In the First Century B C Roman historian Sallust said Prosperity tries the souls even of the wise Most people would choose financial prosperity despite its temptations But what if you're living with financial adversity Today we'll talk about how to be wise in good times and bad The Temptations of Financial Success and AdversityWhen things are going well financially it's tempting to take credit for your success leading to sins like pride and greed On the other hand adversity brings its own set of temptations such as self-pity bitterness and envy Neither set of attitudes is godly Christians are [... more]

From Jeremiah we know God's people should seek the welfare of the places and people around them But is seeking the welfare of our community something Christians can pursue by means of investing choices Today we speak with an investment manager who has been seeking the welfare of cities all over America and the world through his advocacy work with corporations As we will hear today investors can influence decisions made behind closed doors by corporations Chris Meyer joins us today to examine how this advocacy works Chris Meyer is the Manager of Stewardship Investing Research and Advocacy for Praxis [... more]

What is the risk of playing it too safe That does seem like a bit of a riddle but we can start to make sense of it by first exploring a behavioral phenomenon called loss aversion Researchers have found that most people feel the pain of losing money roughly twice as strongly as the joy of gaining money To say it again clearly losses feel twice as bad as gains feel good This naturally causes many people to be loss averse and try to avoid losses sometimes to such a substantial degree that it undermines their long-term goals One of [... more]

Historical Context and Modern ImplicationsAfter crossing the Jordan into the promised land the Israelites fought the battle of Jericho Joshua was their leader and the Lord gave them the victory In Joshua the general reminds his people of God's faithfulness to them at Jericho and through their history He ends by making that memorable statement of faith As for me and my household we will serve the Lord As Christians in a non-Christian culture we are also called to take a stand We can either choose to serve the gods of this world or the Lord It's not easy for [... more]

CONSIDERING THE FUTURE POST-HIGH SCHOOLRob discusses the pressure high school seniors and their parents face concerning post-secondary education and emphasizes the importance of aligning educational choices with financial realities He stresses the goal of avoiding college debt through early savings exploring scholarships and considering alternatives to a four-year college such as technical schools online courses and military service Financial planning for education should begin early incorporating discussions about affordability and scholarships Exploring educational alternatives can provide viable paths that align with career goals and financial constraints Completing the FAFSA is essential for all college-bound students to assess eligibility for financial [... more]

Corinthians says ldquo So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God rdquo And with that verse the apostle Paul sets the bar high calling on Christians to glorify God in every part of life mdash and that certainly includes how we manage money On today's Faith amp Finance Live host Rob West will welcome Chad Horning to talk about an important milestone in the type of investing that helps us honor the Lord Then Rob will answer your calls and various financial questions nbsp See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

Corinthians So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God Chad Horning is the president of Praxis Mutual Funds an underwriter of this program and one of the oldest faith-based mutual funds in the country WHAT DOES FAITH BASED INVESTING MEAN TO PRAXIS At Praxis Faith Based Investing is all about letting your faith guide your investment decisions It's not just about smart money moves it's about aligning those moves with your Christian principles This approach is key for those looking to ensure their investments reflect their values The idea here is [... more]

DECIDING WHEN TO START RECEIVING SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITSIt's recommended to delay receiving Social Security benefits until Full Retirement Age FRA of or as benefits are permanently reduced by about for each year you start taking them before reaching FRA BREAK-EVEN POINT FOR DELAYING SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITSIf you delay receiving Social Security benefits until FRA it takes nearly years to recoup the money you missed by not taking benefits early After around age you'll be financially ahead each month for the rest of your life LIFE EXPECTANCY CONSIDERATIONS FOR SOCIAL SECURITYOnce you reach age the average life expectancy is for females [... more]

Leo Sabo is president of the Christian Stewardship Network and a Faith and Finance contributor He also knows a thing or two about starting a stewardship ministry THE FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE OF STEWARDSHIP MINISTRIES IN CHURCHESBiblical Foundation Stewardship ministries are vital as they align with biblical teachings about money and possessions which are prevalent throughout the Bible Discipleship and Purpose These ministries guide congregants in using money as a tool for fulfilling their God-given calling and purposes emphasizing discipleship in financial matters STEPS FOR ESTABLISHING A STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY IN A CHURCH Securing Leadership Support Begin by gaining the church leadership's endorsement [... more]

God's Word makes it quite clear that we should diversify our investments Often that means dividing them into stocks mutual funds and bonds and maybe precious metals But are we missing a completely different class of investments On today's Faith amp Finance Live host Rob West will welcome Tim Macready to fill us in about an option called private market investing Then Rob will answer your investing questions See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

Tim Macready is head of Global Multi-Asset Investing with BrightLight an EverSource Wealth Advisors Team HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN AND A LEADER IN THE FAITH-BASED INVESTING MOVEMENT Tim grew up on the mission field and returned to Australia for studies initially working with pension plans His desire to do something meaningful led him to a faith-based pension fund in Sydney For years he has explored what it means to be a faithful steward of God's resources now working with pension funds investment advisors and families at the intersection of faith and investing CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN [... more]

