Index funds: A smart and safe investment.

Rob West
5 Aug 2010
no comments

Every stock investor makes the fundamental decision, whether they realize it or not, to either attempt to beat the market or if they are content to merely match the market. To beat the market, you must use actively-managed funds – that is, funds that frequently trade stocks in an effort to hold only those that will do particularly well. But, for the average investor, attempting to select the right stocks at the right time can be quite a daunting task. To merely match the market’s returns, passively managed “index” funds mirror the performance of a market index as their managers […]

-Read More

What is financial independence?

Rob West
3 Jul 2010
no comments

  The perceived complexity of financial planning often leads to frustration and indecision by many families.  In last month’s column, we explored a simplified approach to financial planning by looking at the five short-term uses of money.  Money can be used in only one of five areas in the short-term: giving, lifestyle, repayment of debt, taxes and cash flow margin.  As you accumulate money from your cash flow margin, you grow your net worth for the purpose of meeting one or more of only six long-term objectives.  As we continue with part two of our look at a simple approach […]

-Read More

Five short term spending objectives revealed

Rob West
28 May 2010
no comments

One thing that often prevents us from being proactive with our family financial planning is that we perceive financial planning to be too complex.  The unlimited alternatives for spending our money often results in “analysis paralysis.”  The good News is that in the short term, there are basically only five spending objectives; in the long term there are only six. Every spending decision or use of money accomplishes one of these 11 objectives. We’ll focus on the five short term spending objectives in this article, and we will take a look at six long term objectives next month. Every short […]

-Read More

Performing for an audience of one: God

Rob West
1 May 2010
no comments

Over a 50-year span, the average American spends approximately 100,000 hours working. Unfortunately, millions of Christians are duped into believing that there isn’t the slightest connection between what they do all day and what they believe God wants to accomplish on this Earth. Nothing could be further from the truth. Work is not something we do apart from God. Work is not something beneath God’s dignity or concern. Not only did God ordain work itself, but your work matters to God. We find at the beginning of the book of Genesis that God created man in His image as a […]

-Read More

Contentment

Rob West
14 Apr 2010
no comments

We live in a materialistic, consumption-oriented society that operates on the two assumptions that more is always better, and happiness is based on the acquisition of possessions.  The danger of buying into this philosophy is that it is totally contradictory to the life that we are called to live as Christians.  The fact of the matter is that Christians are called in Hebrews 13:5 to “keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”  Let’s take a look at […]

-Read More

Teaching kids to handle money wisely

Rob West
4 Mar 2010
no comments

One major responsibility God has given parents is to train their children to handle money in a wise and godly manner. Frequently on the radio, parents will explain a problem with their children that involves money – a problem that they have not been able to overcome. Here are a few of the most common challenges that I hear about from parents, and some thoughts on how you might handle each situation. Problem 1: The “spender” child.Invariably, I’m asked how to handle a child who wastes his money. The problem is that he seems to never have any money left. […]

-Read More

Failure to tweak your savings could cost you

Rob West
30 Jan 2010
no comments

One of the best ways to sock away substantial long-term dollars for retirement is to participate in an employer-sponsored 401(k). In fact, maximum contributions to 401(k), 403(b) and 457 accounts rose to $16,500 in 2009, with an additional $6,000 contribution available as a catch-up provision for those over the age of 50. Unfortunately, many participants in retirement plans leave their plans on autopilot and fail to tune up their plans periodically. Here are some things to consider as you tweak your hard-earned retirement savings for optimum performance. Make consistent pre-tax depositsOut of sight, out of mind. You won’t miss the […]

-Read More

Blessing of money management

Rob West
1 Dec 2009
no comments

Americans as a whole are addicted to debt.  We borrow, our businesses borrow, and our state and federal governments borrow.  Most of the attention about debt has focused on the federal budget deficit, which is expected to be $1.2 trillion next year.  But consumer debt is on the rise as well, and personal bankruptcies are skyrocketing.  U.S. News & World Report is reporting that consumer credit has topped $2.4 trillion, and household debt stands at 110 percent of annual disposable income, up from 76 percent in 1986.  All of this adds up to one thing…bondage.  God has a better plan […]

-Read More

Should give, could give, would give

Rob West
23 Oct 2009
no comments

Three men were discussing how to determine how much money to give to the Lord. This first man drew a circle on the ground, took all the money out of his pocket and threw it in the air; whatever landed inside the circle was the Lord’s and the rest he spent. The second man disagreed; he said the proper way to determine how much was the Lord’s was how much fell outside the circle. The third man, being more “spiritually mature,” threw his money in the air, and, when it landed, he said that whatever God wanted, He kept. Therefore, […]

-Read More

Ten new ways to save money

Rob West
15 Oct 2009
no comments

We all spend money every day. Of course, it’s true that God gives some more financial resources than others, but we are all called to be found faithful with as little or as much as He has entrusted to us at this time. And, we are told clearly in Luke 16:11 that faithful money management is the beginning of being entrusted with true riches. A big part of financial stewardship is controlling the outflow of funds that you receive to ensure that your expenditures reflect your values and priorities. There are two distinct categories of funds that you receive each […]

-Read More