Northwestern Mutual’s 2025 Planning & Progress Study of more than 4,600 adults found that 31 percent of Americans planned on leaving an inheritance for their family or a charitable organization. What should we make of this statistic? Should the number be higher?...
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Northwestern Mutual’s 2025 Planning & Progress Study of more than 4,600 adults found that 31 percent of Americans planned on leaving an inheritance for their family or a charitable organization. What should we make of this statistic? Should the number be higher?...
In Matthew 19, we read about a rich man who approaches Jesus with a question about how to achieve eternal life. In response, Jesus tells the man to sell everything he owns before following him. This directive can be hard for us to read. The man had possessions, but it...
Whether we have many resources or few resources, we all have freedom in determining how to wield what we’ve been given. For Christians, there are two general principles behind our decisions of allocation. First, resources are finite; we cannot create them out of...
As debts mount, it is easy for panic to set in. Maybe you’ve gone through a huge medical procedure that has hurt you financially. Or perhaps you’ve let things slide for too long and the payments are catching up with you. When you feel overwhelmed, your first instinct...
No one feels happy all the time. There are plenty of times in your life when you feel tired, concerned, or anxious. You may be ill or dealing with chronic pain. You may feel discouraged or overwhelmed over situations you can’t control—or over situations you regret...
The local church is critical to faith. From a biblical perspective, it’s impossible to separate participation in Christianity from involvement in a local church. The Church was created to provide a glimpse of heavenly community. Unfortunately, some churches fall short...
What is the very best gift you’ve ever given? Wait, you may need to reread that. The question asks the very best gift you’ve ever given—not received. Let’s take a moment to consider. When you think about that experience, why did you choose to give that gift? What...
Jesus, throughout His public ministry, prayed to the Father constantly. Jesus prayed for provision. He prayed for wisdom. Jesus prayed for strength. Jesus spent time with the Father to simply give thanks. Building a life of consistent prayer means building a life with...
Church leaders are not perfect people. Despite aiming to walk in step with the Spirit, they make mistakes. They treat others poorly, both intentionally and unintentionally. They justify their pride and their selfishness. They do not live up to their own standards. The...
Church leaders are not perfect people. Despite aiming to walk in step with the Spirit, they make mistakes. They treat others poorly, both intentionally and unintentionally. They justify their pride and their selfishness. They do not live up to their own standards. The...
The older we get, the more challenging it is to grow. In our youth, growth is inevitable. Physically, most girls grow until the age of fourteen and boys until age sixteen¹. Our brains typically continue developing until our mid-to-late twenties². After the age of...
Setting financial goals can be really exciting. It’s a chance to dream about the kind of life you want to live and the things you want to do. Maybe you have a goal to buy a house or build financial security rather than living month to month. Perhaps you dream about...
Few people would refuse an increase to their income if it was offered to them. We all want to be able to afford necessities and enjoy extras, and many people also desire to be able to give more to the ministries they love. There may be a way to do both—with a...
Many of us are fortunate enough to have more than we need. We may find ourselves asking, “Why has God given me more than enough? What should I do with the extra?” Some people make the case that since the future is unknown, it is necessary to retain all of our assets...
Centuries from now, people may research us, trying to find out all they can about how we lived our lives in the decade of the 2020s. As humans, we will always want to know where and from whom we came. The flip side is that we are also rightly concerned with the legacy...
One day Jesus was teaching in the temple when a Pharisee—a religious leader and teacher—asked Jesus if it was lawful for Israelites to pay taxes. The Pharisee was aiming to put Jesus in a difficult spot. If Jesus said yes, the crowds surrounding Him would become angry...
In 1974, Congress enacted the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to ensure that employees would receive the retirement income employers promised through pension funds. ERISA covered lots of employer-promised benefits, including retirement and health care,...
