a few tips for the new year

a few tips for the new year

As we start the new year, we all want to loose weight, and reduce debt. We know what to do but just don't. (I include myself here also). There is very little I need to know about loosing weight. I just need to eat less ice cream and cookies and exercise more. This is not rocket science. The same is true with finances. Spend less than you make.

For most of us the problem is accountability and focus. I want to focus on the number on the scale and don't have anyone to encourage me to go jogging with them or work out at the

gym with them. What I need is a plan that has a proven track record with some accountability.

This is where weight watchers works. They tell you what and how to eat and then you come in and weigh in with others. Accountability with a focus. This also works with finances. We know that when we set goals and ask other to hold us accountable we tend to keep these goals. As far as what to do, we strongly recommend the following four disciplines for personal finance if you want to become debt free and stay there:

• Stop using credit cards and use cash
• Have a written budget every month on paper on purpose (written budget)
• Put aside some extra for a rainy day (emergency fund)
• Communicate with your spouse or accountability partner about finances
• Make paying off debt a priority

What would your life feel like if you had $1000 in the bank and no debt other than your house payment? Take a moment and imagine the peace of mind you would have. The peace that surpassed comprehension. Well it can be yours if you are willing to step up and address the problem. The problem is usually you and your spending habits. We know what to do but don't do them. Join us this year and work on becoming debt free by attending Financial Peace University, getting one on one financial coaching from one of our financial coaches, or attend our Total money makeover, one day event. We are here to help hold you accountable for changing your financial habits. It works every time, the people who work the program the program works for, the ones who don't work the program, the program does not work for them.

I am including a great article by Gail Vaz-Oxlade. She tells it like it is and keeps it simple. Enjoy

10 Tips To Get Out Of Debt

By Gail Vaz-Oxlade

1) Cut Your Credit Cards and Set A Budget

Every family that finds themselves in debt should cut up all their credit cards and live on a cash budget, keeping a log of each and every expenditure made. Use the following formula to set a budget. Keep in mind that the "life" category includes is everything from groceries, to gadgets to entertainment. Housing: 35%, Debt: 15%, Life: 25%, Transportation, 15%, Savings 10%.

2) Reduce Your Interest Rates

Reducing your interest cost is one way to fast track your way out of debt. Some people have interest rates as high as 30%, when they pay their monthly minimum, all they're doing is paying off interest rather than chipping away at the principal. By calling to negotiate with creditors, high interest rates can be brought down. If you call and a representative says they can't help you, ask to be connected to a supervisor until you get to someone with the authority to reduce your rates.

3) Bring In Extra Money

Do anything you can to bring in extra money to throw at your debt, even if you work a full time job. Consider overtime at work, dog walking, baby sitting, tutoring, or using any skill that's unique to you to bring home the bacon…some creative ideas we've seen on the show: web designing, party planning, teaching music lessons and much, much more!

4) Get Your Priorities Straight

When deciding how to tackle debt and putting a plan in place to save for the future, you have to consider all of your options. Ask yourself the tough questions and prioritize…if going to grad school is important, then maybe you can be a student but take on a part-time job. If having a child is important, do you need to take a full maternity leave? Should you consider buying a home - maybe renting is a smarter option? Make a list of things you want to do and discuss them thoroughly with your partner to help make the best decisions for you and your relationship.

5) Chip Away At The Debt

To reduce debt, make a list of every single debt that you have and rank them in order of the highest interest rate, not the highest balance. Pay off the highest interest rate card first. Every time you have extra money, throw it at the debt you've targeted until it's gone and then stop using that card! Reward yourself by making a checklist and crossing out the debt, you'll feel better as you start to see it disappear. When your debt is paid off, take the money you were allocating for debt repayment and put it towards savings.

6) Keep Things In Perspective

Getting out of debt isn't easy, but you have to remember that you cannot let debt consume you and hurt your relationship. You and your partner need to work through the debt together, making sacrifices but focusing on what's important as well - your family and your relationship. Get a babysitter and make time to do something special with your spouse so you can remember why you fell in love, set time aside to do group activities as a family to involve the kids as well. Don't let your debt get the best of you.

