On Take It To The Bank, 00:00:01.36\00:00:02.70 you'll find ways to get out of debt. 00:00:02.73\00:00:05.90 Solve your credit card problems. 00:00:09.64\00:00:12.14 How to make and stick with the budget. 00:00:14.64\00:00:17.08 Simple ways to save... 00:00:19.78\00:00:21.62 buying or selling a home, 00:00:24.85\00:00:26.96 and many more financial matters on Take It To The Bank. 00:00:26.99\00:00:31.76 Hi. My name is Cordell Thomas. 00:00:33.09\00:00:35.66 I'll be your host here on this program called, 00:00:35.70\00:00:38.23 Take It To The Bank. 00:00:38.27\00:00:39.90 As we start, and as an introduction, 00:00:39.93\00:00:42.37 I'd like to talk to you a little bit about 00:00:42.40\00:00:44.24 what my role is here. 00:00:44.27\00:00:45.61 And my role is simple. 00:00:45.64\00:00:46.98 It's to get you to think a little differently 00:00:47.01\00:00:48.71 about money and about wealth, 00:00:48.74\00:00:50.58 to actually get you motivated 00:00:50.61\00:00:52.31 to change some of your bad habits 00:00:52.35\00:00:53.75 in reference to how you handle money. 00:00:53.78\00:00:55.72 And maybe how you can become a better steward of God's money 00:00:55.75\00:01:00.46 and His talents towards you, 00:01:00.49\00:01:02.42 because wealth is not just about money 00:01:02.46\00:01:05.19 and we're going to find out biblically 00:01:05.23\00:01:07.16 as we take an introductory look 00:01:07.20\00:01:08.80 at what financial literacy is all about. 00:01:08.83\00:01:11.23 It's more so about how we manage the funds 00:01:11.27\00:01:14.77 and or the talents that God gives us 00:01:14.80\00:01:17.14 for each one of us to use. 00:01:17.17\00:01:19.44 Before we get started, I have a quote for you. 00:01:19.47\00:01:22.04 "Youth would be an ideal state 00:01:22.08\00:01:26.15 if it came along later in life." 00:01:26.18\00:01:28.55 Herbert Henry. 00:01:28.58\00:01:30.15 I look back on my life 00:01:30.19\00:01:31.52 and if I knew then what I know now, 00:01:31.55\00:01:37.56 my life would be completely different. 00:01:37.59\00:01:39.39 But then again, I had to go through what I went through 00:01:39.43\00:01:42.80 to understand a little bit more about how money actually works. 00:01:42.83\00:01:47.60 The context of money is very serious 00:01:47.64\00:01:50.87 and I think that we all have to take a serious approach 00:01:50.91\00:01:54.01 at how we take care of those talents 00:01:54.04\00:01:56.31 and I'd like to, in this introduction, 00:01:56.34\00:01:58.78 take a look at the biblical perspective 00:01:58.81\00:02:01.02 of how financial literacy works. 00:02:01.05\00:02:03.05 I can give you definition. 00:02:03.08\00:02:05.25 Financial literacy is basically the ability to manage 00:02:05.29\00:02:08.02 and to communicate about finances. 00:02:08.06\00:02:10.16 And taking a step further, 00:02:10.19\00:02:12.13 it's the ability to make wise decisions about 00:02:12.16\00:02:15.03 how you handle that money. 00:02:15.06\00:02:17.30 But what does the Bible actually say about money. 00:02:17.33\00:02:21.70 I'd like you, had to ask you at your convenience, 00:02:21.74\00:02:24.21 if you have your Bible, take it out 00:02:24.24\00:02:25.84 and look with me at, 00:02:25.87\00:02:27.74 first of all, 1 Corinthians 4:2. 00:02:27.78\00:02:32.11 In 1 Corinthians 4:2, the Bible states, 00:02:32.15\00:02:36.05 "Now it is required that those 00:02:36.08\00:02:37.85 who have been given a trust must prove faithful." 00:02:37.89\00:02:41.59 A good steward is someone that is faithful. 00:02:41.62\00:02:46.96 Okay, let's look at another verse. 00:02:47.00\00:02:48.76 First of all, being a steward of God's money means 00:02:48.80\00:02:52.37 that you must be considered faithful. 00:02:52.40\00:02:55.57 If you take a look in Luke verses 12, 13 and 14... 00:02:55.60\00:03:01.88 The Bible talks about the parable of the rich fool. 00:03:05.61\00:03:09.55 Jesus in verse 14 said, 00:03:09.58\00:03:11.89 "Man, who appointed me to be judge 00:03:11.92\00:03:14.09 or an arbiter between you two?" 00:03:14.12\00:03:16.79 Then He said on to them, "Watch out! 00:03:16.83\00:03:19.49 Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, 00:03:19.53\00:03:23.77 a man's life does not consist 00:03:23.80\00:03:25.37 in the abundance of his possessions." 00:03:25.40\00:03:28.00 The abundance of one's possessions, 00:03:28.04\00:03:29.50 well, man's life, a man's life is not about 00:03:29.54\00:03:32.27 what we corral, and we hoard, 00:03:32.31\00:03:35.01 and we buy and put into our homes. 