Picture this: You’ve regularly put away money in your retirement account—through thick and thin—and now it’s time to start thinking about withdrawals. What do you need to know? Once you attain the age of fifty-nine and a half, you can generally make withdrawals from...
A will is a legally executed document that distributes an individual’s property according to their stated desires. Wills can be short, long, clear, or complicated. Not having a valid will can lead to a costly, time-consuming, and relationship-damaging process. Every...
Estate planning and inheritance decisions can be made easier by gathering the right data and information. This data can be organized into three lists—people, property, and plans. People The first list will be the individuals you want to give some type of inheritance...
In Luke 15:11–32, we read the story of a son who asked his father for his inheritance. The father gave it to him, and the son wasted his inheritance in riotous living. We most often hear about this passage as it relates to the forgiveness the father offers to the...
If you are a giver, why is being generous with your financial resources important to you? Maybe you think about giving as a regular act of faith and trust in the Lord’s provision. Maybe you know that practicing being openhanded is an important way you can combat...
Maybe you are ready to put together a will and an estate plan. But where do you start? In the classic film White Christmas, Bing Crosby sings to comfort Rosemary Clooney with the words, “When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep.” A...
One of the most important things a parent can do is develop a plan for the care of their children should premature death occur. Unfortunately, parents of minor children often do not have legal documents in place to cover this care. If you are—or someone you know and...
Is it better to make charitable gifts during lifetime or wait until after death? The answer to this question is different for each individual, as both options have advantages. Here are some advantages to giving a gift during your lifetime. 1. You can receive income...
The French physician, author, and satirist François Rabelais left a bit of humor in his one-line will. He wrote, “I have nothing, owe a great deal, and the rest I leave to the poor.” You may share Rabelais’s feelings as you evaluate your situation. We often hear...
When we read the Gospels, we observe that Jesus saw—with spring-water clarity—into the future. Consider just a few instances: “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there” (Luke 19:30 NIV). “As you enter the city, a man...
Do you have a giving plan in place? Or do you tend to give only when needs are presented in the moment? Impromptu giving is a great habit, but it requires someone to ask you first. Instead of waiting to be generous until someone presents you with a need, you can take...
When you create an estate plan, you make careful decisions regarding your investment accounts, your real estate holdings, the businesses you own, and your other major assets. But it is also important to consider the smaller things in your household. Disagreements...
When the calendar turns over, many people set goals to achieve during the new year. One popular resolution is to prepare a will or estate plan. Maybe you made a goal to create a will or update your estate plan in 2025 but are feeling stuck or unsure how to get...
Do you remember this old gospel tune? This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through.My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore. As followers of Jesus, we know...
One commonality among all authors—famous or not—is lousy first drafts. Revisions, corrections, and creative additions are all necessary to make our favorite books as good as they are. As followers of Jesus, we aim to live lives of generosity, and this also requires a...
What has changed in your life within the last year? Are your priorities and goals different today than they were last spring? How might these changes impact your plans for the distribution of your estate? Would you want the same distributions as you did when you set...
Federal capital gains tax is assessed on the sale of certain assets, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and precious metals. And based on where you live, you may also owe state capital gains tax when selling these types of assets. We all think of taxes as...
Have you ever used the phrase “timing is everything” to help explain a positive—or negative—outcome in your life or in someone else’s? As with most significant decisions, when it comes to making a significant gift to a ministry you care about, good timing has...
When making financial decisions, it seems like it would be nice to be able to see into the future and know what it holds. If we knew now what our future financial needs would be, it would be easier to make decisions about saving, giving, and distributing our estates...
“I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to Your name” (Psalm 18:49 MEV). As stewards, we give thanks to the Lord by giving from our blessings to His Church and to those in need around us. So how do we make sure that our gifts are...
When Jesus shared the story of the Good Samaritan, He was answering a legal expert’s question about the law that commanded them to love their neighbor (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus made the point that the neighbors we are to love are not just the ones who live adjacent to...
