The beginning of a new calendar year commonly conjures up thoughts of new beginnings and fresh starts. That’s why many people make New Year’s resolutions—those lofty goals that often fall by the wayside by Valentine’s Day. A Forbes survey found that improved finances is one of the top five New Year’s Resolutions that people make, with a third of people ages 26 to 57 naming it.

Each year our advisors love to collaborate on a group blog post around Advent/Christmas time and address what a specific topic means to us.

This year we chose, “What is Advent and how does it relate to your finances?”

Many Christians tend to view their money through the lens of stewardship, meaning that God is the ultimate owner of everything and we are just managing it for him. We even have two different blog posts on stewardship on this site, this one by Kaysi Gordon and this one by Chris Wells.

When we think of stewardship, we usually think of budgeting, managing debt, or even passing our wealth to the next generation. But what about taxes? When was the last time taxes came to mind when you were considering your stewardship journey?

As we near Christmas, our advisors at the Christian Financial Advisors Network wanted to share how they guide their families through giving and receiving during the Advent season and the faith impact that it has.

Enjoy!

It’s not uncommon to find tension between different passages of scripture in the Bible. Though it can sometimes feel confusing, this is part of the beauty of the Christian life.

Following Jesus isn’t about following a set of rules, but about giving our lives to the one who laid down His life for us. One of these tensions that we find in Scripture are the many warnings about the dangers of pursuing wealth, but also encouragement to save for the future and to build wealth. This blog post will explore this tension.

Currently, the S&P 500 Index (a popular gauge of health for the US Stock Market) is down in value by approximately 21% for the year as of June 21, 2022. That can be a rude awakening after the S&P 500 has returned 28.9%, 16.3%, and 26.9% over the past three calendar years (2019-2021).

What’s going on? In times like these, it can make an investor question if having money in the stock market is wise or if it’s really just gambling.

Happy New Year! Twenty twenty-one is officially behind us as we embark upon a new adventure in 2022. For many people, a new year is a time to set new goals. One of the things that people always have at the top of their new year's resolution list is getting their finances in order, which is our specialty. 

The Christmas season is such a wonderful time of the year. On the surface level it’s filled with family, friends, food, rest, and gifts.

However, on a spiritual level it’s a time of preparation and celebration through, Advent, as well as the meaningful reflection on what the birth of Christ means to us.

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV)

In the financial planning world, there isn’t a topic that gets more press or more discussed than retirement. In fact, retirement is one of the main reasons that people seek financial planning in the first place. Yet, the modern view of retirement is relatively new. There was no concept of retirement back when Jesus lived or the Bible was written. So then, what does the Bible actually say about retirement and how we should live our later years?

What is Christmas all about? If you ask schoolchildren, you’ll probably get some humorous answers. But have you taken the time lately to consider that question for yourself?