In Genesis God gave man dominion over the earth mdash and with that a responsibility to take care of it So how can we as believers best accomplish that today On today's Faith amp Finance Live Mark Regier joins host Rob West to talk about ldquo investing in the care of creation rdquo Then Rob will take your calls and various financial questions nbsp See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it the world and those who live in it for he has founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers Psalm - Mark Regier is Vice President of Stewardship Investing at Praxis Mutual Funds WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP INVESTING AND HOW DOES IT INCORPORATE CREATION CARE Stewardship investing is an approach rooted in biblical principles emphasizing responsibility and management of all that God has entrusted to us It involves recognizing God's ownership over everything and managing resources wisely and according to His wishes This philosophy extends to caring [... more]

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 Timothy It's a pleasure to welcome Harlan Accola back to the program Harlan is with Movement Mortgage an underwriter of this program He is also the author of Home Equity and Reverse Mortgages The Cinderella of the Baby Boomer Retirement WHY ARE REVERSE MORTGAGES REFERRED TO AS THE CINDERELLA OF RETIREMENT PLANNING Reverse mortgages are seen as the Cinderella of retirement planning because they have been underestimated but hold significant potential for aiding in [... more]

The following is an encore presentation from April is just hours away and it's one of our favorite months of the year That's because April is Financial Literacy Month This event began some two decades ago to raise awareness about the critical need for financial literacy It's just as important as learning to read and write We'll talk about that on Faith and Finance It's not quite April yet but we want to give you a head start on gaining financial literacy It's important because if you don't know how to set up a budget handle credit cards responsibly or [... more]

For the first time since investors are putting a lot of their money in S P index funds or in mutual funds that use the S P as a benchmark Most investors probably don't know that about of the gains we've seen this year are due to the performance of only companies In other words you may have a lot of money tied up in just a few stocks which could mean you're taking on more risk than you know In this video Peter with Richon Planning and Erin Kennedy talk through the reasons behind this new trend and how [... more]

UNDERSTANDING TIME'S WORTH IN GOD'S PERSPECTIVE God values our time as evidenced by Psalm which states Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom James reminds us of the fleeting nature of life saying You do not know what tomorrow will bring What is your life For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes Realizing the value of time can influence how we approach work and manage our finances CALCULATING REAL HOURLY WAGE To understand what our time on the job is really worth subtract taxes including Social [... more]

WHAT DOES A MOVEMENT OF FAITHFUL STEWARDS LOOK LIKE AND WHAT IS FAITHFI TRYING TO ACHIEVE FaithFi aims to integrate faith into financial decisions moving beyond just wise money management The mission is to help Christians see their finances through the lens of faith as every aspect of life including finances should be influenced by faith FaithFi supports this integration recognizing the challenge but stressing its importance The goal is to guide Christians to be good stewards of their resources It's about integrating faith and finances not just being wise with money FaithFi's mission is to equip Christians to integrate [... more]

Jerry Bowyer is the president of Bowyer Research and our resident economist You can read his insightful columns for World News Group at WNG org WHAT WERE THE SELF-INFLICTED HARDSHIPS THE PURITANS FACED DUE TO THEIR ECONOMIC POLICIES The Puritans at Plymouth Plantation implemented a communal property system as dictated by their charter This economic policy was essentially a form of communism where no one owned their land men worked the land collectively and women cooked for everyone The system led to a lack of motivation as people didn't want to work for others causing excuses and a decrease in [... more]

Accidents and natural disasters are always in the news but we never really expect them to happen to us do we When a freak summer storm knocked out the power around here for many hours most of us were completely taken by surprise You don't appreciate running water and electricity until you don't have them Let's talk about how to be well prepared for emergencies PERSONAL AND FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS Rob stresses the importance of storing original documents securely either in a safe deposit box or a fireproof safe at home and keeping copies on a thumb drive or in the [... more]

Objectives for Successful Investing th century humorist Will Rogers once said I'm not so much interested in the return on my money as I am in the return of my money It's a funny line but also something every investor should keep in mind What are the objectives you should consider when risking your money We'll give you three of them today on Faith and Finance Here are Objectives for Successful Investing UNDERSTANDING INVESTING OBJECTIVES Rob West clarifies the difference between an objective and a goal emphasizing the significance of objectives in the investment journey There are three main objectives [... more]

Sin springs from the fallen condition of our hearts and separates people from God Tragically our world is broken because of this and the tendency towards evil touches every part of our lives including our finances That's why we need Jesus right Today we'll focus on envy and greed both of which are on the list of Seven Deadly Sins drawn up by believers in the th Century to describe the worst kinds of human desires ENVY Defined as a sense of jealousy and wanting what others have It leads to covetousness which directly goes against the Ten Commandments Envy [... more]

