HERE'S SOME ADVICE FROM CHRISTIAN BILLIONAIRES.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the video:

“My secret is every day I spend time with the Lord.” – Pat Robertson, Founder of TBN

“[Our company] is being blessed beyond all belief by the fact God is using our company…” – Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

“We prayed to God to give us a niche.” – David and Jason Benham, Founders of Benham Real Estate

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your best.  If you do it half-heartedly you may never find out what God’s true calling is.” – David Green, Founder of Hobby Lobby

“The Bible tells a lot about how to operate your business, if we just read it and apply it.” – Truett Cathy, Founder of Chick-fil-A

“God is not saying you can’t have the Porsches, Mercedes, and big house but don’t lose sight of the mission.” – Strive Masiyiwa, Founder of Econet Wireless

“It has never been done, doesn’t mean that it can’t be done…We have to turn off that noise.” – Kathy Ireland, Founder of Kathy Ireland

“It’s never too early to start giving and start service…” – Blake Mycoskie, Founder of Toms Shoes

“It was nothing but the grace of God.” – Tyler Perry, Founder of Tyler Perry Studios

“There is nothing wrong with wanting to get to the next level and being ambitious, but it is about how we get there.  How many of us are talking to God before we jump into something new?” – Folunsho Alakija, Founder of Famfa Oil.

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IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

I was scrolling through the channels one night and I saw a helicopter attempting to lift a woman from her couch.  Turns out the lady weighed almost 500 lbs.  She'd been sitting on the couch for so long her skin started to stick to the fabric.

My first reaction was most likely the same one you're having…why would she let this happen.  Then I started to think of all the people that are living in debt or struggling month to month. Couldn't they be asked the same question?  Why would they let this happen?

You see, this lady didn't wake up one day and find herself obese stuck to a couch.  This lady's predicament was a culmination of several years of poor decisions.  It's typically not one dramatic moment that causes someone to be unhappy with a certain aspect of their lives.  Usually, there is a series of small mistakes or minor bad habits that cause them to wake up one day and ask themselves how did I get here.  

With regard to our finances, most of us are born the same…no debt and no income.  From there people make decisions every day that will determine where they end up.  One of my favorite quotes is,

"IF YOU'RE BORN POOR IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT, BUT IF YOU DIE POOR IT IS."  

Although you can't change your financial past, you can change your financial future.  Don't miss out on your opportunity to make a change.  There are only a few days left to secure your spot with my Wealth Road Map service.  Click the button below to learn more.

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RAGS TO RICHES SPOTLIGHT: THE MILLIONAIRE SECRETARY

Rags to riches spotlights stories are probably my favorite posts to do.  I talk to so many people who think they don’t make enough ever become wealthy.  They assume it takes a lot of money to make money.  They think you have to come up with the next big app or social media site.  No one thinks you can just buy a few shares of a good company and hold it for a while.  Well that’s exactly what Grace did. 

Grace Groner was a secretary that bought second hand clothes, didn’t own a car and lived in a small one bedroom.  With that description you probably would never guess that she would be worth approximately $7 million. 

She didn’t spend a lot of money on material possessions a.k.a. she lived below her means.  She also invested.  She didn’t day trade her way to millions.  She simply bought three shares of Abbot stock and didn’t sell it.  What was her initial invest you ask?  $540.  That’s right.  She bought three shares at $180 each for a total of $540. 

The Parable of The Talents in the Book of Matthew stresses the importance of investing.  If you are not investing you are like the servant that buried their talent and got no return.  The Bible gives clear and concise directions on how to become wealthy.  Live below your means, stay out of debt and invest. 

The key in Ms. Groner’s story is that she did not just save in a bank.  Many people think they can just work hard, save and one day they will be able to retire.  You will be hard-pressed to find any stories of people becoming wealthy using this method.  You have to invest. 

Because interest on a bank account is typically lower than the rate of inflation, it’s next to impossible to become wealthy saving at a bank.  Inflation is the rate at which prices rise over time.  Investments in the stock market, on the other hand, almost always outpace inflation.  So I hope you learn from Grace’s story and start investing. 

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DOES THE BIBLE WANT US TO BE BROKE?

Many people take one or two scriptures out of context and use them to discourage Christians from being financially wise and to convince them that being poor makes you more “Christ-like”.  As I began to research this topic, I started with the two verses people use most to discourage the pursuit of wealth.

