MoneyWalk 427 Surviving Depressions and Recessions

This program will help you undo financial bondage.

I responded as follows to questions about the economic depressions and recessions prior to such happenings in 2000 and 2008. The inquirers believed they would be financially devastated by such debacles and/or have to be stock picking and alternate investment gurus in order to withstand them and keep at least some of the little bit they currently had.

First, by the grace of God through faith I devote my life to Christ and worship Him by spending time with Him in thanksgiving, praise, prayer, and studying the bible every day.

Second, I seek to be loving to my wife at all times and each day say I love her, spending quality time praying.

Third, I recognize involvement in at least one ministry at my local church is good for me and my family no matter the current economic situation because it helps me engage and fulfill my and the Church's God-given desire to worship Christ, disciple the believers, evangelize the lost, and do good deeds. I ask the Holy Spirit to help me balance my involvement to make sure it is in proper proportion for the season according to God's will for my life.

Fourth, but also evident in some of the above, I work reasonable hours to obtain the income that my skills can bring and trust that God will (if He desires) in His timing provide more than my skills could merit and that no matter what income I have from time to time He will take care of me as much as necessary in every season because I am His beloved child.

Fifth, my spouse and I intentionally follow a spending plan (budget) that helps us refrain from spending more than we receive in income. Its priority item is tithing and abundant offerings to Jesus Christ via our local Church and providing gleanings for the poor in His name. All that we are, ever hope to be, and have is the LORD's and He can use it any way He chooses!!!

Sixth, within a short number of years God helped us get to the place where we owe no man anything but love. It took us eight years to get there (after being steeped in debt and thus bondage) but we’ve lived God’s debt-free will for almost two decades now. We love it because we’re not moved by the national or local economy, depressions or recessions nor have to make changes based on them.

Seventh, because we live debt-free we've been able to build an emergency fund that will take us through several years if a long-lasting emergency or catastrophe were to occur. We placed such funds, that will be used to pay usual periodic bills and other’s needs, in accounts that provide good guarantees of return of principle and earned interest. If we were to spend the funds below $10,000, then we would reduce our discretionary spending and pursue extra entrepreneurial ventures to bring in extra income until we once again built the fund back to an appropriate level.

Eighth, once we built our emergency fund to $10,000 we put at least 25% of our gross income into equity investment vehicles (no load low expense stock index mutual funds, etc.) that have verified histories of greater long-term returns than we earn in our emergency fund accounts. We still had huge amounts of extra disposable income each month to be able to build a larger emergency fund and to set aside other savings for vehicle replacements, vacations, home renovations, and other things we made plans to do in the future.

If the LORD wills, we aspire to hold on to our equity investments for a very long time and let them compound and grow to enormous levels. we are always cognizant that all we have and ever will have is the LORD’s. We’re only stewards of His possessions. If He tells us to go sell all we have, give to the poor and come follow Him, then we’ll do it without hesitation because He alone is the Prize. If He does not instruct us that way, huge sums are likely to go to our Church and other worthwhile ministries once we are in our heavenly home and while we live on earth abundant sums are already given toward His heavenly aims.

In conclusion, we don’t use any special investment plan or changes to ward off depressionary / recessionary effects. We just keep following biblical principles no matter the current earthly economic conditions. There is never recession in Heaven! As long as we’re in God’s care and intimate with Him we have all we truly need at any given point in time. So, don’t focus your attention as much on the type of savings and investment accounts you need to have during such times, rather focus your attention on following biblical financial principles at all times: budget, eliminate debt, save, invest, and diversify. Over a short period of years, you’ll become depression and recession proof because your trust is in God Almighty and you are thus under His protection and guidance!

Please pray for this ministry and email me with any questions. May the LORD bless you richly as you follow His plan!

Proverbs 3:5-12, 11:24-25, 13:20-25, 16:1-3, 21:20-21, 22:6-9, 24:1-4, 27:23-27, 28:18-20, 30:7-9, 31:10-31

Please forward these bondage-breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!

You can find books authored by Randy Parlor and Karen Parlor at www.Amazon.com

You can find many other MoneyWalk articles on Facebook by looking at the NOTES created by Randy Parlor at https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000444069041&sk=notes.

You can connect with Randy Parlor on Twitter and Linkedin

You can also view and/or listen to MoneyWalk articles at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnztOIesOKIrSd_H6c-8mQ

MoneyWalk 426b Using Financial Advisors

This program will help you undo financial bondage.

It may be of help to you to know the pathway the LORD directed me up years ago after I asked Him to help me become a good steward of the money He entrusts to me. I planned to become debt-free using the help of a monthly budget. It helped me see where I was to control spending to ensure I quickly set aside about $1,000 as an emergency fund. After all non-mortgage debt was paid off several years later, I upped the emergency fund to about $10,000, so I would not be in jeopardy of having to withdraw or borrow investment money and thus pay taxes, penalties, or other high fees when an emergency occurs. For simplicity sake early on and to the greatest extent possible, I invested via 401k, 403b, and Roth accounts. I focused on quickly getting my debt paid off so I could invest 10% of gross income after my emergency fund was in place and increased the percentage every year so in peak earning years my household was investing around 25% percent of gross income.