Do you sometimes feel you rsquo re spiritually at war with your own investments How do you take on corporations that engage in ungodly policies and practices On today's Faith amp Finance Live host Rob West will talk with Chris Meyer about one way to become involved in the companies in your portfolio through shareholder advocacy Then Rob will answer some questions on various financial topics nbsp See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil Ephesians Chris Meyer is Manager of Stewardship Investing Advocacy and Research at Praxis Mutual Funds an underwriter of this program What exactly is shareholder advocacy and how does Praxis do it Many people begin by screening or avoiding certain industries or companies based on their values Screening is a valid approach but has limited power to create real change Praxis uses seven different impact strategies for investments Shareholder advocacy is one of these strategies leveraging ownership rights to drive change [... more]

Without counsel plans fail but with many advisers they succeed Proverbs Well as you know we always recommend you look for a financial advisor with the Certified Kingdom Advisor Designation and you can do that by going to FaithFi com and clicking on Find a CKA When you do you'll also find a long list of questions you can ask potential advisors We're going to give you some of them today though because folks have been asking The first thing you should understand is that the type of advisor you're interviewing will determine what you ask And that only makes [... more]

PRINCIPLES OF STEWARDSHIPOWNERSHIP The first principle we must understand about stewardship is ownership God owns everything And Scripture is very clear about this Psalm and reads The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof the world and those who dwell therein for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers And in Deuteronomy Behold to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens the earth with all that is in it And finally Psalm For every beast of the forest is mine the cattle on a thousand hills Now that we've [... more]

Man's purpose is to glorify God and one of the ways we do that is by trying in all we do to make the world a better place including when we make our investments On today's Faith amp Finance Live host Rob West will talk with Stella Tai about investing that has a positive impact on the world Then Rob will answer your calls on various financial topics See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

MWL record start record start record start record start record startSee omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

We are still firmly in Bear Market territory Stocks and bonds are sharply negative In fact the market recently lost nearly one quarter of its value since the beginning of the year But those negatives actually offer some unique opportunities according to Peter at RichonPlanning He breaks down several strategies with Erin Kennedy including Tax Loss Harvesting Rebalancing Avoiding Phantom Income Roth Conversions RMDs If you have any questions about how to employ some of these tax strategies please reach out to Peter for a complimentary consultation by calling - or by visiting www RichonPlanning com [... more]

As the recent economic challenges continue the financial markets also continue to go up and down And that volatility has certainly caused investors to feel anxious about their portfolios On today's MoneyWise Live Rob West will talk with Chad Horning of Praxis Mutual Funds about dealing with investor anxiety Then Rob will answer your questions on various financial topics nbsp See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

You should never invest in something you don't understand which is why Peter with richonplanning and erinkennedy are breaking down the similarities and differences between Exchange Traded Funds or ETFs and mutual funds ETFs have become very popular recently and experts predict global ETF assets will total more than trillion by the end of But before investing in this growing trend Peter recommends you weigh the pros and cons of each by walking through these questions -How are they managed -How are they traded -What are the costs -What about Tax Efficiency If you'd like Peter's help determining which investment [... more]

As Christians we want to know that our portfolios do more than just generate a financial return We want them to make a real difference in the world On today's MoneyWise Live host Rob West will be joined by Mark Regier to help us find ways to understand the impact of our investments Then Rob will answer your calls and various financial questions from a biblical perspective See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

END OF YEAR PLANNING RMDs are usually a big end of year to-do This year they are not required but perhaps a conversation about tax planning should be happening instead Listen as Peter Richon discusses this topic and more on this week's episode [... more]

Today many investors want their assets to do more than provide for their financial futures they want them to reflect their faith values as well On today's MoneyWise Live host Rob West will talk with Stella Tai of Praxis Mutual Funds about looking beyond the bottom line to ways we can steward the non-financial impact of our investments Then Rob will answer your calls and questions on various financial topics See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

Most investors know that bonds make up part of a well-diversified portfolio But far fewer truly understand the important role bonds play in their financial future and the way they can impact the world On the next MoneyWise Live host Rob West welcomes Benjamin Bailey of Praxis Mutual Funds to talk about bonds and having an intentional approach to our investments Then Rob will take your calls and questions on the financial topics you rsquo d like to discuss That rsquo s MoneyWise Live where biblical wisdom meets today rsquo s finances weekdays at pm Eastern pm Central on Moody [... more]

Many investors think that finding the ldquo right rdquo companies for their portfolios is the only way to promote Kingdom values mdash but could we do more Are there other ways to help the world and its people feel God rsquo s love through our investments On the next MoneyWise Live host Rob West will talk with Chad Horning of Praxis Mutual Funds about investing for kingdom impact Then Rob will take your questions on the financial topics you rsquo d like to discuss That rsquo s MoneyWise Live where biblical wisdom meets today rsquo s finances weekdays at pm [... more]

On this edition of the podcast we'll share with you three tax tips Specifically we'll help you avoid making three crucial tax mistakes Click the link for more in-depth reading in a recent blog post https mrstillmansopus com retirement three-tax-tips [... more]

Jim Dischert founder of Financial Group in Chicago joins John to talk about the many different facets of retirement planning [... more]

John Stillman is joined by Mark Silverman who explains his disdain for mutual funds [... more]