7) Getting Out of Debt Doesn't Mean You Can't Ever Spend Again

When working your way out of debt you can still spend on things that are important to you, you just need to plan and save for them. So for example, if you're planning to get married, don't rush out and cancel your wedding - re-think your wedding plans and see if there are cheaper alternative ways to spend on what you want. If you really love to travel, don't cancel your trip for the year, figure out a way to do it on a tighter budget and save a little each month for it so you don't have to put it on credit cards.

8) Stop Eating Out

Eating out costs way more than buying food and cooking at home, not to mention that the latter option is much healthier as well. Make cooking dinner a family activity, something that can be done to together to make the experience more enjoyable -- and when you're done cooking, sit down and have dinner together, discuss the day's events and catch up. Having dinner parties at home is also a way to cut down on entertainment with friends. If you're planning a romantic dinner consider taking the kids to their grandparents' and having dinner at home rather than in a restaurant. If you're going to get together with friends, consider the same thing. Remember, it's not about the food, it's about the company.

9)Get Organized

When it comes to working your way out of debt it's all about organization -- believe it or not getting your documents in order will help you pay down your debt because it puts you in control. Organize your paperwork so you know where every important document is and so that all documents are easily accessible. Use a collapsible file folder, label the tabs clearly and most importantly, do this with your spouse so you both understand the system.

10) Be Willing To Part With Toys

Sometimes to get out of debt you'll have to sell something that's really important to you or that you love. The reality is dealing with the heartbreak of losing material things will be far less than dealing with the damage that these things can do to your finances. If you have to sell a car, house, piece of jewelry, artwork or anything else, take a deep breath and realize that what you're doing will help your future and your finances -- and just let it go.

10 Tips To Get Out Of Debt

In Til Debt Do Us Part, renowned financial author and columnist, Gail Vaz-Oxlade takes a tough-love approach to getting couples in financial crisis to face reality. With the sensitivity of a therapist and the toughness of a CFO, Gail asks hard questions and pushes couples to face each other and reality. Watch two episodes Saturdays at 10p ET on CNBC.

Florida shooting suspect had money problems

By Amy L. Edwards and Anika Myers Palm

November 8, 2009
Reporting from Orlando, Fla. - It's unclear whether Jason Rodriguez gave any warning signs before he walked into Orlando's Gateway Center, where police say he shot and wounded five people and killed one Friday, and they say they may never fully understand his motivation.

But Rodriguez, 40, who was fired two years ago by the company he allegedly targeted, has one characteristic not unusual among mass shooters: money problems.

"This guy is a compilation of the front page of the entire year -- unemployment, foreclosure, bankruptcy, divorce -- all of the stresses," Public Defender Bob Wesley, who is representing Rodriguez, said Saturday.

Workplace killings, in particular, often can be linked to an economic motivation.

"The person has lost a job, the person has been demoted, the person feels like he's about to lose his job -- it's not the whole story, but it's part of the motive," said Charles Ewing, a forensic psychologist and professor at the University at Buffalo Law School.

Money problems can lead to depression, which can compound the problems of someone already struggling with mental-health issues.

People who commit mass shootings typically are suffering from serious depression and are usually suicidal as well as homicidal, Ewing said.

Wesley said a mental-health evaluation of the former draftsman would be conducted. He said he didn't know whether Rodriguez was on medication.

But what is known, Wesley said, is that Rodriguez was under great stress, including a series of job losses.

Rodriguez, of Orlando, made his first appearance before a judge Saturday wearing a protective vest and saying little. Orange County Circuit Court Judge Walter Komanski had to ask Rodriguez to raise his right hand twice to be sworn in.

Rodriguez was held without bond and faces a first-degree-murder charge. Attempted-murder charges are likely to follow.

Wesley said his client "is a very, very mentally ill person." Jail officials said Rodriguez was under suicide watch.

The suspect's mother, Ana Lopez-Rodriguez, apologized after the hearing on her son's behalf.