I asked trustworthy friends who used good money management skill about their experiences with particular advisors who help teach biblically correct principles that prospered others. I called state and federal securities agencies to ensure the advisors and investment companies were in good standing with no unsatisfied complaints against them. I made sure advisors were willing to teach me how to properly manage income and assets and not just sell investments. I quickly got the heck off the phone or out of the office if one immediately started touting and trying to get me to put money into high commission, high expense, so-called high growth guaranteed or virtually guaranteed investments.

I refused to write checks payable in the name of the individual advisor. I thoroughly analyzed the investments recommended and made checks out to the investment company / brokerage I found reputable whose investment I decided to buy. I required a copy of the clear written instructions concerning the investment transaction the advisor was to submit for me.

I invested solely in no load low expense stock index mutual funds, until I learned more about good stewardship, personal finance, and was able to identify advisors who truly help people over the long haul obtain consistently better investment growth than their peers. Such funds are diversified and I did not pay sales charges up front nor would I upon cashing out of the investments. Over time I spread the money out to seven or eight investment vehicles across various arenas (large cap, mid cap, small cap, international, REITS, etc.).

I selected those with low annual expense ratios and no 12b-1 fees. I considered low expenses to be an annual amount less than half of 1% of the investment amount. I was able to find funds that charged far less via Vanguard, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and a few other investment companies. I understood upfront commissions would start my investment account with less money than I would write the check for. For example, a 5% load (sales charge) would turn a $1000 investment into $950 right off the bat. I thus would not get investment growth off my entire $1,000.

High expenses would eat into investment returns so I would pay more in annual expenses and over many years the compound effect of such fees would be staggering in terms of investment growth I would not receive – in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Also, the vast majority of mutual funds that charge commissions and high expenses were not earning more than no load low expense stock index mutual funds on a regular basis. This does not mean that a few won’t, however a novice investor is usually not able to tell which actively managed loaded high expense funds might beat no load low expense funds most years without undue risk of great loss.

In the midst of this lifelong investment process, I still continually ask the LORD to help me appropriately manage income and assets and take action to tithe and give abundantly to my local Church and other ministries that truly honor His will. Thus, my life and financial priority always unquestionably remain Him and the spreading of the gospel so many others can know about the pathway through Jesus Christ to be saved and inherit eternal life while maintaining a position to prosper on earth.

Please pray for this ministry and email me with any questions. May the LORD bless you richly as you follow His plan!

Proverbs 21:20, Ecclesiastes 11:1-2, Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19:11-27

Please forward these bondage-breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!

You can find books authored by Randy Parlor and Karen Parlor at www.Amazon.com

You can find many other MoneyWalk articles on Facebook by looking at the NOTES created by Randy Parlor at https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000444069041&sk=notes.

You can connect with Randy Parlor on Twitter and Linkedin

You can also view and/or listen to MoneyWalk articles at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnztOIesOKIrSd_H6c-8mQ

MoneyWalk 426a Using Financial Advisors

This program will help you undo financial bondage.

First and foremost, I study the bible to know and understand what the LORD has to say on the subject of giving, work, money management, saving, investing, and wealth building. I also read a lot of books and articles to learn how to avoid scam artists because some people believe a sucker is born every minute and they try to make you one of them. Nobody cares more about what God has entrusted to me and making sure that it is used to do His will than God and I do. Thus, guidance I come upon that does not line up with biblical principles and methods that fit therein do not get utilized in my life no matter who the advisor is. I wish the same for you and therefore I am providing this guide.

Let’s be clear some financial advisors are trustworthy and should be consulted and used. They have a heart to do the best to help you get into a sound financial condition and to bring increase to your life and family via righteous standards and methods. They help you get a complete financial picture of your situation, let you know what is lacking, what you need to do, how that will help you, and where in a LORD glorifying way it will take you. They do not exert the high level of pressure many other advisors exert in order to sell things you do not really need in order to make lots of money from you via exorbitant commission and fees.

Many financial advisors or whatever they call themselves (brokers, counselors, agents, CFP’s, CFA’s, retirement investment specialists, etc.) push financial products upon people that are not suitable for the individual’s financial condition or for anyone’s financial condition for that matter. Thus, you must be knowledgeable, intentional, and watchful when selecting and using a professional that is paid via commissions and fees on the sale of financial products. Also, be careful of those who want any type of control over decisions regarding your money and how it can be given, invested, and/or spent. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!!!

Each person who desires to be a good steward of the money and resources to which God entrusts Him should have at least several counselors from whom he/she gleans knowledge and understanding so wisdom can be employed in the use of money and resources including the making, giving, saving, investing, and spending of it. Such counselors can be a conglomeration of people you personally interview after referral by people you know who have a lengthy history of being good stewards from a biblical perspective. This could also include advice given by organizations like Crown.org, DaveRamsey.com, SoundmindInvesting.com and other Christian based financial teaching sources.

