Posts Tagged ‘dfree: Breaking Free from Financial Slavery’

Comments Off

Financial Freedom Friday (dfree tip of the week 03/01/13)

Friday, March 1st, 2013

Dear Friend,

Most people don’t realize the relationship between time and money.  Time is one of the most valuable assets we possess, particularly if we want financial freedom. How can we use time to our benefit?  We use it to build wealth.

We’ve all heard stories of humble people in unassuming jobs who make monumental monetary gifts to schools, churches, or charities.  These people live modestly, but they save and invest a small amount of money each year.  Their small investment eventually grows to hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of dollars.

Such was the case with Rev. Thomas Boyd, who served as pastor of a Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York.  He told me that whenever he received a small gift for presiding at funerals or performing weddings, he put that money in a special investment account.  As the fund grew, Rev. Boyd accumulated a substantial amount of money.   Because he felt that he owed most of his success to what he learned as a student at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Rev. Boyd felt compelled to make a donation to the school.  He donated well over $500,000 to Shaw! He began saving early, so he had the time to take advantage of compounding interest.  You can start small, but start NOW.  Use your time wisely.  Invest in your future.

Read Proverbs 13.22a, thank God for time, and pray for strength to use it wisely.

God bless,

DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.

Comments Off

Financial Freedom Friday (dfree tip of the week 02/01/13)

Friday, February 1st, 2013

Dear Friend,

As I meet and counsel with people concerning their finances, I’ll often say, “don’t finance your own fall”.  I encourage them to get their arms around their financial reality and do something to improve it.  I challenge them and you, to get your financial affairs in order.

Is your financial reality a mess? Do you know what you spend monthly on general household expenses such as utilities, groceries and insurance?  How much do you owe on loans, credit cards, and other bills.  What is your monthly income?  Can you meet your financial obligations and start a college-fund for your child and save for retirement? You cannot address the mess until you measure it.

Luke 16:1-8 reminds us that being close to God is compatible with being prudent and shrewd about business matters.  This weekend, read Luke 16:1-8, pray for help from God, then gather your financial documents and assess your financial situation.

DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.

Comments Off

Financial Freedom Friday (dfree tip of the week 01/25/13)

Friday, January 25th, 2013

Dear Friend,

Over the years, I’ve learned that living dfree necessitates a complete change in the way we live, and changing the way we live necessitates a complete change in the way we think. We think we must have that new pair of shoes, or that very nice suit, or that brand new car, even if it means using high interest credit cards and loans to get them. Borrowing has become a lifestyle and Americans are drowning in debt. This is fact: you cannot be financially free, until you get out of debt.

Recently, I told the story of my dear friend, a highly educated, prominent, financially secure minister, and owner of the oldest Mercedes that I’ve ever seen! He drove his old car with pride and contentment; knowing that for years, he had not had a car note. The idea that we must have certain things, the latest and greatest, suggests that we cannot be content without them. The apostle Paul teaches that God gives strength to be content in all circumstances. The ability to do that is a sure sign of spiritual maturity. For Paul, and my friend with the beat-up Mercedes, contentment came as a result of their relationship with Christ. If we have that same relationship, we can be content and resist the thought that we need things to make us happy.

This weekend, in acknowledgement of the correlation between faith and finances, read and study Philippians 4:11-13, and pray for contentment in all circumstances.

God bless,

DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.