"I am so sorry for everything that's happened," she said. "This is very, very hurtful."

apalm@orlandosentinel.com

September is Life Insurance Month

Chances are if you are breathing, you may need life insurance. So many times I see clients in one of two situations, not enough life insurance or the wrong kind of life insurance.

We want to use life insurance as a tool to spread the risk away from ourselves and to others. We want to use it to help our loved ones survive financially after we have died, We do not want to use insurance as an investment. We want to use investments as investments such a mutual funds, stocks and securities, not whole life or universal life or cash valued policies. We can do so much better for ourselves if we invest in good growth and income mutual funds.

We want to purchase good term life insurance that would cover our expenses at a rate of eight our ten time our current expenses. Then if we died, our loved ones would receive these death benefits, tax -free and could invest them in something safe and then receive income for over an extended period. This would be true if we were single, married, with kids or without kids. If we are leaving someone behind that depends upon us, we should carry life insurance to take care of them.

Once we have paid for all of our assets and have no debt and 8 to 10 times our expenses in investments and savings, then we can be self- insured and drop our term insurance.

If you do not have insurance and are pretty healthy, now is a great time to get insurance. If you would happen to develop an illness such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer, you could be denied life insurance in the future.

Another insurance to look into once you are over 60 years old is long- term care insurance. This policy would take care of you if you ever had to be cared for in a long- term care facility such as a nursing home.

Some insurance to avoid other than cash value insurance is cancer insurance and accidental death insurance. These situations are already covered in your regular policy.

Last but not lease, keep communicating with your insurance agent. Make sure they are aware of any life changes you have such as health, marital status, goals kids and more. If your agent can’t or wont sit down with you and talk with you one on one in a way you can understand, get a new agent who can and has the heart of a teacher.

Stop by www.lifehappens.org for more info about life insurance.

Credit Card changes

As we are seeing in the news over the past couple of weeks, the credit card companies such a Citibank and Chase are posting record profits. How can this be? Congress passed new legislation for the credit card companies in the spring and some of the changes are slowly being put into place. Some the the changes that the card companies are putting in place are things like raising minimum payment from 2% to 5% with no warning or for no other reason than they feel like it. The next time you get your bill in the mail or a credit card offer in the mail, read the back of it once. I have an offer on my desk that says "we reserve the right to change the account terms (including apr's) at any time for any reason." Who would do business with anyone under these terms? Here are some of the changes that are going to be taking place and when.

August 2009:

• Statements must be mailed 21 days before bill is due (up from the current 14)
• Issuers have to give 45 days notice (vs. 45) before increasing rates and fees.

February 2010

• Issuers can no longer raise rates on an existing balance, unless payment is more than 60 days late or a teaser rate.
• Teaser rates must be in effect for at least six months.
• Except for expiring teasers, the rate on new purchases can't be hiked in the first year.
• Payments in excess of the minimum owed must first be applied to the balance with the highest interest rate, and then to other balances in descending order
• Applicants under the age of 21 must have an adult co-signer or show proof of income for approval.
• Issuers can not longer practice "universal default" that is, raise your rates if they feel they learn that you were late on another account.
• Issuers must indicate in statements how long it will take to pay off a balance (and the total cost) if you make only minimum payments.
• In calculating finance charges, issuers cannot average in daily balances from previous billing cycles. (huh)

August 2010

• Cardholders assessed a penalty APR for late payments can reclaim the lower rate if they pay on time for six consecutive months.

What does this mean to us, higher late charges, new costs for extra cards, extra charge for paper statements, charges for cash advances and more. If it were me, I would close all of these credit card accounts and use cash and a debit card. Did you know that in most cases, if you only pay the minimum on a credit card payment, it takes almost 20 years to pay it off. Oh, I did close all my accounts. I went from one of those people who paid off their balance every month to someone who uses cash and the debit card and I do travel and buy plane tickets and rent cards and I do get bonus point for "free stuff". My biggest savings is that I spend so much less using a written budget and pulling dollar bills out of my goofy envelopes for stuff.

