Stewardship in Financial Planning and Legacy
Leadership forged under pressure, guiding capital with discipline, integrity, and clarity.
Meet the Founder: Edwin D. Epperson III and Blue Bay Fund I
Blue Bay Fund I was founded by Edwin D. Epperson III, a former U.S. Army Green Beret trained at the elite Ranger School and Combat Diver Qualification Course. For over 13 years, Edwin led with discipline, integrity, and calm under pressure. These are the same qualities he brings to every investment decision.
With over $30 million deployed into more than 150 secured, real estate-backed investments, Blue Bay Fund I is built for those who want more than just returns. Each opportunity is carefully underwritten to reduce risk, preserve capital, and deliver consistent, passive income.
In a world full of volatility and noise, we offer something different: clarity, alignment, and purpose. Edwin invests alongside his clients, ensuring your priorities come first, not last.
Blue Bay Fund I is for those who are ready to protect what they have earned, grow with confidence, and invest in a future guided by conviction instead of speculation.
Core Biblical Principles of Christian Financial Stewardship
Christian financial stewardship anchors in the conviction that all resources belong to God (Psalm 24:1). This foundational truth guides every financial decision, emphasizing prudence, generosity, and ethical behavior, shaping portfolio priorities and philanthropic choices. Our framework translates these truths into tangible strategies for capital preservation and sustainable growth.
God's Ownership and Stewardship: The Foundational Mandate
Recognizing resources are held on behalf of the Creator (Psalm 24:1) fundamentally shifts investment priorities, mandating capital preservation, transparency, and intentional giving. This translates to conservative underwriting, defined covenant terms, and long-term provision for family and community, fostering an investment posture prioritizing stability and ethical impact over speculative gains.
Diligence and Prudence in Faithful Investing: A Mandate for Excellence
Diligence and prudence are core requirements for faithful investing, necessitating thorough due diligence, conservative assumptions, and rigorous stress-testing to protect principal. This translates to conservative loan-to-value measures, stringent collateral quality assessments, and enforceable covenants. Our methodology consistently favors diversified, long-horizon positions that mitigate risk and foster sustainable growth, reflecting respect for entrusted resources.
Faith-informed stewardship that prioritizes preservation, prudence, and purpose.
The allure of rental properties is strong, but the reality is often far from passive. Market swings affect property values. Rising interest rates erode margins. Vacancies, repairs, and tenant disputes eat away at returns.
Even with a property manager, investors remain exposed to hidden expenses and tied-up capital. Instead of true freedom, many landlords end up managing stress.
Faith-Aligned Alternative Investments for Christian Investors
Purposeful investing that favors stability, integrity, and long-term provision.
Faith-aligned alternative investments match stewardship priorities by emphasizing tangible collateral, predictable cash flow, and lower correlation to volatile public markets. Examples include real-estate-secured mortgage notes and private credit funds. Underwritten with our conservative methodology, these instruments are powerful tools for capital preservation and consistent returns, securing loans with tangible collateral and structured payment schedules. Our proprietary due diligence combines deep market analysis with ethical screening to identify opportunities offering compelling returns while upholding stewardship and integrity.
Real-Estate-Secured Mortgage Notes: Stability and Predictability
These private debt instruments are secured by a first lien on tangible real property, offering contractual interest payments and predictable cash flow. The inherent security of a first claim on real assets, combined with conservative underwriting, offers a key advantage for investors prioritizing capital preservation and consistent income, minimizing volatility and providing a stable foundation for long-term planning.
Building Legacy and Generational Wealth for Christian Families
Building a Christian family legacy combines disciplined investing, estate planning, and intentional leadership to transmit values and resources across generations. This holistic approach utilizes legal instruments, faith-aligned investment vehicles, and family governance frameworks to steward wealth for provision, discipleship, and enduring kingdom impact.
Estate Planning with Trusts and Wills: Employ structured tools to control distributions, protect heirs, and embed stewardship values into your legacy.
Faith-Aligned Income Investments: Prioritize stable, real-asset-backed instruments emphasizing capital preservation and consistent income generation.
Family Governance and Financial Discipleship: Institute regular family meetings, establish stewardship covenants, and provide ongoing financial education for heirs to cultivate responsible stewardship.
Generosity and Charitable Vehicles: Utilize charitable remainder trusts or donor-advised funds to balance family provision with impactful kingdom giving.
These integrated measures create a robust legacy framework balancing generous giving with prudent, long-term provision.
Practical tools designed to steward God’s provision with wisdom, order, and lasting impact.
Biblical Legacy Thinking and Estate Planning: A Vision for Generations
Biblical legacy thinking emphasizes provision, discipleship, and generosity, shaping estate choices like trusts, structured gifts, and conditional bequests. Comprehensive plans often include education clauses and stewardship covenants for heirs, ensuring wealth is stewarded with purpose and integrity across generations.
Risk Mitigation and Prudent Investing for Christian Investors
Effective risk mitigation is a cornerstone of our investment philosophy, combining conservative underwriting, strategic diversification across uncorrelated assets, covenant protections, and wise counsel. Our focus is rigorous due diligence to preserve capital while pursuing stable, predictable yields, resulting in lower volatility and alignment with stewardship goals.
Conservative Underwriting: Apply stringent loan-to-value thresholds and stress-tested cash-flow models to protect principal.
Diversification Across Vehicles: Allocate capital across uncorrelated holdings to limit idiosyncratic risk and enhance portfolio resilience.
Covenant and Enforcement Protections: Insist on legal mechanisms that enable swift corrective action if performance deteriorates, safeguarding investor interests.
These meticulously implemented steps provide a clear roadmap to reduce downside exposure and preserve entrusted resources.
Photography: Carography Studios
Practical Underwriting for Real-Estate Investments: A Rigorous Standard
Conservative underwriting for real-estate investments demands low loan-to-value ratios, verified borrower liquidity, independent third-party appraisals, and comprehensive downside modeling. Robust covenants (e.g., required reserves, cross-default provisions) provide enforceable remedies, offering critical investor protection.
Learn More Through the Cigars, Whiskey & Capital Journal
The Cigars, Whiskey & Capital Journal is a premier resource for accredited Christian investors, blending theological reflection with practical case studies. It offers stewardship-focused financial planning guidance, in-depth faith-aligned investment case studies, and founder perspectives. Its core aim is to provide unparalleled education and thoughtful leadership, empowering informed, values-aligned decisions for due diligence and family governance.
Conclusion
Faith-based financial stewardship offers Christian investors a clear, proven framework to align wealth with biblical conviction. This approach fosters disciplined investing, thoughtful giving, and a durable, impactful legacy. By prioritizing ethically sound investments, conservative underwriting, and governance, families can confidently protect and grow capital while advancing kingdom impact. We invite you to engage with premier resources like the Cigars, Whiskey & Capital Journal to deepen practical knowledge and join a community committed to enduring stewardship.
Edwin D. Epperson III,
Manager & CEO
Soli Deo Gloria
