1. Under sections 214.140 to 214.180, and as otherwise not prohibited under Article VI, Section 23 of the Constitution of Missouri, the county commission may invest or loan said trust fund or funds in United States government, state, county or municipal bonds, certificates of deposit, first real estate mortgages, or deeds of trust and may utilize investment managers to invest, reinvest, and manage assets, subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations provided in this section and Article IV, Section 15 of the Constitution of Missouri. When sufficient, the commission shall use the net income from said trust fund or funds or such investments or so much thereof as is necessary to support and maintain and beautify any public or private cemetery or any particular part thereof which may be designated by the person, persons or firm or association making said gift or bequest. If the net income from said trust fund or funds is not sufficient to support and maintain and beautify a cemetery, the commission may only use as much of the principal thereof as the commission deems necessary for the purpose of the basic maintenance to control the growth of grass and weeds. In maintaining or supporting the cemetery or any particular part or portion thereof the commission shall as nearly as possible follow the expressed wishes of the creator of said trust fund.

2. An investment manager shall discharge his or her duties in the interest of the public or private cemetery and the interest of the person, persons, or firm making the gift or bequest and shall:

Terms Used In Missouri Laws 214.160

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Bequest: Property gifted by will.
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • United States: includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020

(1) Act with the same care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a similar capacity and familiar with those matters would use in the conduct of a similar enterprise with similar aims;

(2) Act with due regard for the management, reputation, and stability of the issuer and the character of the particular investments being considered;

(3) Make investments for the purpose of supporting, maintaining, and beautifying any public or private cemetery or any particular part thereof, which may be designated by the person, persons, or firm or association making said gift or bequest, and of defraying reasonable expenses of investing the assets;

(4) Give appropriate consideration to those facts and circumstances that the investment fiduciary knows or should know are relevant to the particular investment or investment course of action involved, including the role the investment or investment course of action plays in that portion of the investments for which the investment fiduciary has responsibility. For purposes of this subdivision, “appropriate consideration” shall include, but is not limited to, a determination by the investment fiduciary that a particular investment or investment course of action is reasonably designed to further the purposes of supporting, maintaining, and beautifying any public or private cemetery or any particular part thereof, which may be designated by the person, persons, or firm or association making said gift or bequest, while considering the risk of loss and the opportunity for gain or other return associated with the investment or investment course of action and considering the following factors as they relate to the investment or investment course of action:

(a) The diversification of the investments;

(b) The liquidity and current return of the investments relative to the anticipated cash flow requirements; and

(c) The projected return of the investments relative to the funding objectives; and

(5) Give appropriate consideration to investments that would enhance the general welfare of this state and its citizens if those investments offer the safety and rate of return comparable to other investments available to the investment fiduciary at the time the investment decision is made.

3. As used in this section, “invest” or “investment” means utilization of moneys in the expectation of future returns in the form of income or capital gain.