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By Mary Jo Lyons, CFP®
A friend recently asked me “exactly how does the Bible address financial planning and investment management principles?” I provided a short summary of the principles below but my response was not as polished as it should have been. I vowed to be able to answer this in a more thoughtful and concise way going forward. As both a Certified Kingdom Adviser® and a Certified Financial Planner™ Practitioner this message should be muscle memory. Off I went to do a little research. I know it’s in there!
Good financial advice has its roots in Biblical Wisdom. Money is one way we work out our belief system: values, goals and priorities, thus financial advice really is spiritual advice. The reason we stress financial stability is to encourage folks to become better stewards of their God given resources.
There are actually 2,350 passages in the Bible dealing with money and money management. Check out the Education Center on our website www.ciswealth.com for a list of Bible verses that provide scriptural guidelines for handling money. You will find passages on ownership, tithing, giving, debt, saving, investment, honesty and best of all, seeking wise counsel. Two of my favorites:
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it…
Proverbs 15:22
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.
The Bible provides many answers but also poses many questions including this one: Do you believe God owns it all? See the answer above from Psalm 24:1. In the Bible God has provided us with 6 transcendent planning principles and 5 observable Symptoms of Stewardship:
Transcendent Planning Principles
- Spend less than you earn | Proverbs 13:11
- Avoid the use of debt | Proverbs 22:7
- Build Reserves or Margin | Proverbs 6:6-8
- Set Long-Term Goals | Philippians 3:14
- Develop & maintain an eternal perspective | Psalm 24
- Rejoice in generosity | II Corinthians 8:9-11
Observable Symptoms Of Stewardship
- Giving in proportion to income
- Living a controlled debt free lifestyle
- Taxes are paid with integrity and thanksgiving
- Husbands and wives set financial goals together
- Accountability
To help you look at your own financial situation check out “The Four Hs of Financial Wisdom”. Give us a call at (830) 609-6986 to request your free copy. Rooted in Scripture and focused on helping you live as a steward of God’s resources, this tool will help you assess where you are today and encourage you to live out biblical principles in your finances tomorrow. The four H’s include Heart, Health, Habits and Hope.
This one page document is a great tool available to us in our work as Kingdom Advisors and made available from our partners at the Ron Blue Institute. Take a few minutes to complete this exercise. Consider doing it together with your significant other, if married or in a committed relationship. We encourage you to spend time in prayer as you think about the changes that you may need to make. If you are already doing these things then be grateful that you are on the right track and pray for continued discipline and focus.
Dr. David Jeremiah was quoted for saying “Contentment is looking back without regret, looking at the present without envy and looking at the future without fear.”
Financial contentment can only come when couples work together in spousal unity. They share a “theirs” rather than a “his and hers” mentality and agree it’s better to have more cash flow than more stuff. Working with a trusted financial advisor can help you be accountable to a long term plan.
God wants us to be content. His word tells us so:
Satisfied to the point of where I am not disturbed or disquieted. – Philippians 4:11
Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money. – Hebrews 13:5
A sense of inward sufficiency. – 1 Timothy 6:6
If you are looking for wise counsel to help organize your financial life in a way that is consistent with your faith, we are here to help.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row top=”20px” bottom=”20px”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AREAS OF OUR NEWSLETTER
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What Is Values Based Investing?
Values based investing integrates Biblical guidelines with an investment portfolio. This method looks for companies to invest in that are making a positive impact on our society, as well as applying screening processes to avoid those that do not.
Helping Clients Make Informed Decisions
Christian Financial Advisors® provides potential and current clients with the information that they need in order to make an informed decision when it comes to Values Based Investing and their current investments. It is important to know the status, views, and beliefs of various public companies. In essence, when you invest in a company, you are also supporting what that company invests in as well. This is where Christian financial advisors like Christian Financial Advisors® come into play. We sit down with each and every client to educate them on Biblically Responsible Investing and to determine where their convictions lie. If you are new to investing, we can help you set up a complete investment profile that lines up with your values.
Supporting Responsible Companies
When you invest in a values based portfolio, you are avoiding supporting companies that are intentionally involved in immoral agendas that violate Biblical principles.
Investing With Values In Mind
If a company traded on an exchange is publicly known to violate Biblical principles, Biblically Responsible Investing strives to stay clear from buying those companies directly or indirectly through a separate managed account or mutual fund.
Not all investments and investment platforms can be screened, but we strive to do the best we can given the available investment options and platform limitations. Christian Financial Advisors® uses third party sources to screen investments.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row top=”20px” bottom=”20px”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AREAS OF OUR NEWSLETTER
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[vc_row top=”20px” bottom=”20px”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”6017″ img_size=”Full” alignment=”center”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Financial planning is a key part of wealth management and one of the services offered to our investment clients as a benefit of doing business with us. For those who do not have investment accounts with us, our financial planning services are offered for an hourly rate. We have a list of 20 Financial Planning Modules that cover the most common issues one encounters, but we also handle unique situations.
We look at all areas of your finances to help you create a plan based on your personal circumstances and the dreams that you want to achieve. Next, we give you actionable steps to help make your dreams a reality. We are there along with you as your advisor, guide, and coach the throughout the entire process.
We also offer our Christian Financial Advisors® System as a hands on tool for your personal financial planning. Not only can you view your investment account balances with us, but you can also create a complete picture of your financial situation, quickly generate numerous financial reports, create and manage a budget, and store your most important documents in one secure, easily accessible location and more.
