Jeffrey, Grant R. HG179.J34 2005 - WaterBrook & Multnomah
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Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.259/9/0810:17 AMPage viExcerpted from Finding Financial Freedom by Grant R. JeffreyCopyright 2005 by Grant R. Jeffrey. Excerpted by permission ofWaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rightsreserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprintedwithout permission in writing from the publisher.FINDING FINANCIAL FREEDOMPUBLISHED BY WATERBROOK PRESS12265 Oracle Blvd., Suite 200Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921A division of Random House, Inc.All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version.The financial advice in this book is intended to serve as a general guideline. Neither the authornor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other financial professional servicesby publishing this book. As each individual situation is unique, questions relevant to personalfinances and specific to an individual should be addressed to an appropriate professional.ISBN 1-4000-7105-4Copyright 2005 by Grant R. JeffreyAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any informationstorage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.WATERBROOK and its deer design logo are registered trademarks of WaterBrook Press, a divisionof Random House, Inc.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataJeffrey, Grant R.Finding financial freedom : the biblical road to wealth / Grant R. Jeffrey. — 1st ed.p. cm.Includes bibliographical references.ISBN 1-4000-7105-41. Finance, Personal. 2. Finance, Personal—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title.HG179.J34 2005332.024'01—dc222005011168Printed in the United States of America2005—First Edition10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.259/9/0810:17 AMPage ixC ONTENTSAcknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1PART 1: YOU CAN ACHIEVE FINANCIAL FREEDOM123456Biblical Principles for Financial Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11The Attitudes That Lead to Financial FreedomBuilding a Plan for Financial Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Success Demands That You Set the Right GoalsThe Importance of Tithing and Charitable Giving . . . . . . . . . 37The Key to Financial SuccessSetting Up Your Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43How Saving Builds Wealth Through Compound InterestThe Use and Abuse of Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47You Can Get Out of Debt ForeverGetting Smart About Homeownership and Mortgages . . . . . . 69How to Make Your Home Your Best InvestmentPART 2: ACHIEVING FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE78Investments Will Build Your Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81How to Win by Avoiding Major LossesProtect Yourself Against Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Don’t Let Scams Endanger Your Wealth
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.25x9/9/0810:17 AMPage xCONTENTSPART 3: PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY’S FINANCIAL GOALS91011Insuring Against Financial Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Choosing the Best Policies to Protect Your AssetsThe Necessity of Having a Will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Preserving Your Estate for Your FamilyPowers of Attorney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167Essential Tools to Protect Your Family and Your PropertyPART 4: SUCCESSFUL RETIREMENT PLANNING1213Plan Now for a Successful Retirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Making the Most of Insurance, Investments, Annuities,and PensionsTax Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193How to Benefit from Tax SheltersPART 5: PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE14Finding Your Financial Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199How to Stop Worrying About MoneyAppendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.259/9/0810:17 AMPage xiACKNOWLEDGMENTSFinding Financial Freedom is the result of many years of research in countless books, articles, magazines, and a variety of financial and investmentcourses, including the Chartered Life Underwriter degree that I earnedfrom the University of Toronto. The practical strategies and advice in thefollowing chapters are heavily influenced by the thousands of interviews Ihave conducted with clients in the course of eighteen years as a professionalfinancial planner.These interviews with professionals, entrepreneurs, and business owners provided deep insights into the role of setting and establishing soundsaving and investment habits, as well as the need for lifetime study for thosewho wish to achieve and maintain financial independence.Over the last four decades, I have benefited enormously from the financial and investment advice provided by investment counselors such as thelate Larry Burkett, Ron Blue, David Ramsey, and Suze Orman. The valuedsources of financial information and wisdom also include Strategic Investment, the Oxford Group, Agora Group, and the McAlvany IntelligenceAdvisor.A special thanks to my beloved wife, Kaye, for her financial wisdom andbusiness skills that made Frontier Research Publications Inc. successful.
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.259/9/0810:14 AMPage 1IntroductionFinding FinancialFreedomWhen I chased after money, I never had enough.When I got my life on purpose and focused ongiving of myself and everything that arrivedinto my life, then I was prosperous.—Wayne Dyeron’t underestimate the power and impact of your financial decisions.Few choices that you make in life will affect your success—or yourfailure—as much as the decisions you make about your finances. If you failto manage your financial life wisely, many other areas of life—includingyour marriage, your other relationships, and your overall happiness—willsuffer. There is no area of life, other than your marriage and your relationship with God, that is more vital to your overall success and happiness.Many studies of marriage and divorce have revealed that financial difficulties are the number one cause of marital breakdown. Financial problemsare also a major cause of distress for those who are single. And tragically, atremendous number of people graduate from high school and college withvirtually no meaningful education in how to handle their money. They areD
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.2529/9/0810:14 AMPage 2INTRODUCTIONunprepared to achieve the goal of being financially independent by the timethey retire. Very few have received even a minimum financial education onsetting a budget, balancing a checkbook, acquiring a home, evaluating amortgage offer, comparing credit-card offers, weighing investment alternatives, determining insurance needs and the value of a will, and retirementplanning.Most people, however, have the goal of achieving financial freedom—usually defined as an amount of guaranteed income generated from yourinvestments sufficient to meet your family’s income needs for the foreseeable future. You will not automatically become a better or happier personif you achieve financial success. However, you will certainly have manymore options available to fulfill your goals for yourself and your family, aswell as the opportunity to assist others, including helping the church toreach out to those in need and share the gospel with them. My wife, Kaye,and I have met many individuals who have achieved financial independence and have then embarked on a second career in volunteer work orworld missions. One of the greatest benefits of achieving financial freedomis that you will have the opportunity to assist those around you, becauseyou will have extra assets beyond your family’s needs. While financial success will not lead to happiness, it can provide a peace of mind that willenable you to focus on other important areas in your family’s life.Unfortunately, too many people never stop to consider or pray aboutthe type and quality of life they wish to pursue. Instead of making thoughtful decisions, they simply drift through life waiting for God to “open orclose a door” to let them know how to make the most critical decisions.This is a tragedy, because the major decisions we make will determine thecourse and quality of the rest of our lives. God promises to give wisdom toanyone who sincerely asks Him for guidance, and we need to learn how todiscern the wisdom of God concerning our major decisions.