Time to Refinance

Wow are the rates low. Some even below 5%. This could be a great time to refinance your home. If you are like me, I have only done this once or twice in my life. So at our last Financial Peace class at First Friends Church. www.firstfriends.org  Jessie Pachan of Fearon Financial www.fearonfinancial.com shared some great tips with us about getting your home refinances. 

Always get a good faith estimate with all of the fees and rates from more than one mortgage broker.

Get a Truth in Lending form

Shop around for title insurace

Many fees are negotiable.

If you are buying a new home never buy a  home that is more that 25 to31 % of your take home pay.

Always see if you can take out a 15 year vs 30 year mortgage.

Don't just buy the points to get a lower rate. Do some calculations to see how long it will take to recover your higher price for a lower interest rate.

If you would be interested in more information about buying a new home or refinancing an existing home contact us at www.lighthousefinancialcounseling.com

Handling Money God's Way

Today I got a phone call from a friend who I have been working with concerning his finances. He shared with me that they made $990 at their garage sale last week. This week he received a couple of large orders at work and made some nice commissions. They are using this money to pay down some outstanding debt. They also had to make a tough choice not enroll their daughter in a private school this upcoming year because of the expense. This week an administrator contacted them and told them that the tuition would be taken care of. Wow. Look how things work when we handle things God's way. His ways are so much better than our way and His plan are higher than our plans. 

God is so cool

Is now the time to buy a house

Many of our clients come into the office asking us if now is the right time to buy a house since they may get a first time home buyers credit of $8,000 and there are some real deals out there. Well let's unpack buying a new home. The average home that sold in Stark County last year went for 199,000, down from the average in 2007 of $218,000. This would make the average monthly payment for a 30 fixed with 20% down ($40,000) at 5% at $858.91 plus tax and insurance and a 15 year fixed loan at 5% at $1265.27. If we add an additional $250 a month for taxes and insurance this would come out to $1108.91 a month for a 30 year mortgage and $1515.27 for a 15 year mortgage. Not too bad.

The average family in Ohio make around $48,000 a year. If we account for taxes, they bring home around $3,000 a month income. You can see the problem starting to develop. We recommend that your house payment including insurance and taxes should be between 25% and 31% of your take home pay. If we would take out the 30 year mortgage, the payment would eat up 37% of our take home pay ,while the 15 year mortgage would eat us 50% of out take home pay.

This is why the average family is struggling to survive and get ahead. Think about it. The average family brings home $3000 a month and the average house payment is $1100 to $15000. This is if we put down 20% on the mortgage and do not have a second mortgage. 

Now add in the average car payment of $385 and a few credit card bills, a student loan and a second mortgage. We are now living paycheck to paycheck but have a nice house. There is very little margin to take care of an emergency if the roof needs repair, they put in a sewer line, the transmission goes out in the car or if there is a medical emergency.

There is a better way. We recommend that before getting a new home that you first pay off all of your credit debt including cars, credit cards and more. This way if something goes wrong and it always does, you will have extra cash laying around to fix it. We also recommend that that you put aside 3 to 6 months of expenses for an emergency fund.  

When taking out a loan you will get ahead if you do the following steps:

• Get out of all debt but your current home including student loans, cars and credit cards
  
• Set aside 3 to 6 months of living expenses
  
• Take out no more that a 15 year loan at a fixed rate
  
• Put down 20% as a down payment to reduce PMI and to get the payments affordable.
  
• Contact a seasoned real estate professional such as Michele Dugan (email michelle.dugan@yahoo.com) in the Canton area. Let them help you find the best house for you in the area for the best price.
  
• Contact a mortgage broker to get the best lending rates available. We recommend Jessie Pachan at Fearon Financial www.fearonfinancial.com.
  

By following these steps you will be weird. See, normal is broke, normal is paying 40 to 50% of your take home pay in house payments. Be weird, get a deal you can afford and live on less than you make. Don't be poor, house poor.

