The next foundational step is “secure.” This step comes after households have started saving for major, short-term purchases and worked this amount into their monthly cash flow plan. Once this has been achieved, it’s time to start attacking long-term goals. These are big-ticket items such as retirement, college, or major lifestyle changes down the road.…

After establishing an emergency fund and implementing the proper insurance policies, the “stable” step comes along. Households begin to feel more comfortable because they have liquidity in the bank, proper insurance in place to protect against calamity, and don’t feel slave to consumer debt any longer. Just as importantly, there is a feeling of confidence…

The next foundational step is “surviving.” As a reminder, this step comes after all short-term, high-interest debt has been eliminated and a spending plan has been established. Now that there is more cash flow available (because some debt payments have been eliminated), households have the opportunity to add on to the foundation. The “surviving” stage…

Over the next several weeks, we are going to go through the basic steps of what building a solid foundation looks like. The Kingdom Advisors organization likes to refer to this as the “sequential investing hierarchy.” These terms refer not only to what a household’s situation looks like financially, but it also pertains to how…

St. Paul tells us that we are to be “cheerful givers.” Generosity can be manifested through contributions of our time, talent, and treasure. When we open our hearts to giving, we are opening our hearts to God. Giving helps break the power that money holds over us, and it helps us to remember that all…

Before we start climbing the ladder, we want to make sure the ladder is leaning against the right wall. By prioritizing our goals, we can back into the necessary steps to take on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The only way to meet short and long-term goals is by intentionally setting aside funds to…

Unfortunately, things go wrong. To protect against the downsides that we often can’t control, it’s imperative to have liquidity for emergencies and to be properly insured against major events. As a rule of thumb, we like to see 3-6 months of living expenses in the bank (or in cash) to cover the unexpected. It’s also…

Debt is very prevalent in today’s society, and it’s often portrayed as something that everybody does. Our culture also teaches us that debt is a necessary part of any financial situation. Proverbs 22:7 warns us, “The borrower is slave to the lender.” We must remember to consider the economic and spiritual dangers of debt. Remember…

As we dive into the 5 Biblical money management principles, we begin with the simplest, yet most difficult. To move the needle financially, we MUST spend less than we earn. We live in a culture that is constantly bombarding us with advertisements to want more and spend more. With the inflationary pressures that exist in…

As we transition from the “why” to the “how” with Biblical financial principles, we must first examine our belief system. This is a critical exercise because our behaviors are ultimately driven by our beliefs. If we are convicted in our beliefs, we can draw from that faith to make the proper decision. Keep in mind…