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.259/9/0810:14 AMPage 3FINDING FINANCIAL FREEDOM3The Benefits of Financial IndependenceFinancial freedom and financial independence—how could achievingthese goals affect the rest of your life? What would you do if you had aguaranteed income for you and your family so that you no longer wererequired to work every day? Imagine what you would do if you were trulyfree! Would you take a one-year sabbatical with your spouse to travel andassist in worldwide missions? Would you finally take that trip to Europe orAsia to explore the wonders of our diverse world? What would you do ifyou were finally free to follow your heart’s desire? Who would you help ifyou had the resources to make a difference?There are three major decisions that will impact the rest of your life:Whom will you live your life for? Whom will you live your life with? Whatwill you live your life in?1. Whom will you live your life for? Will you live for yourself as yourown “god”? Or will you choose to accept that your life is not really yourown but rather that it belongs to God? The decision to submit your will tofaith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and God will transform your life and yourpurpose forever. This is the most important decision you will ever make,because it will determine your eternal destination, and it will also play amajor role in every other decision in your life.2. Whom will you live your life with? Far too many people marry theperson they happen to be dating when the rest of their friends start deciding to marry. Your choice of a wife or husband as your lifetime companionwill have a profound effect on every other area and decision of your life. Itis vital that you wisely choose God’s will for your life companion.3. What will you live your life in? Your choice of a career in a particular business or profession will have a tremendous impact on every other element of your life. Too many people spend their working years in a business
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.2549/9/0810:14 AMPage 4INTRODUCTIONor profession simply because that was their first job or because a relativeinfluenced their decision. We need to seriously pray for God’s wisdom andguidance in this vital life decision.The income that covers your daily expenses is produced either fromyour labor or from capital you have invested. Initially we work for moneyso that money can ultimately work for us. Either a person will continueworking to produce an income to provide for his daily needs, or he mustaccumulate an amount of money (capital) that will produce an incomestream to provide for his needs through the retirement years.It is tragic that the average North American citizen, after working a lifetime in the most prosperous society in history, will retire with far lessincome and assets than he will need to support a comfortable lifestyle. Theproblem isn’t that people plan to fail; it’s that people fail to plan. My hopeis that the principles and knowledge presented in this book will enable youand your family to achieve financial freedom.Financial IgnoranceBy the time the average adult begins a career, he has invested betweentwelve and sixteen years in formal education. The average student willcomplete more than fifteen thousand hours of study in a great variety ofsubjects. However, the vast majority will graduate without a single hour offinancial instruction on the practical facts of life needed to achieve financial success. Millions of Americans graduate from high school withoutreceiving practical information on banking, mortgages, credit cards, homeownership, insurance, and wills.The Charles Schwab Foundation conducted a fascinating study ontypical American teenagers’ financial knowledge. The study revealed anamazing level of ignorance in young people as they began their careers. Thestudy discovered that “one in five American teenagers doesn’t know that if
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.259/9/0810:14 AMPage 5FINDING FINANCIAL FREEDOM5you take out a loan, you must pay it back with interest. One in four thinksthat financial aid will pay for all college expenses. And one in three thinksmonthly Social Security payments will be all they need to retire.”1One study indicated that up to 40 percent of Americans believe that thebest chance they have to accumulate 500,000 for their retirement is to winthe lottery.2 When you consider that the likelihood of winning half a million dollars in the lottery is far less than your chance of being hit by lightning—less than one in ten million—you realize there is a serious need forpeople to become realistic about planning and investing for their retirement.Qualities That Tend to Lead to Financial IndependenceThomas J. Stanley in his book The Millionaire Mind published an intriguing study on the attitudes and characteristics of a number of people whoare multimillionaires. Based on in-depth interviews with numerous millionaires, the study found these factors were vital in their financial success: Integrity—honesty in all relationships Discipline—using self-control in every area of life Social skills—friendly relations with people A supportive spouse Hard work—a willingness to work harder than most people3In his comprehensive study, Stanley discovered that those who achievedtrue financial independence lived substantially different lives from thosewho had a high income, high consumption lifestyle that was dependent oncredit. For example, more than 90 percent of those who had achievedfinancial success without acquiring huge debt lived in traditional familieswith several children and a marriage lasting many decades. Less than 10percent had inherited a significant part of their wealth. Ninety-seven percent of those surveyed owned their own high-value homes and generallyhad relatively small mortgages (7 percent of the house’s value, on average).