If you would like help putting together a plan to buy a new home, feel free to contact us to set up a free 30 minute consultation at Lighthouse Financial Counseling Services. www.lighthousefinancialcounseling.com

Share your comments and stories about houses with us. A friend of mine just refinanced from a 30 year mortgage at 7.5% to a 15 year at 4.5% and his house payment only went up $110 a month and he said he will have his house paid off in 12 years by making an extra payment every couple of months. This is weird.

It that time of year "Garage Sale time"

I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge garage sale fan. But as I see people looking to get out of debt by selling stuff they don't need or are not using and turning it into cash to pay off bills or to build the emergency fund, I am becoming a bigger fan all the time. Walk into the closet and look at all the stuff you did not wear this year or last year. Go into the basement and look around, same with the garage. It is like piles of money just sitting around waiting to be used. As I speak, I know I have a set of snow ski's, ski boots, water skis, a stereo, tons of clothes and few old weed trimmers and more.  I bet I could get a couple hundred dollars for that stuff.

Some keys to a good garage sale are (www.garagesalegal.com)

• Advertise: bright signs but not too many words, craigslist
  
• Spread your stuff out, people do not like to bend down to lift stuff
  
• Have your stuff organized
  
• Put the good stuff out front so people will be drawn in 
  
• Have plenty of change
  
• Be willing to bargain
  
• Shop other garage sales so you have your stuff priced right.
  

Have some fun and meet new people. Always have a few friends around and never let anyone into your your home for safety reasons.

Let the kids get involved and sell some of their old stuff and turn in into cash and help them to save, spend and give.

I am so excited to hear the stories from my friends who are getting gazelle intense about getting out of debt and staying there. 

If you would be interested in learning more about getting out of debt and staying there go to www.lighthousefinancialcounseling.com

Next week lets talk about getting extra jobs and increasing our income. If you have some stories you want to share, send me a note at fdavewilliams@mac.com

Next Event Financial Peace in the Storm of 2009 at First Friends Church in Canton Ohio

Thursday the 10th at 7:00 PM www.firstfriends.org

The credit card people are our friends?

Remember when you were a kid and begged your mom to buy that cereal with the cool prize in it. I still can remember getting a Tony the Tiger and Woody the Wood Pecker spoon in my cereal. It got to the point my mom would not take any of us 5 kids to the grocery store because of the fight we would make over getting the cereal with the prize in it. 

Well our "friends" at Discover Card have a treat for your kids. They have partnered  with General Mills Cereals and are offering a Discover debit card in their boxes of cereal. Lets not just get the kids hooked on six dollar a box cereal infused with loads of artificial color, flavor and lots of sugar, lets get them used to using the Discover card. 

Folk I am not an alarmist or whacko, but they are targeting out kids for using credit. It is all about branding. If they can get them hooked early enough, they have them. But this is a new low even for the credit people. These guys are not your friends and they are after your kids. 

Teach your kids that using credit is bad and that cash still works  and works well. People who spend cash at the grocery store spend 50% than those using credit or debt card. I know by switching my habit to cash only, my spending habits have changed. What about yours. For more information about topics like this log onto our website www.lighthousefinancialcounseling.com

Step away from the cereal isle!!!!!!!!!

The credit card people are our friends?

What to do when there is a change in job status

With all of the unemployment figures going on, we all know someone who has been laid off, downsized, rightsized, top-grade, or just plain old let go. This is such a huge blow to all of our egos and sends many of us into a tail spin. Several people has contacted us and asked the question "what should I do financially when I have had a change in job status". 

Well the first thing to do is to sit down with your spouse or a close friend and unpack your emotional bags. Get it out and process it. In many cases this is something that has happened to you based upon the economy and not something you have done personally.  Even if it may have been something that you did, remember that "failure in an event, not a person". I know this is so much easier to say than to do. I know of one guy who went on a job interview 3 days after being let go and was still so upset with his previous employer that he talked about how bad of a company they were during his interview. Guess what? He did not get the job. So I would suggest getting it out of your system as soon as you can so you can move on in a healthy positive way.

