Financial Coaching for Kingdom Men

Tax season has a way of holding up a mirror to our lives. You look at the "Gross Pay" on your W-2 and that familiar pit forms in your stomach. You think, “I made that much money last year? Where on earth did it all go?” Without a plan, money is remarkably flighty. If you don't intentionally tell it where to stay, it will fly away like a pet finch when the cage door is left ajar—quick, quiet, and suddenly out of reach. The Workplace Trap vs. The Family Blessing For many of us, our only experience with a "budget" is at the office. In the corporate world, a budget feels like a list of restrictions handed down from a department you’ve never visited. It’s a "no" to your ideas, a "not yet" to your project, and a ceiling on your potential. But a family budget is fundamentally different. It isn’t a corporate restriction; it is a Kingdom duty and a divine blessing. At work, you have no control. At home, you and your spouse are the Finance Committee. ...

Most of us don’t want to talk about what’s going to happen when we are gone. Are we thinking we are going to live forever? Are we leaving our children a legacy of debt and despair or of blessing and hope? Are we communicating with our family about our desires or holding that back until the reading of the will? Do we even have a last will and testament? What documentation do we really need? What could happen if we don’t have estate planning documents? If these are some questions you have, you have come to the right place for some basic information. For more personal and specific information, I would direct you to a qualified estate planning attorney and a financial advisor. Nolo.com offers some great legal information and naepc.org can guide you to an estate planning professional. I was speaking with a friend of mine who recently lost her husband. She thought that once he passed, she didn't have to pay his hospital bills. She had a house that she wanted to keep, and they were bot...

As parents, we want the best for our children. We want them to have fulfilling lives and to achieve their dreams. But are the financial messages they're receiving—both from us and the world—truly preparing them for success? Our kids are bombarded with commercials and social media feeds that equate worth with what you own. They see a culture that prioritizes instant gratification, from expensive cars to luxury vacations. We might have built our lives and wealth over many years of hard work, but are we inadvertently teaching them that they should have it all right away ? The Homeownership Trap A common piece of advice many of us have heard is, “renting is just throwing your money away.” While the desire to own a home is a wonderful goal, encouraging a child to buy before their finances are in order can be a recipe for disaster. Owning a home isn’t just about the mortgage payment. It's about property taxes, insurance, and unexpected repairs—costs that fall to someone else when you...

  I recently heard a friend describe what she had learned about love and struggles. She described a wonderful 40-year marriage that started with a few bumps when it came to finances. She and her husband had to learn how to communicate and use money together, because they came from vastly different family backgrounds. She grew up in a family that would save and plan for trips and vacations, always looking for cost-saving opportunities. He, on the other hand, grew up in a family that would say at 5 p.m. on a Friday, “Let’s go camping!” and by 9 p.m., they would be out at a campsite—no planning, no thought to the cost, just enjoying their time. Read more about Getting on the Same Page for Money Conversation here . We all come from different financial backgrounds, and we learn a lot about money by watching our parents. As another friend reminded me recently, “More is caught than taught.” Have you thought about what you are teaching your children or grandchildren by your actions? What...

  Last fall, my wife and I settled into our small group Bible study, enjoying dinner and the unfolding discussion. Suddenly, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I tried to ignore it, but the persistent buzzing continued – again, and again, and again. A jolt of concern ran through me. Someone really needs to get a hold of me, I thought, excusing myself to check. What I saw was a series of real-time notifications from Ramp , my business credit card provider. My card, which I'd used just hours earlier, was now being used for a string of unauthorized purchases. Kudos to Ramp , though, for their immediate alert system. Because of their swift action, we were able to dispute the charges and halt further fraudulent activity almost instantly. This wasn't an isolated incident. Over the years, I've come to truly appreciate the built-in protections that come with using debit cards and credit cards for online purchases. While we've had to suspend cards due to fraud, causing a...