Christian Finance Blog
Spiritually Prosperous, Financially Rich!

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

Sir Winston Churchill

Our lives are defined by what we give. Winston Churchill says it best. What are we giving today? How are we impacting someone’s life through our giving. We can change someone’s world just by giving. And it doesn’t always have to be money. Give a smile, a compliment, buy a lunch, give your time. There are so many ways to give.

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

From the Life Application Bible:

Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares, to admit your need, and to let others in God’s family help you.

Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God’s concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, he will bear the weight even of those struggles. Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passivity. Don’t submit to circumstances but to the Lord, who controls circumstances.

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I’ve been on vacation overseas for the past couple weeks. I’ll get on new updates shortly. Thanks for being a reader!

23 Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty.

Proverbs 14:23 (NLT)

Don’t just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. Do what you say you’ll do. That’s called integrity. Someone who does what they say they’ll do. Just talking and not following up with your words is not right.

Work brings profit. As Dave Ramsey says, “work is a sure-fire money-making scheme.” Don’t just talk about working. Go out there and do it!

10 Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NLT)

Give everything you’ve got in everything you do. Don’t do things half-heartedly. If you’re going to do it, go all out. That’s what it’s saying in this verse. You might as well do it big, because you might regret it later.

“Money often costs too much.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

That is deep. What is money costing you? Your time? Your health? The time with your family? The saying goes, “Time is money.” But what are you sacrificing to gain earthly riches? Because it’s not about that. We have a higher goal. We have a higher motivation. A higher call. As Christians, we have an eternal perspective. Riches in heaven are worth far more than earthly riches that fade away and that we can’t take with us.

I’ve been using SmartyPig for over a year now and I recently completed a goal so I think I have some good insight into this revolutionary service. The basic concept is similar to a piggy bank. Save up for something we need or want to buy. So instead of using credit cards or debt to pay for something, how about paying cash for it? What a concept. It’s something many people can’t grasp and are the exact people who are in trouble today.

This is what I teach. This is what the Bible teaches. Live debt free. SmartyPig can help you.

The reason SmartyPig works is that it makes saving automatic. All you have to do is to set a goal and set the date you want to accomplish it. SmartyPig will automatically calculate your monthly contribution plus interest that it would take to fulfill your goal. You can add money in addition to the monthly amounts at any time. They’re currently paying 2.01% which is pretty high compared to most savings accounts. Interest accrues daily, but is paid quarterly. When I started, the interest was at 4.30% which was high back then. Their rate is still competitive in my opinion and management has expressed that they want to stay competitive with their interest rate.

Once you’ve set up your goal, monthly recurring amounts will be transferred into your SmartyPig account. Once you’ve completed a goal or you’ve decided to stop a goal, they will allow you to do 3 things with it. You have a choice between transferring your money back to your linked account or receive a SmartyPig debit card, or receive a gift card from participating retailers. Honestly, I would probably just transfer the money back into my linked account. That takes 2 business days. I probably wouldn’t even consider the debit card as it takes 10-15 business days and it’s not the same as cash even though it can be used for ATM withdrawals.

The other option only makes sense in certain cases. If you had something specific to buy that you know you can get at one of SmartyPig’s participating retailers, it makes sense. The great thing is that the retailers are offering a percentage boosts to your money. Current retailers include Amazon (1.75% boost), Best Buy (0.75% boost), Home Depot (1.00% boost), Lowe’s (1.00% boost), Macy’s (3.75% boost), Overstock (6.00% boost), Sears (2.50% boost), and others. As you can see, you can get a better deal if you get a gift card, but it only makes sense if you’re sure you can get the item that you’re looking for at a great deal. It can take 7-10 business days to receive the gift card.

Not only is SmartyPig a virtual piggy bank, they’ve also made it social. You can share goals with family and friends and they can contribute to your goals. Funds that are added by credit card are charged 2.9%. However, if they have a SmartyPig account, it’s free to send money to family and friends as long as it’s from their SmartyPig balance.

The other great thing about SmartyPig is their willingness to listen to the customers. I have seen many changes that have come about because customers have complained. For example, in the early days, people were complaining because there was no option to transfer the money back into the savings account. A recent change that has come about is reduced ACH transfer times. It used to take a little longer and they’ve recently sped the process up. The company is very accessible through their blog as well as email.

The account is free to sign up and is FDIC insured up to $250,000 (until the end of 2013). You must be 18 to open an account and the process doesn’t take long at all. You’ll pick your user name, password, security questions, input your personal and bank information, and verify your account.

