Should you give to the building of God's kingdom or save money? #FinLit

The answer is Yes!   Do both - Give and Save!

And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.                                                                     Acts 20:35 KJV

There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.                                                                    Proverbs 21:20  KJV

You are reading this correctly. Giving and saving is a single best step that we should take in preparation for expanding our financial territory.  This is not an oxymoron - as the biblical scriptures show, we are expected to give and save.

The principle to be gleaned here is that we should purposely take resources that we could use to sustain ourselves and make a conscious effort to give to the building of God’s kingdom, give to the poor and give to take care of family while also setting aside a portion in our house for later.  This is stewardship sacrifice.  

Here's Christian biblical scripture that reference these financial practices.

Giving to the building of God's kingdom...

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,

“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

And pour out for you such blessing

That there will not be room enough to receive it."                                                        

                                                                           Malachi 3:10 NKJV

Giving to the poor...

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

8 

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

9 

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

                                                   Isaiah 58:7-9 NKJV

Taking care of your family...

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV

There is wisdom in saving...

There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.                                                                    Proverbs 21:20  KJV

We’re pleasing to the Lord when we put His financial principles into action.   

How do you do this?  Here’s three practical starting points:

• Tithe (giving 10% of your increase) and give offerings to building of God’s Kingdom

• Give to the poor through an avenue that touches your heart.  This can be though a charity or by helping someone on the street.  God knows your heart and counts every  act of giving even if the IRS does not.

• Save a portion of your increase each month.  Save for those unplanned expenses that we know will surface.  There’s no such thing as saving too little unless you’re not saving at all!  Include this in your spending plan so that you can track it and hold yourself accountable.

Principles for managing financial resources in the Christian Holy Bible are designed for our best interests today, tomorrow and in eternity.  I'm asking you, are you giving and saving?  

I am!! 

Carolyn

Financial Literacy: Protecting your personal information #finlit

Protecting your personal information can help reduce your risk of identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), this is best done by employing operational practices that include the following four tactics:   

• Be selective and informed about those that you choose to share your personal information. 
• Store and dispose of your personal information securely especially your Social Security number 
• Ask questions before deciding to share your personal information
• Maintain appropriate security on your computers and other electronic devices.

Before we get into a few more details, let's bring more info about the Federal Trade Commission to light.

Federal Trade Commission

The FTC is a bipartisan federal agency with a unique dual mission to protect consumers and promote competition. The FTC protects consumers by stopping unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices in the marketplace. They conduct investigations, sue companies and people that violate the law, develop rules to ensure a vibrant marketplace, and educate consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities

It benefits consumers by keeping prices low and the quality and choice of goods and services high. By enforcing antitrust laws, the FTC helps ensure that our markets are open and free. The FTC will challenge anticompetitive mergers and business practices that could harm consumers by resulting in higher prices, lower quality, fewer choices, or reduced rates of innovation. 

Protecting your personal information

Be selective and informed about those that you choose to share your personal information. 

Make sure you know who is getting your personal or financial information. Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or know who you’re dealing with. 

Store and dispose of your personal information 

securely,  especially your Social Security number.

Before you dispose of a computer, get rid of all the personal information it stores. Use a wipe utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive.

Before you dispose of a mobile device, check your owner’s manual, the service provider’s website, or the device manufacturer’s website for information on how to delete information permanently, and how to save or transfer information to a new device. Remove the memory or subscriber identity module (SIM) card from a mobile device. Remove the phone book, lists of calls made and received, voicemails, messages sent and received, organizer folders, web search history, and photos.

Shred receipts, credit offers, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks, bank statements, expired charge cards, and similar documents when you don’t need them any longer.

Destroy the labels on prescription bottles before you throw them out.

Ask questions before deciding to share your personal 

information.

Before you share information at your workplace, a business, your child's school, or a doctor's office, ask why they need it, how they will safeguard it, and the consequences of not sharing.

Keep a close hold on your Social Security number and ask questions before deciding to share it. Ask if you can use a different kind of identification. If someone asks you to share your SSN or your child’s, ask

• why they need it
• how it will be used
• how they will protect it
• what happens if you don’t share the number

The decision to share is yours. A business may not provide you with a service or benefit if you don’t provide your number. Sometimes you will have to share your number. Your employer and financial institutions need your SSN for wage and tax reporting purposes. A business may ask for your SSN so they can check your credit when you apply for a loan, rent an apartment, or sign up for utility service.

Maintain appropriate security on your computers and 

other electronic devices.

Use security software.

Don’t open files, click on links, or download programs sent by strangers. Opening a file from someone you don’t know could expose your system to a computer virus or spyware that captures your passwords or other information you type.

Keep financial information on your laptop only when necessary. Don’t use an automatic login feature that saves your user name and password, and always log off when you’re finished.

Read the privacy policies.  Yes, they can be long and complex, but they tell you how the site maintains accuracy, access, security, and control of the personal information it collects.  If you don't see privacy policies posted, consider doing  business elsewhere. 

  This is a summary of helpful information available to consumers for our awareness and protection.  Take a look around at www.ftc.gov.

To read the full FTC article on protecting your personal information, get there from here:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure



Learn more, do more!!











Carolyn