Archive for October 2008

IWBNIN Home Group Study

As I wrote the Group Study that accompanies my book, I begged God that it would help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances. 

That is why I am so pumped to see what is happening with the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. Group Study.   Right now, over one thousand people are going through this six week study as part of their home group as part of a church group.  That is unbelievable!

If your church or organization is looking for PRACTICAL and relevant teaching on personal finances, this study can work for you.

As part of the study, the team has developed an IWBNIN Group Study site to further enhance the study's effectiveness.

Check it out HERE!

Marathon Training Is Like … Investing

NOTE: If you are a runner or athlete of any type, you will know exactly what I mean by this post.

Ever had days where you feel invincible?  I had one of those days on Monday.  I went to the gym for my planned lunch hour run, and I felt incredible.  I cranked up the treadmill to a fast pace (for me), and I ran for five miles.  I felt GREAT!  I ran five miles at a pace of 7:54/mile.  No stress.  No problems.  Cake.

Have you ever had a day where you feel like you were up to your neck in concrete?  On Tuesday, I went to the gym for my planned lunch hour run, and I felt awful.  AWFUL.  I cranked up the treadmill to a speed slightly faster than a turtle could craw, and it hurt so bad.  It was dreadful.  It was so bad that I wanted to stop after running one mile.  ONE mile.  I was thinking, "If it is hurting this bad to run one mile, why on earth have I signed up to run 26.2 miles again!!?!"  I stuck it out and ended up running three miles before quitting.  It felt horrible.  Even after I had stopped, I still felt horrible.

That is exactly what it feels like when I am investing.  My money is there for the long haul, and I continue to invest because it makes a lot of sense to do so.  There are times that I want to check the investment account every day because it is going up up up up up …  There are other times that I can not even bear to look at the account.  It takes everything in me to check on it because it is going down down down down …

See marathon training is like investing!  There is a long-term pay-off even with all of the ups and downs.  At the end of all this training, I will be able to run 26.2 miles and celebrate with an awesome dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  At the end of all of this investing, I will be able to leave a legacy for my family.  There will ups.  There will be downs.  The joy of the journey and the pay-off is worth every up and down.

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Financial Counselor Training

I am planning the next Financial Counseling Experience, and this week I will be finalizing the next training date.

The Financial Counseling Experience is a one-day experience where I teach the exact process that we use at NewSpring Church to provide one-on-one financial counseling FREE to over 500 people each year.

The great thing is that we are now able to open up the FCE to others who are interested in starting financial counseling ministries at their church or business.  In fact, we had 31 people from 14 churches at the last FCE!

Let me ask some questions:

  • Have you won with your money?
  • Do you love helping others put together plans that help them win with money?
  • Are you passionate about reaching your community in a real and tangible way?
  • Do you want to help start a financial counseling ministry?

If so, then the Financial Counseling Experience is a great place to get it started!

Through the FCE, you will:

  • Participate in a Financial Learning Experience
  • Learn the process we use for establishing appointments
  • Learn the process used to ensure that counselees show up prepared and ready for a life-changing meeting
  • Learn the process used during the appointment to ensure a consistent counseling experience
  • Apply real-life examples in hands-on activities – there is nothing like practical application
  • Review real-life scenarios in a "what would you do?" shared discussion
  • Be a part of a network of people who are all starting their own financial counseling ministry
  • Be challenged to take the next step and begin a financial counseling ministry at your church!

The entire event will take place at NewSpring's Anderson Campus and will cost only $50/person for the entire day.  This cost includes all materials, breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

If you are interested in attending the next FCE training, contact me HERE.  You will be contacted directly when the date is established.

SERIES: Lost Purse Part 5

This is a series about a certain purse owned by the Sangl Family.  Unlike every other series I have written, I am NOT excited to be writing this one.

Part 5 – A Final Word

Losing a purse is terrible, but it happens.  It has caused me to give serious thought to the actions one should take when personal items go missing.  I have made a list of the actions I took and some I was preparing to take once we knew the purse was lost.

  • Stopped all debit cards (should stop credit cards too if you have them)
  • Placed stop-payment on all checks in the checkbooks
  • File a police report to let them know you have misplaced an item.  I am told by the bank that many recovered items end up being taken to a police station.
  • Cut off the cell phone number from the phone
  • Place an alert on your credit report.  You can do so by contacting one of the three credit reporting agencies (TransUnion, Equifax, or Experian) and placing a "fraud alert" on your account.  This will require the credit reporting agencies to actually make contact with you before a new line of credit can be opened.  The person at the bank recommended Experian because they are open for twenty-four hours.  You can click HERE to access Experian's Fraud Alert page.
  • Contact the Social Security Administration if your SSN has been compromised.  You can click HERE to visit the SSA's Fraud page.

I hope this sort of event never happens to you!  If it does, I hope it turns out as well as this situation has for us.

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Read the entire "Lost Purse" series

SERIES: Lost Purse Part 4

This is a series about a certain purse owned by the Sangl Family.  Unlike every other series I have written, I am NOT excited to be writing this one.

Part 4 – The Conclusion

On Wednesday this week, Jenn received a package at the house!  Below is a picture!

The purse with ALL of its contents – including cash, iPod, cell phone, and the kitchen sink were still there!

I am so humbled by the honesty of all the people who saw the unattended purse and left it alone, and we are blown away by the kindness and quick action of the McDonald's staff at the following address:

McDonald's  331 Harding Place Nashville, TN 

I called the manager of the McDonald's that same day and profusely thanked them for their kindness and told her of her employee's great work.

The reward has been mailed.  It is substantial, and it is worth it.

We are so blessed.

Read recent posts 

Read the entire "Lost Purse" series