Thrivent Financial News

Mail or E-mail: You Decide

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members who own mutual funds now have the opportunity to receive statements, prospectuses and annual reports for their mutual funds online. Through this new service, mutual fund owners will be able to receive statements faster, reduce mail, and file or print their electronic documents. Later this year, members who own variable annuities or variable life insurance contracts also will be able to receive annual reports and prospectuses online.

“It’s about giving our members a choice in how they receive this information from Thrivent Financial,” says Lisa Lent, director, Member Self-Service. “We will continue to look at our delivery program and actively expand it to other types of documents in the future.”

Enrollment in this service is optional, and members can resume receiving mailed statements at any time. Once members enroll, a quarterly e-mail will announce when a new statement is available. Members also will be able to access year-end statements for the past four years, quarterly statements for the past year, and prospectuses and annual reports.

Next Steps: Turn on the e-delivery option through a simple yes/no check box under Your Accounts at www.thrivent.com. First-time users will need to register.

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Online Bill Pay Available Soon

If you’re among the nearly 75 percent of Thrivent Financial members who mail in account payments, a new payment feature may change the way you pay your premiums. Thrivent Financial is introducing a feature that allows members to make online payments for their traditional, universal and variable universal life contracts; fixed and variable annuities; and disability income, long-term care and Medicare supplement contracts. You also can make a purchase into your existing mutual fund accounts. Interested? The online payment feature will be available this summer and is easy to access: Go to www.thrivent.com and log in to your accounts. Look for the “Pay Now” button or the payment center tab. As an added benefit, the system allows members to quickly submit a payment in a “just in time” situation to avoid the potential lapse of a contract due to nonpayment.

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Money Market Fund Makes Headlines

During one of the toughest periods in years for money market funds, the Thrivent Money Market Fund from Thrivent Asset Management is garnering national attention for its competitive yield. So far this year, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Money magazine and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine have published articles listing the Thrivent Money Market Fund among the nation’s top-yielding money market funds.

On January 31, Wall Street Journal Online (quoting money market tracker iMoneyNet.com) listed the Fund as the third-highest in taxable yield, just after funds managed by Fidelity and Vanguard, the two largest fund companies in the country. And the April edition of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance listed the Fund as the second-highest in taxable yield.

“We benefited from a stable investor base and a conservative portfolio,” says Bill Stouten, portfolio manager.

Please note: The principal risk of investing in the Money Market Fund is current income risk—that is, the income the Fund receives may fall as a result of a decline in interest rates. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. Investments in the Fund are neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. These and other risks are described in the Fund’s prospectus. The prospectus contains more complete information on the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund, which investors should read and consider carefully before investing. Prospectuses are available from a Thrivent Financial representative or at www.thrivent.com.

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Disaster Relief for Myanmar and China

On May 2, a Category 3 cyclone struck Myanmar, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving millions in need of immediate assistance. On May 12, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Sichuan region of China. Tens of thousands of people there were killed and hundreds of thousands were injured.

You may be wondering if Thrivent Financial for Lutherans responds to such international crises. The answer is “yes.” Thrivent Financial works through Lutheran relief agencies, such as Lutheran World Relief (LWR), an inter-Lutheran organization positioned to respond to disasters and needs internationally.

Thrivent Financial members who would like to contribute to the recent international disaster relief efforts in Myanmar and China can use the GivingPlus® program to increase the impact and amount of their donation to qualified disaster relief organizations such as LWR. Members are encouraged to review the program criteria and find the gift form online at www.thrivent.com/magazine/fraternal.

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Multi-Million-Dollar Distribution
FROM THE ELCA NEWS SERVICE

Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) has nearly completed its distribution of more than $27.7 million collected to support recovery work along the U.S. Gulf Coast in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other hurricanes in the 2005 season.

About $18.7 million was contributed by members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) in designated giving from 2005 to 2007. On behalf of our members, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans added more than $9 million to these donations to LDR.

With the funds collected, more than 11,000 clients were served in eight different states, especially along the Gulf Coast. The money also helped support more than 40,000 volunteers, whose contributions in volunteer hours far surpass the money collected.

The funds contributed were dispersed in three primary ways—grants to Lutheran social ministry organizations and agencies, which serve the needs of people affected by disaster; grants to non-affiliate partners, such as other faith-based organizations that work in cooperation with Lutherans in rebuilding efforts after disasters; and administrative expenses, for hiring consultants, chaplains and others who provide expertise in disaster response.