“When people think of us, we want them to think FM Financial,” said Mark Olson, who became the president and chief executive officer following the retirement of predecessor Gene Keene. “We’re a faith-based financial services firm, and what we feel led to do is provide professional guidance and investment management from a biblical perspective.”
Whether you’ve known them as The Free Methodist Foundation or FMF Financial Services, just call them FM Financial. That’s how the Free Methodist Church USA’s financial services provider will now be known as it serves the diverse needs of people, local churches, and other ministries.
Olson noted the FM Financial name “highlights the tie to the FMCUSA, but it also emphasizes we are a financial services firm, which is a relevant need people have. The Free Methodist denomination was truly visionary when it decided to establish a body to focus on the financial elements of the church and its people. What began with an emphasis on denominational investments and planned giving has grown into what FM Financial is today.”
FM Financial offers a full range of services related to planning, investing, and giving. “We want people to know under the umbrella of FM Financial, we can provide whatever is needed across the spectrum of financial needs,” Olson said. “We have the expertise and access to the necessary technical processes and systems to provide these services with excellence.”
A Spring Arbor University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and an MBA, Olson worked for 20 years in the manufacturing industry before joining FM Financial in 1999.
“I was originally hired by our founding president, Stanley Thompson, to work with the Free Methodist Investment & Loan Fund, and then I also became responsible for GuideStream, our advisory firm. I was privileged to work with Stan and then Gene for 21 years,” Olson said. “When Gene retired in December, I was humbled and inspired that the board entrusted the responsibility to me.”
FM Financial’s Board Chair, David Goodnight, said, “When Gene approached the board about his retirement, we were extremely fortunate to have an internal candidate with deep experience in the loan fund, as well as investment management. Mark Olson emerged as the right candidate. He is an accomplished servant leader with a history of guiding organizations to transformational levels of success through proven strategies for operational and relationship excellence.”
Olson has also achieved designations as a Certified Investment Management Analyst™ and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary™. He is currently a trustee and chairs the Investment Subcommittee of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, and he is a board member for Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson, Michigan. He previously served on the board of the Butterfield Memorial Foundation in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He and his wife, Lisa, are members of The Arbor Church, a Free Methodist congregation in Spring Arbor, Michigan.
FM Financial stands out from other financial services firms because of its biblical perspective and connection to the Free Methodist Church. Olson said that among the firm’s 34 employees, “more than half of us are products of Free Methodist educational institutions. With that background, the perspective we have on how business should be run has affected how we’re structured and how we handle the opportunities we are entrusted with.”
While most other financial services firms exist primarily to make a profit, “we strive to eliminate any conflicts of interest as we make decisions and develop recommendations for our clients,” Olson said. “With a kingdom perspective, we want to be focused on what is truly best for the individual or institution we’re helping.”
FM Financial offers a tool called the Stewardship Well Done Journey. It consists of nine steps designed to position your finances around biblical stewardship principles. Each step is an on-ramp to action, because individuals may need to start in different places. Together, they lead to the realization that wise stewardship leads to freedom and joy in Christ.
“In Scripture, it talks about people hearing, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’” said Olson, referencing Matthew 25:23. “When we say Stewardship Well Done, that’s what we want our clients to hear at the end of their lives.”
About FM Financial
Founded in 1986 with assets under management now exceeding $560 million, FM Financial offers a full range of financial services in the areas of financial planning, investing, and giving. Its employees provide professional guidance and investment management from a biblical perspective to help clients clarify their life priorities and build a meaningful legacy. FM Financial is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization under the umbrella of the Free Methodist Church USA and also operates a for-profit subsidiary, GuideStream Financial.+
