Financial Planning 2

He who gathers money little by little makes it grow. (Proverbs 13:11)

Budget Inflows:

Salary
Business Income
Earnings or Investments
Pension Plan

Budget Outflows:

Giving
Taxes
Debt Repayment
Living Expenses
Accumulation

Set Short-Term and Long-Term Goals:

If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.

Our plans miscarry because we have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.
—Seneca, Roman statesman

Financial freedom comes when your assets are large enough to grow by themselves so that they pay for your expenses. The road to financial freedom is difficult at first but easy later on. The road to credit is easy at first but very difficult later on.

The average American family devotes 25% of its spendable income to debt repayment.
The average tax return shows more than ten times as much money spent on interest as spent on charitable causes.
The life savings of an average 50-year-old int he U.S. is $2,300.
The average American owes about $8,000 in credit card debt.
70% of credit card holders are in perma-debt.
Jesus didn't approve of waste. After the feeding of the 5000, the disciples were instructed to gather all the pieces left over and let nothing be wasted.
If a million average Presbyterian households were to live within the average Presbyterian minister's salary, it would free up at least $2 billion a year for God's work.

Know the Difference between an Asset and a Liability

Assets put money in your pocket.
Liabilities take money out of your pocket.

The three common elements in every depressing debt story are financial ignorance, attitudes of entitlement, and the availability of credit.

Before Buying, Ask Yourself:

Do we really need this thing?
Does this thing contribute to my purpose in being here on earth?
Is this thing an asset to me as a soldier of Christ, or a liability.

Ralph Winter used the term "wartime lifestyle" as a more helpful concept than "simple lifestyle."