SCRIPTURES USED TO DISCOURAGE THE PURSUIT OF PROSPERITY

Mark 19:24 (KJV): “And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” What some people fail to mention, however, is verse 26 where it says “but Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." 

The next scripture is 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV) where it reads “For the love of money is the root of all evil…”  For starters, the full verse reads “For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”  To view this verse in it’s proper context, however, you must read 1 Timothy 6:9: “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men and destruction and perdition.” Verse 11 states God’s plee: “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” 

THE TRUTH ABOUT WEALTH IN THE BIBLE

Reading more into these scriptures pointed out a glaring issue I’ve realized is affecting people’s personal finances.  Many times we simply take what people say as truth and fail to take the time to research for ourselves.  This causes many people to get burned by money schemes and tricks from people who “seem” to know what they’re talking about. 

God lets us know He is the giver of wealth.  Below are just a few verses backing this:

Psalm 112:1 – 3

Deuteronomy 8:18

2 Chronicles 1:12

IS BEING BROKE MORE "CHRIST-LIKE"?

If you are living paycheck to paycheck and accumulating more debt than you can afford, you’re like the steward in Luke 16:1 – 2 who was removed from his role because he was financially irresponsible.

Dave Ramsey probably explained it best in his best seller Financial Peace.  Money is amoral.  Meaning money has no morals.  So it is neither good, nor bad.  Therefore, simply being wealthy does not make you bad or spiritually superior.  And neither does being poor mean you are good or spiritually inferior.  It is up to the individual to use money in a way that is pleasing in God's sight.

This blog is designed to provide you with helpful tips and strategies to build and manage wealth.  If you notice, the aforementioned two verses that people typically use to discourage the wealthy don’t even refer to wealth but instead only refer to being rich.  There is a major difference.  My next blog will address this difference.  Let me know what you think about the Bible and money, below.

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The Dreaded 40 40 40 Plan Work Like a SLAVE Play the Lottery or Start A Home Business...

40-40-40 PLAN. WHY MOST PEOPLE WILL RETIRE BROKE - FINANCIAL SEEDS

March 11, 2015

Growing up I saw that my family seemed to struggle even though they were working overtime or had multiple jobs.  They would wake up early, go to work and get off late only to find themselves barely making ends meet.  Their kids would have to miss out on birthdays or seeing their parents at graduations all because the parent couldn't afford to take time off of work.

On the other hand, when I was about 10 years old I met a mentor who owned his own business.  He would go into his office for a few hours most days.  He would spend a lot of his time traveling with his wife on nice vacations.  He owned several properties and seemed to be living the life that most people could only dream of although he wasn't working nearly as much as the adults I was around while growing up.  I was taught the reason some of my family failed to achieve financial freedom was because they were on the 40-40-40 plan.

THE 40-40-40 PLAN MEANS...

They work 40 hours a week for 40 years only to retire and struggle on 40% of their income because they failed to save and invest.

40 HOURS A WEEK

While getting a job is a great place to start, it should not be your only income stream.  Most people lean on the false sense of security a job offers but in turn their earning potential is controlled by someone else, their schedule is determined by someone else, and the 40+ hours spent working for someone else can result in having to sacrifice the things they really love.

God never intended for us to rely on only one source for survival.  In Genesis 2:10 - 14 the Bible notes that there were 4 rivers in the Garden of Eden which means Adam and Eve had multiple streams to rely on, not just one.  People can earn income any of the following ways: wages, profits, capital gains, and dividends.  Make sure you're not relying on only one.

40 YEARS

Most people work 40+ years because they have no choice.  Often times they forced to work jobs they hate because they live paycheck to paycheck.  Don't let a job you hate become your master because you have become a slave to a paycheck.  Make sure during your working life you are acquiring assets so that later in life you are only working because you love what you do and not because you need the money to survive.

40 % OF THEIR INCOME

The reason most people end up having to live on 40% or less of their income at retirement is because they spend all of their working life giving their money away and then rely on social security and disability to support themselves.  Most people spend their whole life working just to give away all the money they've earned to taxes, debt, inflation, and buying depreciating assets when in reality, all of these charges can be drastically decreased or avoided altogether.

Proverbs 21:20 informs us that only a foolish man devours all he has.  Unfortunately, this is exactly what most people do. 

I encourage anyone to get on the wealth plan and to leave the 40-40-40 plan in the dust.  Life is much too short and God is much to great for you to spend your whole life struggling to survive.

Give me your thoughts below on the 40-40-40 plan.

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