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Many people, as they age, look back at their life and think through how they would, or possibly could, have done some things differently.  As that decade of birthdays rolls into the next one, they look back with much introspection and think through their remaining years. Well that is where we will be going today.  Specifically we will be looking back to our younger years, and writing a letter to our younger selves about money and stewardship.

Introspection is almost always 20/20, where we see clearly today on decisions of the past.  As we look to the past, we will see what we did right (or wrong) and communicate our desired changes if we could go back to those earlier years, or cheer ourselves on in the stewardship journey that we are on.

The benefit of doing this is that if you are younger, you could glean from the wisdom of others that have gone on before you.  

 

The wisdom of seeking advice

Proverbs 3:11-14 ESV: “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.”

Points to take from Proverbs 3. 

  • Blessed is the one who finds wisdom
  • Wisdom’s gain is better than silver
  • Wisdom’s profit is better than gold.

This podcast is free! But the wisdom provided is more valuable than silver and gold. 

 

A Letter To Younger Me About Money & Stewardship

Tim:

I grew up as the son of a financial advisor, and was well instructed in the ways of wise stewardship. I got licensed to sell securities at 17 years old. I had a knowledge of how to save for retirement, that retirement was real, and that the sooner I started saving for retirement, the better off I would be. What I would tell myself might be different than what someone else would say.

The blessing of giving. Frankly, giving was always an important part of my training and upbringing, and it has always been something that I’ve done. But I wonder how much of my giving was done out of habit or obligation, rather than joy and eagerness. To the extent that my giving was not based in faith, but more out of ritual, I have missed blessings. God has richly blessed me through my giving, but how much more of a blessing would I have received if I had done it with the right heart of eager generosity, gratitude, and joy?

The Power of Compound Interest. As a 17 year old, licensed representative, I knew that investing worked. But I also was licensed during (or just prior to) the great “dot com crash.” So my early years saw significant declines in market valuations. Does investing work? That’s the big question I had to face. When I came back to the company in December of 2006, after being in seminary, I was re-licensed in the Spring of 2007, and then my first year and a half as a financial advisor (second time around) was the 2008 market crash. Does investing really work?  The more I taught the principles, and have experienced its profound effect, the more I am convinced that, in spite of market downturns, we have to take the compounding effect of savings as a real and powerful tool. 

Impulse Control & Delayed Gratification. Because I grew up in the era of the computer, and I was on the vanguard of various technological advances like smartphones… I learned the hard way about how psychologically manipulative certain apps and marketing campaigns were to me… and how I allowed my impulses and the fact that I had income to drive me to spend money in a stupid way, on things that didn’t really matter, and that weren’t helpful. Just because something looks good (or cool), doesn’t mean you actually need it.

 

Drew:

Retirement is coming quickly. Start preparing right now. I’m 59 years old, I blinked… and my kids grew up. I took care of the needs of life. If I had additional education and counsel when it comes to retirement, I would have done some things differently. I am thankful that at my first ministry, a gentleman sat me down and insisted that I start saving for retirement. I would not be where I’m at today without this man’s wise counsel. When I was younger, retirement didn’t seem like something I needed to worry about at the time. Yeah, you knew it was coming down the line, but it wasn’t tangible to me. I could deal with it later. But if I would have known earlier about the impact of saving for retirement, I would have started earlier and things could look even more different. 

The power of the budget. KEEP DOING IT…IT IS WORTH IT! Budgeting allows me to tell my money where to go, instead of freaking out about where it went when I need some money. It allows me to have resources available for the needs (and some of the wants) of life. But without the budget, I would be living paycheck to paycheck, and even spending the paycheck before it hit the bank account. Now, a budget allows me to stay in the lane to be able to give, save, pay my bills, be a blessing to others, and still enjoy the things of the Lord. When I was younger (late teenager), I realized how much of my money went toward food in general, especially eating out. I took one month and tracked every receipt. I realized that 80% of my income went towards my stomach. Lots of money spent at McDonalds! Without tracking my expenses, I would never have gotten on a budget and gotten on track.

Stewardship Application

  • Seek wisdom in your finances and stewardship decisions!
  • Consider taking advantage of our free Personal Stewardship Review
  • Trust in the Lord…not your money/assets!
  • Think through what you would say to your “younger self” and write yourself a note…a letter…telling yourself what you have done wrong in your stewardship decisions, what you have done right with your finances, and explain to your younger self what you would do differently.

 

Next Steps

 

Material presented is property of The Stewardology Podcast, a ministry of Life Financial Group and Life Institute. You may not copy, reproduce, modify, create derivative works, or exploit any content without the expressed written permission of The Stewardology Podcast. For more information, contact us at Contact@StewardologyPodcast.com or (800) 688-5800.

The topics discussed in this podcast are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations.  Investing and investment strategies involve risk including the potential loss of principal. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

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