Financial literacy is a skill that needs to be developed. In order to successfully navigate life, especially in our modern age, understanding personal finance is as critical as learning how to do laundry or drive a car. So it is extremely detrimental when kids...
In today’s complex legal and tax world, choosing the right professional advisers is crucial. If you have advisers with whom you are comfortable, you are a blessed individual. If not, here are three questions to ask to help you find the right partners. Can I...
Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Some vow to exercise more, practice a new hobby, or find a more fulfilling career. Others make a commitment to achieve financial goals. Whatever resolutions or goals you set for yourself, in many cases, the most difficult part...
Too often, estates are not distributed according to an individual’s desires. Sometimes it is because of the lack of an estate plan, and other times because the estate plan is outdated. This outcome is regrettable and completely avoidable. The start of a new year is...
Planning for retirement can be an overwhelming experience. There are many retirement accounts and investment options to choose from, and not all of them are right for every investor. You’ve heard about 401k accounts, Roth IRAs, and Traditional IRAs. But what makes a...
The pastor was excited about his message. It was Giving Sunday—the designated day of the year when he was challenged to deliver a message about supporting the ministry of the church. Rather than quoting the traditional scriptures regarding tithing, he decided to talk...
In John 3:16, one of the world’s most beloved Bible verses, we read that because God loved the world, He gave us His Son. Not only does this tell us about the price that God chose to pay for our salvation, it also confirms that God reveals Himself to us, in part,...
We all have the best intentions when it comes to our money, but life seems to have other agendas. Without a financial plan, we’re at the mercy of our impulses and whatever circumstances life throws at us. Many people assume that budgets are for people who struggle...
Elvis Presley had one. So did George Washington, Fredrick Douglass, Mother Teresa, Harriet Tubman, Billy Graham, and Billy the Kid. Even Jesus of Nazareth had one. If you live on this earth until your body dies, you will also have one: the shortest day of your life. A...
Without goals, it is hard to save money or stay financially healthy. By setting reasonable goals and tracking your progress, you can develop strong financial habits and give yourself the freedom to dream about what you can accomplish with the resources you have....
When someone starts talking to you about money, you likely have a knee-jerk reaction to wonder about their motives. This is a wise response; false advertising, scams, and predatory business practices are all too common, and it is painful when we or others we know fall...
Avoid These Common Mistakes When Communicating a Church Building Project Every church construction project begins with a church-wide conversation. How you introduce this new initiative matters. A misstep at the beginning can have serious repercussions that reverberate...
Whether you are building a new church, trying to convert a building into the perfect meeting place, or looking to remodel your current location, it is going to require capital. Sometimes churches are so overwhelmed by the funds they need to come with that they drag...
The decision to undertake a significant church construction project can seem intimidating. Whether building a new church or remodeling an existing building into a proper gathering place, there is not a singular program that prepares pastors for the arduous task of...
CityPoint Community Church is a young, innovative church located on the south side of Chicago. Planted in August 2008 with just eight people, the core group of CityPoint united by prayer for the renewal of their community. Demetrius Davis has faithfully led the church...
As a church faithfully lives out its purpose, growth will come. The congregation at Calvary Chapel in Meridian, Idaho understands this will. The church experienced rapid growth in recent years, with weekly attendance nearly doubling from 800 to almost 1,600. During...
What if a church wasn’t just a place to meet but a place where heaven met earth? A space so full of God’s presence that lives were changed the moment they walked through the doors. This is the heart behind Zeal Church—a Spirit-empowered, life-giving community where...
When it comes to creating a budget, many church leaders feel overwhelmed. Not all church leades have extensive training in accounting. While elders and pastors are focused on people and ministry, creating the budget can become an afterhought. Because of its arduous...
When someone asks how you’re doing, how do you typically respond? For many of us, we have a default answer: “I’m so busy!” As true as this reply may be, when “busy” is our default status, it can start to become part of our identity. It’s painful to admit, but we can...