Next, sit down and put together a new written budget based upon your new income level. ( we have the forms for free  at www.lighthousefinancialcousnseling.com) Start trimming back things like the cable bill, cell phone bills, and eating out. It is very crucial to adjust your lifestyle before you lose your job or as you lose your job, not six to 8 months later. Do not spend any more money than you have coming in the door.

After this, we should work on paying only the minimum amount on any credit cards or consumer loans and save as much cash as you can. They say it may take 4 to 6 for every $10,000 your make to get a job. So if a person was looking for a job that paid $40,000 a year, it could take 16 to 24 weeks to get a new job.

You should contact each of your creditor and let them know you want to work with them during this time of crisis but you need their help by lowering your interest rates. Also contact your home mortgage company and see if you may be eligible for a "work out package" or a mortgage modification if you house payment is more that 25 to 35 % of your income.

Start looking for a job ASAP. Don't wait for unemployment to run out. Don't spend too much time looking on the internet for a job. Experts estimate that only 1% to 2% of the people find a job on the internet. (www.48days.com). Call friends, family, members and work contacts to let them know you are looking for work. Network as much as you can. Develop a list of contacts and keep track of who is sending you hot leads.

Stay connected with healthy friends and people who will support you and be honest with you when you need their support and when you need a good kick in the pants to get going. 

Stay in prayer. Keep searching the Scripture to see what God may be trying to reveal to during this time of crisis. The verse I have keep repeating to my self is Philippians 2:3-4 Be anxious for nothing but in everything  by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God  and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. This has helped me during so many tough time. Maybe there are other verses that have helped you. If so share them with us.

Be Carefull of the Economic Help Rip Offs

I have seen a number of late night scams on TV to help people solve their economic problems. We should all ask ourselves the question: if it looks to good to be true, it usually is.

When I see these infomercial about fixing your credit report, I ask the question, is this too good to be true. Doesn't our credit score simply record or document what has and is going on with our credit, good or bad. These companies promise to fix or repair your credit for a fee. Run, don't walk away. Never send them money and never give anyone access to your bank accounts. For a fee, these companies will bombard your creditors with letters to cause confusion. If your credit report has incorrect or inaccurate information on it, you can send them a letter on your own and they have to make the appropriate correction to your report. If something on you report is negative but correct, it cannot be eliminated. Only time will remove any negative activities from your report. No one can take off accurate negative information. Keep doing good stuff like paying off old debt on time and put money in saving just in case you have an emergency. This way you can use cash and not use a credit cards when things happens.

Next are the people who can negotiate with the IRS and get you great settlements. Well, the IRS is the IRS and they get their money no matter what. The IRS will only accept an OIC (offer in compromise) if you a) have no income, b) have no asserts and c) have no future of income or asserts. The IRS wants you to file bankruptcy because you can't include them in the bankruptcy and they will get their money including interest and fees. They have leverage on their side. Do not send these people the $6K to $10K to help you. They simply do not deliver as advertised.

Next are the people who promise you that they will negotiate with your creditors and get you a reduced offer. First they will get a large fee from you up front. Second they will have you delay paying your creditors or they will have you make your payment to the consumer creid counseling agency and they will stop paying your creditors. Fees will start to increase on your accounts. Once they have taken their fees and piled up some of your cash, they will try to offer the creditor a lesser amount. These actions are dishonest, deceitful and unethical. Most of the time these efforts will not work. You will pay more in the long run and your credit will be ruined. Don't do it. Again on your own, you can find ways to pile up some cash and offer your creditor a discounted amount. Also you can and should always call your creditor and ask for a better/lower interest rate. And as always, stop using credit. (check out your credit report at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/)




Last but not least are the consumer credit counselors who will handle your credit payments for you for a small monthly fee of $25 a month plus and an up front fee. You send them your money and they will negotiate with your creditors for longer payment term and lower interest rates. This usually take 24 to 36 months to complete. Remember, when you pay longer, you pay more in almost all cases. Again, you have the power to call or write your creditor to negotiate with them to pay the debt you have incurred.

