Money reVerse is partnering with Pastors Cedric and Michelle White of Heart Fellowship Church to persent Money School! Classes held weekly. Different topics weekly designed to elevate and empower you financially. Let's do this!

Over the years I’ve found that many of us vow to make changes in our financial habits and practices at the beginning of each new year. Because we vow to also make other changes like eating healthier and losing weight, focusing on the money often takes place after the first 30 days of the new year has started if at all. After all, you must restock the fridge with those healthy foods, and get those new running shoes right?

I take the process of creating financial goals and plans as a serious matter and I want you to do the same. As Christians, we serve a God that is owner and ruler of all things and he requires us to be faithful in the possessions that He has entrusted to us. The best way to get started in managing money following Christian biblical principles is to set financial goals.

Here’s four reasons why every Christian should have financial goals

1. We should be purposeful with money entrusted to us.

We are created for a purpose. We should operate with that purpose in mind at all times. Setting financial goals creates the framework that will govern the way that we handle money and money matters.

2. We want to avoid money “drift”.

A drift is a slow gradual movement or change from one place to another. If you’ve ever not remembered what was done with a sum of money you’ve received, you’ve experienced money drift. Sound financial goals gives you the reason to not let your feelings control what you do with money.

3. Financial goals help us to do our part.

God as promised us that he will supply all of our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus and that he will give us the desires of our hearts if we delight ourselves in Him. That’s his part. He also instructs us to do our part. With money, being found as a faithful manager is a requirement. Adopting financial goals helps us to do our part better!

4. We want to align our actions His word.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 NKJV

Having financial goals motivates us to develop a financial plan. We’re diligent when we continually pursue what we’re seeking. Scripture in the bible book of Proverbs confirms that the plan of the diligent surely lead to plenty. Aligning to this word (and many others that encourage us to manage money faithfully) is a sure way to financial promotion.

Let’s set clear and achievable financial goals that align with God’s words. Need help with this? Stay tuned and I’ll show you how!

Your Social Security Number demands your protection!

I feel that one thing that we give away too freely is our Social Security Number. In the wrong hands, this is the single best way for our financial identify to be compromised. This key piece of personal information demands to be guarded carefully.

How do you best protect yourself against theft of your SSN? Only give your SSN to others when it is required!

Social Security Numbers (SSNs) were created in 1936 and originally intended to be used exclusively by the federal government for recording individual worker’s contributions to the the Social Security fund. Because it is a source for information about the earnings for all US workers, other governmental agencies and businesses also began using this as an authoritative source for identifying workers and retirees. That’s when many businesses and institutions began requesting your SSN as a part of their application and sign-up processes. From there, your SSN was and continues to be used for ID badges and online accounts across the U.S.

Next thing you know, SSNs for many of us were in the hands of colleges, doctor’s offices, utility companies and many other places. This created a rich “honey-pot’ for those wanting to commit fraud by stealing SSNs to assume the identity of another.

Why would someone want to steal your SSN? They would use it to become you in a digital world. With our SSN, someone could create a fake identity using your number. With that they could get a driver’s license or state ID card which opens the door for completely becoming a fully functioning U.S. Citizen in every way. In our digital world, this can happen very quickly from anywhere in the world without standing in any waiting lines.

A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty.

Proverbs 27:12 NASB

Here's 3 key things that you must know to protect your Social Security Number.

1. You are legally required to provide your SSN to businesses and institutions in these specific cases ONLY:

a) You’re engaging in a transaction that requires notification to the IRS. This is true for anyone that pays you taxable wages or governmental benefits. This also includes banks, real estate purchases and financial transactions over $10k.
b) You’re engaging in a transaction that is subject to Customer Identification Program rules. This includes financial transactions in which the federal government requires a positive ID as a result of the USA Patriot Act.
c) The requestor is an insurance company.
d) The requestor is a credit card company.
e) The requestor is one of the three main consumer reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).

2. Note that the following businesses and entities have been known to request but NOT require this sensitive information.

1) Social organizations
2) Doctors
3) Landlords
4) Colleges
5) Online membership sites
6) Churches or other charities

3. The Social Security Administration recommends that you ask the following questions when requested to give your SSN to a business or organization that is not required by law to possess this information.

1) Why is my SSN needed?
2) How will my SSN be used?
3) What happens if I offer an alternative number (like driver’s license) or refuse to give my SSN?
4) What law requires me to provide my SSN for this purpose?

If a company is required by law to request your SSN these questions are very familiar to them. The Privacy Act of 1974 requires that governmental agencies disclose to you the answers as they request your SSN. Private business may or may not comply to this act and unfortunately there’s no penalties for this.

If you’re not getting collaborative feedback from your questions, ask to speak to a manager and attempt to persuade them to use your driver’s license as an alternative to your SSN. With no compromise being offered, your choices are to either provide them with your SSN or take your business elsewhere. There is no law in preventing a business from requesting your SSN and there’s likewise no law that prevents them from denying to serve you if you refuse.

I’ve had luck in supplying my drivers license for businesses that needed to have a way to reference me by an additional external identifier in the past. I also did not win the battle for a new doctor that I was visiting and I was just too weak to fight it. It can go either way but definitely worth a try!

Protect your identity by knowing who requires your SSN before you give it out. It’s the prudent and wise thing to do!

Carolyn

God created everything and owns everything.

We serve a God that has created everything, owns everything, knows everything, has predestined everything and wants to give us the desires of our hearts when we love him and the follow His instructions. Doesn’t it make sense that he would expect us to take care of the things He entrusts to us in an outstanding manner so that He gets the glory? Of course he does! This is the principle of stewardship. Let's focus on managing our finances.

When I speak of managing personal finances, I’m referring to an active process of specifically knowing your financial condition, setting financial goals and allocating time to make a plan, log your actuals, measure your progress and make lifestyle decisions that are designed to help you to meet your goals. I’m talking about knowing down to the penny how much income do you have, how much debt you have, what does it cost you to live on a monthly basis, how much savings you have, what is your rate of return on your investments and a few other key money metrics.



Here's a few of the many scriptures that encourage us to make plans and be diligent managers.

Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds; For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

Proverbs 27:23-24 NKJV

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:2 NKJV

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

Proverbs 21:5 NKJV

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Luke 16:10-12 NKJV

Make it a point to actively use a spending plan for directing and tracking your expenditures each month.

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A spending plan is a pre-spending written account of all household expenditures for the month. Creating this plan before the funds are spent introduces self-directed accountability of how, when and where every dollar is that is entrusted to you is spent. Tracking your actual spending against the plan is a crucial step. Lessons that you learn from your spending reality will be used in creating future monthly spending plans.

Don't have a spending plan? In the spirit of Financial Literacy, there are several options available to help you to rectify this and begin managing to a spending plan with very little effort. One of these resources is from the site Money Management International. Take a look at it here

Everything belongs to God and we are stewards of His resources. We must consistently pass the test of being a good steward of what we have today before we will be entrusted with more. As the scripture implies, what you’re doing with the money that you have today will be what you would do if you had more. Be a faithful steward and manage every penny that you have today and get ready because more is on the way!

Carolyn