Financial Insights

It’s summer! Who wants to work? Not me! But imagine: Planning more, acting less, and yet ending up with better results. This is the first in series on improving personal productivity, based on the first chapter in the Bible. Why start there? Think about it; God gave us a whole chapter describing how He made…

What is true conservatism? This past year we have all witnessed some big political surprises in Europe and the USA. Some have called it a populist resurgence and a move away from globalism. I really don’t like following the gyrations in the political world. There are more important things to do, personally, at home, and…

“What’s that? It must be a typo! You can’t have (8) eight of (7) seven. Impossible! Everyone knows that. You can’t make something out of nothing. You can’t feed thousands with just a few burgers. Nobody can work financial miracles; it would be like turning ordinary water into expensive wine! Face it, there are certain…

Money is strange. It disappears faster than it appears. As humorous, American poet, Ogden Nash, once said, “O, money, money, money, I’m not necessarily one of those who think thee holy, but I often stop to wonder how thou canst go out so fast when thou comest in so slowly.” It’s just plain hard to…

Give to the poor. This is another secret ignored by the financial planning community, except perhaps as an afterthought or as a tax reduction strategy. Too bad! The Bible heralds it loudly and consistently: “He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses,” Prov. 28:27;…

Honour your parents. Really? How’s that related to financial success? In decades of financial planning and counselling I have noticed that those who spoke well of their parents tended to be better off (even financially) than those who criticized them. This is a general rule, and not always true. It’s not discussed in professional accounting…

Underspend! Deliberately underspend! Humble yourself by choosing to live BELOW your affordable lifestyle. It’s simple, but not easy. Voluntary frugality is one of the biggest secrets to financial success. In the perennial best seller, The Millionaire Next Door, you can read about the inner-workings of wealthy households. It’s a good read. Contrary to what advertisers…

I thought my dad was dumb! There he sat with his hand-designed ledger, shopping receipts, and a bank statement. He was at it again—recording all our family expenses by category, and reconciling them to the bank statement. Why track your money? You can’t bring it back. Who cares where it went? Well, that’s what I…

Three years ago I was in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, with my son Timothy, and we were walking in the intersection of three, small streets when we noticed a large, broken brick on the road. I stooped down, grabbed the brick, and flung it into the nearby bushes. Timothy asked, “Dad, why did you…

Most people in the Western World ignore God when it comes to money matters. Really? God? Which God? There’s only one Creator. He is sovereign. He understands everything divine and human—including all money matters. The Lord Jesus Christ, who physically rose from the dead (a historic fact), is God Almighty, being co-equal with the Father…