If you are not taking advantage of our financial planning services or our Christian Financial Advisors® system, contact us to set up a meeting to begin your plan![/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row top=”10px” bottom=”10px” bg_color=”#163463″][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1472147374664{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;}”]
Check out other articles from our September 2016 Newsletter
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Personal Financial Planning
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”6017″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”/2016/09/01/personal-financial-planning/”][vc_column_text]Financial planning is a key part of wealth management and a service offered to our clients as a benefit of doing business with Christian Financial Advisors®.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”LEARN MORE” style=”custom” custom_background=”#163463″ custom_text=”#ffffff” shape=”square” align=”center” i_align=”right” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-arrow-right” link=”url:%2F2016%2F09%2F01%2Fpersonal-financial-planning%2F|title:Personal%20Financial%20Planning|” add_icon=”true” button_block=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1472146248708{padding-top: 10px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1472147104787{padding-bottom: 10px !important;background-color: #e8e8e8 !important;}”]
Planning For Retirement
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”6019″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”/2016/09/01/retirement-planning/”][vc_column_text]Did you know that Christian Financial Advisors® offers a variety of services when it comes to retirement planning? Learn more about these services![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”LEARN MORE” style=”custom” custom_background=”#163463″ custom_text=”#ffffff” shape=”square” align=”center” i_align=”right” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-arrow-right” link=”url:%2F2016%2F09%2F01%2Fretirement-planning%2F|title:Retirement%20Planning|” add_icon=”true” button_block=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1472146369748{padding-top: 10px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1472146473497{padding-bottom: 10px !important;background-color: #e8e8e8 !important;}”]
Investment Management
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”6018″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”/2016/09/01/investment-management/”][vc_column_text]We work hard to tailor the most appropriate portfolio strategies to our clients’ situations without using a “one size fits all” approach.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”LEARN MORE” style=”custom” custom_background=”#163463″ custom_text=”#ffffff” shape=”square” align=”center” i_align=”right” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-arrow-right” link=”url:%2F2016%2F09%2F01%2Finvestment-management%2F|title:Investment%20Management|” add_icon=”true” button_block=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1472146586889{padding-top: 10px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row top=”20px” bottom=”10px”][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1472147169952{padding-bottom: 10px !important;background-color: #e8e8e8 !important;}”]
BRI – How It Is Just Like Voting
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”6016″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”/2016/09/01/biblically-responsible-investing-just-like-voting/”][vc_column_text]Learn more about Biblically responsible investing and how it is similar to the way that we choose to vote.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”LEARN MORE” style=”custom” custom_background=”#163463″ custom_text=”#ffffff” shape=”square” align=”center” i_align=”right” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-arrow-right” link=”url:%2F2016%2F09%2F01%2Fbiblically-responsible-investing-just-like-voting%2F|title:Biblically%20Responsible%20Investing%20-%20Just%20Like%20Voting|” add_icon=”true” button_block=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1472146712516{padding-top: 10px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1472146951796{padding-bottom: 10px !important;background-color: #e8e8e8 !important;}”]
Tips & Tricks From Athena
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”6015″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”/2016/09/01/financial-tips-and-tricks-from-athena-savings-tips/”][vc_column_text]See what financial tips and tricks our favorite chocolate lab has to offer when it comes to advice on saving![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”LEARN MORE” style=”custom” custom_background=”#163463″ custom_text=”#ffffff” shape=”square” align=”center” i_align=”right” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-arrow-right” link=”url:%2F2016%2F09%2F01%2Ffinancial-tips-and-tricks-from-athena-savings-tips%2F|title:Financial%20tips%20and%20tricks%20from%20Athena|” add_icon=”true” button_block=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1472146983766{padding-top: 10px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Several months ago we bought some baseball caps to give away with our company name and logo on them. On the weekends I usually wear mine on one of my weekly visits to Lowe’s, McCoy’s or Home Depot, or down in Rockport fishing. I’m constantly asked, and I quote, “What is Wealth Management?” CIS staff members are getting the same question when they wear their caps. It is not a simple answer. Wealth Management cannot easily be defined in just one sentence because it is so complex. (more…)
Almost weekly I speak with someone who believes diversification means using multiple financial advisory service firms to get a diversified portfolio. Upon further examination, I find that more often than not the exact opposite of this assumption is true. Let me explain. (more…)
As you get closer to the finish line of life, it’s important to start thinking about your wealth distribution in three different ways. (more…)
It is estimated by many sources, that for the last few years approximately 10,000 Baby Boomers are retiring daily in our country. This is expected to continue for at least the next ten years. (more…)
Real estate, cars, bank accounts, savings, investments, businesses, mineral rights (oil and gas, water), food, shelter, clothing, smart phones, electronics, computers, jewelry, art, collectibles, people/children that have been entrusted to our care, spouse, employees, animals, environment and the whole earth… (more…)
Why do you believe that God’s word says it is more blessed to give than receive?
When we are giving, who are we most like?
Over the years, and in increasing numbers, I have had clients contact me about an opportunity they have received for a fixed indexed annuity. These annuities are heavily marketed by mail, radio programs, and through free seminars at steak houses as the one-size-fits-all financial product for retirement income. I decided to share this article because there are important things to know about fixed indexed annuities before investing in them. I am not against all fixed indexed annuities. For many years I have placed a small portion of my clients’ investable assets in them if it was appropriate and fit their investment objective. But there are aspects related to fixed index annuities that concern me that I need to share.