Now I wouldn’t use SmartyPig as a traditional savings account. Because it’s not. It’s not quite as liquid as a regular savings account. So don’t put your emergency fund there. If you need to save for a specific goal, however, SmartyPig makes a lot of sense. Next time you want or need something, think SmartyPig. Whether it’s a new car, a new washer, a family vacation, Christmas money, or even a wedding, give SmartyPig a try. It’s made saving automatic and fun. I just bought my MacBook Pro without using my credit card because I saved with SmartyPig! I can’t wait until it arrives. Remember, debt free is the only way to be!

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NLT)

From the Life Application Bible:

Ephesus was a wealthy city, and the Ephesian church probably had many wealthy members. Paul advised Timothy to deal with any potential problems by teaching that having riches carries great responsibility. Those who have money must be generous, but they must not be arrogant just because they have a lot to give. They must be careful not to put their hope in money instead of in the living God for their security. Even if we don’t have material wealth, we can be rich in good deeds. No matter how poor we are, we have something to share with someone.

Do you know what freedom feels like? It’s an amazing feeling! There’s nothing holding you back. Nothing following behind you. Complete freedom. Liberty. Independence. Dependence on God alone and not on debt.

I just sent my final two credit card payments today and I am now completely debt free! There are no words to describe this feeling. Now my income can go to investing, saving, and giving without just funneling it to the banks. Be debt free! Live debt free! There’s nothing like it.

“If money be not thy servant, it will be thy master. The covetous man cannot so properly be said to possess wealth, as that may be said to possess him.”

Sir Francis Bacon

This is so true and the Bible talks about it, too! Don’t let money have you. You must be the master of your money; not a servant to it. That only happens when you become a giver. Giving with no strings attached frees you up and allows you to be self-less and not selfish.

The Cash for Clunkers program is now dead. There is no more money left for the program. Dealers will have until tonight to file any claims for deals made and many dealers have already stopped doing Clunker deals since last Thursday and Friday.

The controversial program offered rebates of up to $4,500 to those people who were trading in cars that had 18 MPG or less to purchase brand new cars. The original money for the program ran out quickly and additional funds were approved by Congress to extend the program.

4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5 Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 37:4-5 (NLT)

From the Life Application Bible:

David calls us to delight in the Lord and to commit everything we have and do to him. But how do we do this? To delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This happens only when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know him better. Knowledge of God’s great love for us will indeed give us delight.

To commit ourselves to the Lord means entrusting everything – our lives, families, jobs, possessions – to his control and guidance. To commit ourselves to the Lord means to trust in him (37:5), believing that he can care for us better than we can ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently (37:7) for him to work out what is best for us.

9 We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

We can make all the plans we want to, but God is the one who gives us step-by-step directions. Follow God’s plan. Don’t take things into your own hands. That’s when things begin to go wrong. God knows best. God knows the end from the beginning. If you’re completely lost, just ask the Holy Spirit to lead you, to guide you, and teach you in the things of God. God always answers prayer and he’s always speaking. But are we listening? Get the play-by-play from God today.

You’ve heard of the “Cash for Clunkers” government program that recently ran out of the original $1 billion. The Senate just approved an additional $2 billion for the program last night to extend the popular program and President Obama is expected to sign it into law as early as today. But just because it’s popular doesn’t mean you should take advantage of it.

Here are the details of the program. You can trade-in a gas-guzzling “clunker” that is less than 25 years old and gets 18 MPG (miles per gallon) or less. Check fueleconomy.gov for official MPG numbers. You must buy a new car in conjunction with the trade-in. The car must have be registered and insured for a full year before the trade-in. The program runs through November 1, 2009 or until these additional funds run out. Check out the cars.gov for full details.

If you were looking to buy a new car already (before you even knew about the $4,500 rebate), you can get a pretty good deal for a trade-in if your car qualifies. I would check out Kelly Blue Book or Edmunds to figure out a rough private party value for your car. If it’s worth way less than the $4,500 rebate and you have the money to pay for another car, I would take advantage of it. If you don’t have the money or have to take out a loan, why get into debt, especially if your clunker works just fine? It just seems like a waste to me, especially when the working clunkers have to be scrapped.

Another piece of legislation that you might not have heard about is the extension of the $250,000 FDIC insurance through 2013 that was passed back in May. The limits are expected to go back to the original $100,000 per depositor on January 1, 2014. In the meantime, you’re protected up to $250,000 on bank accounts, CDs, IRAs, and other accounts. You don’t have to worry about losing your money if a bank fails.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

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