Well, that depends on how you define "wealthy." They surely are very happy, spiritually rich, as a result of the fine works they see every day. But as for material posessions, I recently learned that some of the top members do not even own a home! They have dedicated their life to ministering to the other witnesses, and receive very small allowances for their efforts. Most people working at Bethel get free room and board, plus $120 per month. The majority of their work is voluntary, including that of the "highest ranking" members in the organization. I recall a story of one of these members of the governing body going to work at one of the societies farms, and you might expect from trends in the world today that he was given a position as an overseer or administrative position, but that was not the case. The needed work was actually shoveling manure, and like any witness he did the work assigned to him without complaint. Try to imagine Jimmy Swaggart or George Bush tromping around in the muck, or not making enough money to buy a house, and being happy about it! There are many accusations in this section of the wealth and power the society accumulates though contributions, but those accusations are based, not on fact or reasoning, but on hatred and ignorance. It is a deception to distract people so they do not learn the truth about Jehovahs Witnesses. It is true that the society manages the funds it has very wisely, making good investments and making good financial decisions, but what is wrong with that? Why would someone want to have their money wasted on frivolities and poor management? I am happy that my modest contributions are used wisely, and put to good use, not squandered for worthless things.

Well of course they are, the WTBS is a multi billion dollar corporation, owning huge chunks of prime real estate all over the world. Also consider that the flow of money in the organisation is one way, the distributors or publishers as they call those who do the door to door work for them get no payment whatsoever for their time and effort. Also when the organisation loans money to local congregations to pay for the building of a new kingdom hall for instance, the society charges interest rates comparable to a mortgage lender, yet when a congregation loans money to the society for worldwide work, no interest is paid by the society to the congregation. The irony is that local congregations not only work for free to build their own kingdom halls, they also pay the society interest to borrow back their own money for the materials. Finally on the subject of investments, yes the WTBS has invested shrewdly, they not only own the aforementioned real estate, but also own 50% shares in an arms manufacturing company, Rand Cam.It seems even for the WBTS War is always a good investment! http://www.freeminds.org/h2o/283202.html

The poster does not know what he is speaking about. I know for a fact that in the US, the Watchtower Society makes loans available at a 3% interest rate, for Kingdom Hall construction and renovations. I see the statement every month. I know what I am talking about. I have been to the Brooklyn headquaters and I have visited the type of rooms that the Governing Body members live in. They are very simple. Many of the people who will read this post live in more "Luxurious" accommodations. Regarding any stock left to a private charity in a will. After reveiwing the stock and the company it represents, I am sure that any charity would soon divest that stock from it's portfolio once it finds that it is offensive to the core principles of the organization. Do not play "gottcha" if at one moment someone ever donated such a stock to a charity.The external link is to a dubious source posted on what I would call a "Hate Site", a collecting place for apostates, haters and those who (sadly)rejected the moral stands of their former fellow witnesses. I doubt that story in the first place.

we have had family as members of the bethel famiily. we have stayed at the rooms of some of these members of the governing body. where you get your information i can only suppose is from apostate sources. the living quarters we stayed at was approximately 500 square feet. these are living quarters for members that have been serving at bethel for dozens of decades. and a hearty hello to friends like perryman i like how you respond to some of these questions. Jehovah's blessings to you and your family, and your congregation from southern ca.

have no idea but theyre probably wealthier than me

The people up at the watchtower society are comfortable financially but none of those people go around driving fancy cars driving designer clothes and sporting Rolex watches or wiggling 5 carat diamonds in front of your face. They don't own three-story mansions with servants. And they don't surround themselves with expensive materialistic possessions that's not the way Jehovah's witnesses behave if a Jehovah's witness elder or governing body person gets too much money. What that person generally does with it is he purchases a plot of land so that they can build another Kingdom Hall. Or that person will donate money to purchase material for an assembly hall