returns.

Brief excerpts related to Church investments:
Quarterly updates based on 13F filings:
Temples
An informative study & analysis of LDS temples, by the numbers. Perspective on temple expansion, long-term costs, a 1,000-temple scenario, and unit cost analysis.
General Authority Compensation
A brief analysis of the living allowance offered to all of the Church’s General Authorities.
BYU System
A new series with analysis of audited BYU system financial reports from 2014 to 2021. As recipients of federal student aid, BYU system campuses submit audited financial statements to a federal database which is accessible to the public.
Church Real Estate
A categorical breakdown and valuation estimate of all identifiable Church real estate holdings, including operating properties and investment assets.
Wealth Comparison
A comparison of our current estimate of LDS Church wealth compared with some of the most cash-rich institutions in the world.
Primary Use of Church Investments
A one-page graphical illustration of the growth of Church investment savings with the implied year-by-year choices to prioritize accumulating money.
Church Investments as an “Endowment”
Analysis, based on the BYU endowment policy, showing that if Church investment reserves are like a university endowment, then the Church has enough money to be financially self-reliant forever.
Inflows & Outflows
A visual “Sankey” chart summarizing our current best estimates of total Church monetary inflows and outflows for the year.
Global Tithing & Membership Summary
A look at the global distribution of Church membership and tithing income. Ward-level economics, normalized to a global average ward-equivalent size congregation.
Path to $1 Trillion
Forecasted timeframes to reach $1 Trillion in total assets, based on historic rates of investment return, assuming the Church continues to reinvest all of its invested savings and surplus donations.
Tax Questions (Australia & Canada)
A summary of issues raised by news media about the Church’s tax avoidance practices in Australia and Canada.
OverviewMormon Stories feature discussion
Excerpts from various project reports, referenced during Mormon Stories walkthrough episode, recorded March 5, 2023

Main Page: https://widowsmitereport.wordpress.com

Feedback, including critical analysis, questions and links to overlooked sources, may be sent to the.widows.mite.report at gmail dot com

List of Sources

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