Making New Years Resolutions? How About “Spend Less, Save and Give More”

Lots of people make resolutions this time of year. Not surprisingly, things like paying down debt and saving more tend to show up the most. According to Fidelity’s Fidelity’s 11th annual New Year Financial Resolutions Study, “more than half of Americans, 53%, say they aim to save more in 2020, 51% plan to pay down … Read more

My Thoughts on the New Retirement Savings (aka, “SECURE”) Act

Earlier in 2019, I wrote about some retirement legislation that was pending in Congress. Well, surprise, surprise—it passed recently. (Interestingly, the bill was languishing in congress until it was added to a 2020 spending bill and seemed to slip in under the radar.) It’s the most significant legislation since the Pension Protection Act of 2006 … Read more

My New Book, “Reimagine Retirement: Planning and Living for the Glory of God,” Has Been Released!

Well, folks, I have great news: as of today, my new book, Reimagine Retirement: Planning and Living for the Glory of God, has been released by B&H Publishing (LifeWay)! It is a project I have been working on for about 18 months, and I am thrilled to announce that it is available to order from LifeWay.com, Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, … Read more

Stock Market Volatility and “The Prudent Man Rule”

In case you haven’t noticed, after a relatively “quiet” first half of 2019, volatility has returned to the financial markets in a big way. The stock market was down about 3 percent just the other day. As I understand it, uneasiness about a trade war with China, a global economic slowdown, and increasing tensions with … Read more

5 Ways Congress May Make it Easier to Plan for Retirement

As a reader of this blog, you know that we hold to the position that the Bible teaches that it’s good to wisely save and invest for the future, including a time in “retirement” (Prov. 6-11, Prov. 21:20), and also to be “rich toward God” by “storing up treasures in heaven” (Luke 12:21; Matt. 6:19–21). … Read more

12 “Hard Truths” For Graduates to Help Them Not Be Broke

I occasionally get the opportunity to talk about stewardship and money with young people (high school and college age). I am always grateful to get the chance and I always enjoy the interactions. We are near the end of the school year, a time when many will be graduating from high school or college. So … Read more

All You Need to Know About Personal Finance on a 3 x 5 Inch Index Card – Really?

A few years ago, a University of Chicago college professor named Harold Pollack remarked that everything you really needed to know about personal finance could be fit on a single 3×5 inch index card. Someone asked him to prove it, the result went viral, and Pollack actually ended up co-writing a book about it called … Read more

My Stewardship Practices – Part Two:  Saving, Investing, and Protecting

In this second of two articles on my stewardship practices, I discuss my saving, investing, and protecting (insurance) approaches. The stewardship principles that are most applicable to these areas are as follows: Don’t spend all you have – save and invest for needs you know you will have in the future (Prov.6:6-6; Prov.21:20; James 4:13-15). … Read more