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.2569/9/0810:14 AMPage 6INTRODUCTIONMost millionaires in this group (53 percent) had not moved to a new homein the last ten years.It is interesting that although they admitted to working hard at a vocation they loved, they stated that spending quality time with family andfriends was a significant commitment. Almost one in three of the millionaires owned his own business. Finally, 37 percent of those interviewed statedthat their religious faith was a significant influence in their life and theireconomic success.4Overall, the most significant factor that separates those who achievefinancial independence from those who live high income, high consumption, high debt lifestyles is their attitude toward debt and their use of credit.While the high-net-worth millionaires were happy to use credit for theirhome mortgage and business loans, they generally avoided consumer credit,waiting until they could buy depreciating items such as cars, electronics,and appliances with cash.I believe that financial bondage to debt leads to spiritual bondage aswell: “The borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). Furthermore,I believe that financial freedom leads to spiritual freedom. To begin the lifelong process of achieving financial independence, you need to understandthe biblical principles that will guide you through the difficult decisions weall confront in the stages of life. If you are married, you need to discuss withyour spouse your finances, goals, and plans. Honestly assess exactly whereyou are today in income, assets, debts, and net worth. You must first gethold of your debt and credit decisions before you can move toward investment success.In our materialistic culture, far too many people spend their lives buying products they don’t need with money they don’t have to impress peoplethey don’t like. It’s not what you earn that results in your ultimate financialsuccess; it’s what you manage to keep and invest that will enable you tobuild up your assets to achieve financial independence.
Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.259/9/0810:14 AMPage 7FINDING FINANCIAL FREEDOM7Most North Americans will earn well over 2 million in the course oftheir employable years (between ages twenty and sixty-five). However, thevast majority will retire around age sixty-five with very few personal financial assets beyond their company pension plan and their Social Securitypayments.In this book we will examine a variety of investments that can help leadyou toward financial independence. In addition, we will look at some ofthe financial risks that lie ahead, including the dangers of lost income fromdisability and premature death. We will explore various tools you can useto protect your goal of financial freedom, such as insurance, wills, and powers of attorney. Financial success is a journey, not a destination. We will follow a biblically based path that will help you and your family achieve thefinancial independence that will enable you to have greater success in everyother area of your life.Why should you work and plan to achieve financial independence?The first reason is to escape the paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle and financial bondage that oppress most Americans. The second reason is to allowyou and your family the financial freedom to enjoy the lifestyle you desire,to pursue educational opportunities for yourself and your children, and toenjoy quality leisure time with your family and friends. Finally, financialsuccess will allow you the pleasure of giving significant funds to assist yourchurch and favorite charities, as well as friends and family who would benefit from wise financial assistance. Giving wisely to others is a great challengeas well as a great joy.
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Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.259/9/0810:14 AMPage 11Chapter 1Biblical Principles forFinancial SuccessThe Attitudes That Lead to Financial FreedomWhere I was brought up we never talked aboutmoney because there was never enoughto furnish a topic of conversation.—Mark Twainany people of faith are ambivalent toward the need for financialplanning, with most Christians tending to downplay the importance of money. Christians often assure one another that “money isn’teverything” and that “money can’t buy happiness.”But there are exceptions. Some people focus so exclusively on theirfinances that they have almost made their financial prosperity the solemeasure of whether God is blessing their lives. Clearly, there is a need forbalance.Christians need to develop a biblically based attitude about finances.Obviously, money is important because it affects the quality of our family’slife and the opportunities available to those we love. However, we need toM
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course and quality of the rest of our lives. God promises to give wisdom to anyone who sincerely asks Him for guidance, and we need to learn how to discern the wisdom of God concerning our major decisions. 2INTRODUCTION Finding Financial pages:MASTER.template5.5x8.25 9/9/08 10:14 AM Page 2
Jeffrey resigned his part-time position with the bank, bought out the minority shareholders, including Sessions and Lechner, increased his own salary to 5,000 per year, and changed the firm’s name to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Co. A year later, the business moved to this First Avenue site. Jeffrey’s Manufacturing History in Columbus Page 4
14. Upon infonnation and belief, Respondent Jeffrey B. Lackey ("Jeffrey") is a citizen and resident of Dorchester County, South Carolina, residing at 8 871 East Fairway Woods Drive, North Charleston, South Carolina 29420. 15. Jeffrey was a licensee of the Division, having been granted Tennessee insurance
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Sources: Josiah Bunting III,Ulysses S. Grant (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2004); Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant and Selected Letters 1839-1865 (New York: Library Classics of the United States, 1990); James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom(New York: Ballantine Books, 1989); Brooks D. Simpson, Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph .
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