The fact that you use advisors does not mean that you actually have to give a particular financial advisor or brokerage house carte blanche (control or power of attorney) over money entrusted to you. For example, I am the best person to manage what I've been given, so I oversee it as a general contractor does his/her subcontractors on a construction site. I will not utilize everyone I come into contact with and that includes some very close friends that work in the financial services industry (for whom I have a great personal respect). Yet, I glean knowledge from them and they from me on occasion on a variety of subjects in which we’re both interested. Only God and I reserve the right to choose advisors I will use and where income and assets He entrusted to me will be given, saved, invested, and spent. I exhort you to follow a similar method to make sure you choose financial advisors and sources of guidance who can teach you well and show by example the godly things you should consider and pathway you should intentionally walk in order to please the LORD.

Please pray for this ministry and email me with any questions. May the LORD bless you richly as you follow His plan!

Proverbs 11:14, 22:3, Ecclesiastes 4:12, Matthew 6:33, 2Corinthians 11:3, 2John 1:10

Please forward these bondage-breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!

You can find books authored by Randy Parlor and Karen Parlor at www.Amazon.com

You can find many other MoneyWalk articles on Facebook by looking at the NOTES created by Randy Parlor at https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000444069041&sk=notes.

You can connect with Randy Parlor on Twitter and Linkedin

You can also view and/or listen to MoneyWalk articles at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnztOIesOKIrSd_H6c-8mQ

MoneyWalk 425 The Right Way To Build Wealth

This program will help you undo financial bondage.

A Christian is passionate about seeking first the LORD and by grace through faith receiving His righteousness and kingdom to guide his/her life. It is through this love relationship with Him that all other things we need and many things desired will be added to us. However, these things will never be our real treasure. For where your treasure is (in Christ in God), there will your heart be also.

There are some in the world who God called to positions of prominence (power, fame, wealth) and others He allows to be in such positions. You are no less highly regarded by the LORD if you do not attain similar earthly positions, goods, or notoriety. Each of our jobs and the abilities and skills we use to do them (when they are not of a sinful nature and regardless of whether we call them ministry or secular endeavors) are gifts from and ministry to the LORD that greatly benefit many other people. Those truly intimate with Him will lead others to His saving and sanctifying grace.

Now, His blessings and rewards on earth can be two-fold. First, He rains on the just and unjust alike. Some things He will do for you just because He loves you whether you are a believer or not. Some things He might do only for believers in Christ, like grant them salvation and eternal life. Some rewards may be provided only in accordance with spiritual laws as we live out biblical principles (sowing & reaping, counting the cost, saving & investing, asset diversification, etc.). Our job is not to worry about how to get things. It is to seek Him while He is near and call upon Him while He may be found. As we move along the path on which seeking, relating, and becoming intimate with Jesus Christ is our greatest priority in life, then we find that He adds all the other things to us that we need to fulfill His will, purpose, and calling for our life and to be a blessing to many others.

This is very important to know because otherwise we try to live someone else's life or the way they told us scripture requires us to live. Seeking Him first tunes our ears to hear what the bible and Holy Spirit are actually saying to our hearts. While I have a need to be taught by God and know this will often be delivered through man, I have a greater need to receive understanding from the Holy Spirit so I can walk in wisdom. He is the Spirit of Truth who will tell me all things (John 14 and 15).

He lets me know monetary wealth is possible when I work in a godly manner and properly managing income received. However, I must in all cases be attuned to using that wealth for the glory of God by helping to spread His gospel throughout my family, community, nation, and world and in greater proportion as my income and wealth increase. This helps keep us in a humble place recognizing that God owns all the money and resources we will ever receive and that we are to do His will with it. We must also recognize we are no better than anyone else because we have received seemingly greater blessings and rewards on earth.

God is just as happy with the widow who glorified Him by giving all she had (two pennies relatively speaking) in the worship service collection as He is with the rich man who glorified Him by preparing Christ’s body and burying Him in his tomb. So, focus on glorifying His name in the earth by following His vision for your life, working as unto the LORD, abundantly funding gospel ministry, budgeting, properly caring for your family, pursuing debt-freedom, spending within your means, saving, investing, and diversifying assets. Then, you will look up and find yourself in the wealthy place.

Please pray for this ministry and email me with any questions. May the LORD bless you richly as you follow His plan!

Proverbs 13:21-23, Proverbs 21:20, Matthew 6:33, Luke 21:1-4, Luke 23:50-53

Please forward these bondage-breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!

You can find books authored by Randy Parlor and Karen Parlor at www.Amazon.com

You can find many other MoneyWalk articles on Facebook by looking at the NOTES created by Randy Parlor at https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000444069041&sk=notes.

You can connect with Randy Parlor on Twitter and Linkedin

You can also view and/or listen to MoneyWalk articles at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnztOIesOKIrSd_H6c-8mQ