“Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn’t expect to be paid back.”

Unknown source

Ha! That’s funny. I say don’t borrow at all if you don’t have to.

3 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.

Acts 18:3 (NLT)

There’s nothing wrong with a pastor having two jobs. In fact, most pastors in America today are bi-vocational (have two jobs). Paul was a tentmaker besides being a minister. However, I believe that a pastor can be more effective when he or she can focus on serving God without having to worry about finances.

I believe the Bible is very clear about supporting ministers. But there’s also nothing wrong with a pastor having a second job. Sometimes, it’s just what it takes.

From the Life Application Bible:

Each Jewish boy learned a trade and tried to earn his living with it. Paul and Aquila had been trained in tentmaking, cutting and sewing the woven cloth of goats’ hair into tents. Tents were used to house soldiers, and so these tents may have been sold to the Roman army. As a tentmaker, Paul was able to go wherever God led him, carrying his livelihood with him. The word tentmaker in Greek was also used to describe a leatherworker.

Last year I camped out at Best Buy, but I’m not sure this year. I may just decide to stay home and do Black Friday online this year. It really depends on the deals. You would think that with the economy the way it is that retailers would pull out all the stops to get the shoppers out.

“It’s apparent that the Labor Department had some problems seasonally adjusting for the Veterans Day holiday.”

Ted Wieseman

Here’s quote for Veterans Day. Happy Veterans Day to you! Always remember the veterans who served for our country and pray for those serving every day. This country was founded on freedom and those who fought for our freedom and those who continue to fight! God bless!

Get the hottest Christmas gift this year! The limit is 3 per household.

“The rule is not to talk about money with people who have much more or much less than you.”

Katherine Whitehorn

In other words, don’t talk to anyone about money? I would never talk to co-workers about money, or at least, salary. There is just too much room for jealousy. If you make more than the other person, they’ll be jealous of you. If they make more, you’ll be jealous. Nobody wins.

But who can you talk money with? I think every couple needs to talk about money. The number one reason for divorce in America is about money and money fights. And I’m not talking about letting one spouse control the finances. It should be a joint effort with everyone involved. Money is so important, it should be talked about before marriage. In fact, I like what Suze Orman says about knowing each other’s FICO credit scores before getting married! And that’s because how people handle their money tells what kind of person he or she is.

Remember that where your treasure your heart is too (Matthew 6:21)!

25 Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.

Proverbs 21:25 (NLT)

From the Nelson Study Bible:

The longing of the lazy man kills him; he is devoured by his own passions because he will not expend the energy to fulfill them. Verse 26 describes further the insatiable greed of the lazy person by contrasting it with the generosity of the righteous.

“So you think that money is the root of all evil. Have you ever asked what is the root of all money?”

Ayn Rand

Remember that the love of money is the root of all evil, not money! But what is the root of all money, anyway?

Courtesy of Engadget.

7 Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor.

Proverbs 13:7 (NLT)

Isn’t this so true? There are many people in America today who drive nice cars, live in fancy neighborhoods, enroll their kids in private school, and have fancy jewelry or clothes. What you don’t see is the enormous amounts of debt that they used to finance their rich lifestyle. These people are not truly happy and are struggling to make ends meet. The lifestyle is killing them. Looks are not everything. Just because they’re driving a leased Jaguar doesn’t mean they’re doing great. So resist the urge to keep up with the Joneses.

On the flip side, there are many millionaires who are the “millionaire next door”. These are the people who appear to live middle-class lifestyles yet have millions of dollars in net worth. What is the difference between them and the ones who look like they’re rich? They don’t care about image. They don’t care about what other people (who really don’t matter anyway) think about them or their lifestyle. This is one of the keys to being rich. It’s not about what people think necessarily but what God thinks of you!

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”

Maya Angelou

What a great quote and some great advice. Money should never be your goal. Money is motivating but there is a higher purpose for our lives. I don’t think that it’s necessarily wrong to be motivated by money as long as the ultimate motivation is that you want to help someone with it. So the real motivation is to change lives through giving. Giving to God. Giving to the poor. Giving to the church. Giving to change generations. Giving to change your family tree.

Is money your motivation? Are you really doing what you love? Examine your ultimate goals in life.

So here’s some free advice. Always double check your departure gates at the airport! I’m normally on top of things like that but I was too engrossed in my solitaire game on my iPod.

By now, most of us have heard about the news of the $700 billion bailout signed into law by President Bush on October 3rd, 2008. The bill is designed to bailout the numerous banks throughout the country that were making bad mortgage loans. The government (read: we, the taxpayers) are now going to own $700 billion worth of homes and hopefully sell them later for a profit. How much later is in question.

Do I support the bailout? It doesn’t matter. It has already passed. What I can do is try to analyze the effects of the bailout to you and I. Joe Doughnut. The average American. I definitely don’t like the idea of using taxpayer money to bailout any huge corporation that made bad decisions. They should be allowed to fail. This is a free market capitalist country. I’m afraid America is moving more and more toward socialism and that’s scaring me. But enough of that.

The real question is why does it matter to me personally? After all, this is a personal finance blog. Along with the huge amount of “bad” in the bailout, there some “good” thrown in there as well. For example, the bill increases the FDIC insured limit from $100,000 to $250,000 deposits at all banks and credit unions (that are FDIC insured). That means more protection for you! Hopefully it will get you to save more and spend less, too! This expires December 31, 2009.

Also included in the bill is about the alternative minimum tax. It was expected to hit 20 million taxpayers with an unexpected tax increase this year but it was originally supposed to affect 155 high-income households who owed little or no taxes at the time when it was introduced.

So what does the bailout mean for me? What does it mean for you? It means that I’m doing everything I can to get out of debt and avoid my own “credit crisis”. If I don’t have any debt and a have whole bunch of cash, I won’t have a credit crisis! If I don’t need to borrow, I don’t need credit! What a concept!