If you or someone you know needs coaching on handling finances withgodly wisdom, broken down into easy-to-understand terms, look no further thanthis booklet by Ron Blue.
We at Launch Leadership Development believe being a good leader meansbeing great at self-management, which includes managing your finances wisely.This booklet is a quick read with graphics, self-assessments, and printed pdfcharts to keep for handy reference.
Ron says, “All money issues are heart issues”, and that is so true, myfriend! When the topic of money comes up, so do feelings! Feelings like fear,anger, stress, and shame are not uncommon. This book sets out to relieve these negative feelings about money andprovides a framework for thinking about money differently. This framework willbenefit you personally and as a leader and manager.
We will explore the four areas of financial confidence:
· Heart
· Health
· Habits
· Hope
Heart: Behavior Follows Belief Your checkbookshows what you value. Ron divides the heart into four beliefs:
· Stewardship: Do you believe God owns it all?
· Contentment: Do you believe that what you have rightnow is enough?
· Faith: Do you demonstrate your faith through yourfinances?
· Wisdom: Do you believe God’s wisdom is true andavailable?
Health: Today’s Reality Assess where your finances arecurrently at. Ron uses a pie chart divided into five wedges to depict whereyour money goes. These wedges are:
· Live
· Give
· Owe (debt)
· Owe (taxes)
· Grow
There are no independent financial decisions. When you spend in onewedge it decreases the amount available in another wedge.
Habits: Five Biblical Principles These work for ANYincome level.
· Spend less than you earn Every financial success depends on thishabit.
· Give generously Giving breaks the power of money.
· Avoid debt It alwaysmortgages the future.
· Plan for financial margin The unexpected will always happen.
· Set long term goals There is always a trade off betweenthe short-term and long-term.
Ron says to change any habit, you need a simple plan and at least oneperson to hold you accountable. Looking at this list, what changes do you needto make?
Hope: Tomorrow’s Promise Ron devised a “Margin Meter” tomeasure your ability to deal with unexpected expenses. You must increaseyour margin so that you are beyond stable and able to save for long term goals.
· Struggling “not able to make ends meet”
· Surviving “living paycheck to paycheck”
· Stable “Saving some and have an emergency fund”
· Secure “Saving for long term goals”
· Surplus “More than enough”
Ron says the key to moving from where you are to where you want to beis to have written goals. Without goals, people tend to put their surplustoward upgrading their lifestyle. What are your goals?
Ron has written several books that dive deeper into budgeting and goalsetting, such as Master Your Money. One I plan to read is NeverEnough? Three Keys to Financial Contentment.
As for this packet, I plan to order an extra set to give to mygraduating friends. At $6.99 I believe this is one of the best bargains outthere!
-Jan Jones
For digital and pdf financial tools from Ron Blue, check out his site!
https://ronblueinstitute.com/tools/