Most people who decide to get our of debt and stay our of debt, stop using credit and have a written budget. The average person can get out of credit card debt in 18 months or less by stop using credit and using all their extra recourse to pay off this debt. Each of these rip offs cost money and do not produce result but the biggest problem is that they do not address the problem of changing our spending habits. It is like getting liposuction to loose weight and still eating Oreos and nacho every day while not getting exercise. We all need to change our habits and live on what we make and stop looking for easy ways to take care of the problems we have caused. There is no bail out for the average guy coming from Washinton. The light you might see is a truck wanting more of your money.

Lets be different and live on less that we make.


Check out the video.


http://www.hulu.com/watch/1389/saturday-night-live-dont-buy-stuf





Dave Williams

www.lighthousefinancialcounseling.com

Kenny Perry is still a winner dispite the lose at the Masters

Kenny Perry was sitting on top of the world on Sunday at the Masters in Augusta. Two holes to go and up by two. He would be the oldest man to ever win the Masters at the age of 48. Well life happens and he boogied the next two holes to go into a three way play off only to lose in the second payoff hole. Wait, he was not crushed. What is up with this guy. Does not his identity and confidence come from being a pro golfer who has won other Majors and played in the Ryder cup and now blew a two stroke lead in the final round of the Masters. He will become the next Greg Norman.

Nope, Kenny's confidence comes from his identity in Jesus. Kenny is a great Christian who loves and wins at golf and in life. Kenny regularly gives 5% of all of his winnings to Lipscomb University a Christian University. Thats over $1,000,000 in a trust fund for kids from Franklin County, Kentucky who are allowed a scholarship to Lipscomb.http://www.lipscomb.edu/

Kenny has a great story to tell about how God has used him week in and week out playing golf to touch others and to give to kids.

Kenny says to people " you can do anything you want to do in life. if you put God first and continue to strive for what you want to do, those doors are going to be open for you. You'll make it."

This reminds me of a verse my friend Tom Young from the Navigators shared with me,
Matthew 6:33 "seek frost the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you"
http://www.navpress.com/ Check out the TMS memorization system. Worked form me eventually

I bet Kenny's witness today is even more powerful knowing he may be a little shaken but not stirred and his confidence is still the same as it has been since he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. What at light to the world.

I want to be more like Kenny Perry who is trying to be more like Jesus Christ.


Dave Williams
http://www.lighthousefinancialcounseling.com/

See the 2006 atrticle on Kenny Perry a
http://www.linksplayers.com/
http://www.linksplayers.com/Player_Profiles/Kenny_Perry/kenny_perry.html

Read the Bible for Financial Wisdom

I' am reading the latest book by Pat Morley and the Man in the Mirror Ministries http://www.maninthemirror.com/ called How to Survive the Economic Meltdown http://survivingthemeltdown.org/. Pat makes a statement that I feel convinced by, " most men read the Bible for comfort and read the Wall Street Journal for direction." Wow, what a statement. All we have to do is to look around and see the results. The government is in debt, our churches are in debt, we are in debt and our kids are in debt. As I look through the Bible, I can't seem to find any thing about borrowing from tomorrow to pay for today. Even David had to pay for the threshing floor offered to him so he could worship God. I think during these current times we could all take a step back and see the Bible for what it is "the inspired word of God that is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness."

It makes me think a little more when I read Proverb 27:12
The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

Ouch, I think I need to take refuge

Dave Williams

http://www.lighthousefinancialcounseling.com/

Abraham Lincoln's Rules of Conduct

I was cleaning out my office and found Lincoln's code of conduct. What worked back then might just work today.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak ou and remove all doubt

The fact is, truth is your truest friend, no matter what the circumstances are.

Leave nothing for tomorrow whick can be dont today.

The way of a you man to rise is to im[porve himself every way he can, never suspecting that anybody wishes to hinder him.

Quarrel not at all. No man resolved the make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention.

By all means don't say "if I can, say "I will."

Let none falther who thins he is right.

I say "try." IF we never try, we shall never succeed.

Stand by anybody that stands right. Stand with him whhile he is right and part with him when he is wrong.


Abraham Lincoln.

What do you think