In this revealing interview, you'll learn about the founding of Widow's Mite and its project goals and methods. The conversation takes a deep dive into the Mormon Church's wealth and how it mishandles funds taken from the poor to fund its massive investment accounts. You'll hear about whistleblowing within the church, sources used, and why all the secrecy about church investments. With only six church leaders having full access to Ensign Peak, discover why the church downplays its wealth and only claims to be financially self-reliant. This interview offers eye-opening insights into the LDS Church's finances and its treatment of the poor. Part 2: https://youtube.com/live/-XtCoB3xWoc Mormon Church Finances Exposed Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxq5opj6GqOBpeZFSE0_Cdw3oz2gJDprC 00:00:00 Intro 00:08:00 Founding of Widow’s Mite 00:16:00 Project Goals and Methods 00:19:30 Sources used 00:23:00 Whistleblowing with the church 00:33:00 How wealthy is the Mormon church? 00:39:00 What about the wealth we don’t know about? 00:41:15 Pre-Internet Church wealth deep dive 00:47:00 Misstating source data exacerbates confusion 00:52:00 Inflows and spending outflows 01:10:00 Church savings accumulation formula 01:15:00 In 2019 we got a detailed look at church investments 01:17:15 Why all the secrecy about church investments? 01:37:00 Comparing Ensign Peak value to other wealthy institutions 01:41:00 What could church wealth look like in years to come? 01:48:30 After losses, savings = 20-30 years of expenses 01:57:45 What does 30 years of savings look like? 02:09:30 Why accumulate so much money? 02:18:00 Is a pandemic a legitimate need for a rainy day fund? 02:30:00 The church’s endowment is more than sufficient 02:35:00 Church downplaying wealth 02:38:15 Financially, the church is completely self-reliant 02:47:00 A day of self-sufficiency was predicted in 1907 02:51:00 Only 6 church leaders have full access to Ensign Peak 03:03:00 Closing thoughts Mark Pugsley on the SEC document: https://www.youtube.com/embed/qr8qobSyUIY ABOUT US: Mormon Stories Podcast is the longest-running and most successful podcast in Mormonism - hosted by Dr. John Dehlin. At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We also occasionally interview scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1) Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology, 2) Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis, and 3) Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions. Mormon Stories Podcast is a product of the Open Stories Foundation - a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting Mormons in religious transition. Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Our Platforms: Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 #MormonStories #Mormon #lds