00:03:35.04\00:03:37.58 But it's more so about 00:03:37.61\00:03:38.95 what I think is going on in Matthew 25:14-24. 00:03:38.98\00:03:44.62 And if you realize what that, 00:03:44.65\00:03:45.99 if you remember what that's about, 00:03:46.02\00:03:47.42 it's the story of the talents. 00:03:47.46\00:03:50.53 Turn with me there if you get a chance. 00:03:50.56\00:03:52.56 And it's pretty intriguing. 00:03:52.59\00:03:54.30 First of all, in verse 24, the preceding chapter, 00:03:54.33\00:03:56.53 it talks about signs of the end of the age. 00:03:56.56\00:03:58.50 And it moves forward and talks a little bit about 00:03:58.53\00:04:01.00 the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, 00:04:01.04\00:04:03.51 which is kind of intriguing, 00:04:03.54\00:04:05.01 because if you take a look at the virgins 00:04:05.04\00:04:08.71 and it came to an issue of saving for a rainy day. 00:04:08.74\00:04:12.38 I mean, you talk about the oil that they had 00:04:12.41\00:04:14.72 and about their ability to have the oil at the right time, 00:04:14.75\00:04:18.85 kind of works along 00:04:18.89\00:04:20.42 with that philosophy of saving your money or saving, 00:04:20.46\00:04:24.33 in that case, the oil for a situation 00:04:24.36\00:04:27.20 that came up unexpectedly. 00:04:27.23\00:04:29.06 And then it moves forward into the story of the talents. 00:04:29.10\00:04:32.93 A landowner is leaving. 00:04:32.97\00:04:34.94 And he's coming back again. 00:04:34.97\00:04:36.77 It seems to parallel to the story of Christ. 00:04:36.81\00:04:40.11 He left. 00:04:40.14\00:04:41.48 And He's coming back 00:04:41.51\00:04:42.84 and He's going to hold us accountable 00:04:42.88\00:04:44.21 to how we manage the funds 00:04:44.25\00:04:45.95 and or the talents that we're given. 00:04:45.98\00:04:48.05 Now read into that. 00:04:48.08\00:04:49.52 You have a landowner who's leaving 00:04:49.55\00:04:51.09 and he calls his servants into him 00:04:51.12\00:04:53.09 and he says, "Hey, I'm leaving but I'm going to come back. 00:04:53.12\00:04:55.52 But I'd like you to manage." 00:04:55.56\00:04:57.23 In this case, the talent was called money, 00:04:57.26\00:05:00.30 which tells me something. 00:05:00.33\00:05:02.60 There are more venues of wealth 00:05:02.63\00:05:06.43 than just the venue of money for wealth. 00:05:06.47\00:05:11.94 In this case, he handed his servant 00:05:11.97\00:05:15.54 five talents of money. 00:05:15.58\00:05:18.05 It could be $50,000, if it's in the $5000, 00:05:18.08\00:05:20.65 whatever the case may be, 00:05:20.68\00:05:22.55 the Bible says that he gave the person five talents. 00:05:22.58\00:05:25.82 And you remember, he gave the second servant two talents 00:05:25.85\00:05:29.12 and the third servant he provided one talent. 00:05:29.16\00:05:33.09 Now he gave it to, in context to their ability, 00:05:33.13\00:05:37.00 again in context to their abilities. 00:05:37.03\00:05:38.37 So God looks at each one of us 00:05:38.40\00:05:39.93 and says, you have an ability that I see in you. 00:05:39.97\00:05:42.70 That talent could be the talent of music, 00:05:42.74\00:05:44.91 it could be the talent of teaching, 00:05:44.94\00:05:46.27 it could be the talent of faith, 00:05:46.31\00:05:47.94 it could be so many other different type of talents. 00:05:47.98\00:05:50.78 But in this case, there is a talent called money. 00:05:50.81\00:05:52.88 And He knows that there are several of us that know 00:05:52.91\00:05:56.08 how to build and utilize that talent. 00:05:56.12\00:05:59.05 The first servant, if you continue with the study. 00:05:59.09\00:06:03.39 It says, "After a long time 00:06:03.43\00:06:05.49 the master of those servants return 00:06:05.53\00:06:07.43 and settled accounts with them. 00:06:07.46\00:06:08.80 The man who had received the five talents 00:06:08.83\00:06:10.83 bought the other five and said, 00:06:10.87\00:06:13.84 'Master, you entrusted me with five, 00:06:13.87\00:06:16.30 so I've gained five more." 00:06:16.34\00:06:17.84 He put his money to work. 00:06:17.87\00:06:20.31 And when you consider the fact that 00:06:20.34\00:06:23.24 he had five talents and double the five talents, 00:06:23.28\00:06:25.81 and then you consider what happened to the individual 00:06:25.85\00:06:27.78 with just one talent, 00:06:27.82\00:06:29.45 you understand that 00:06:29.48\00:06:31.29 the one that buried his talent was told by the master. 00:06:31.32\00:06:35.42 "Why didn't you do anything more? 00:06:35.46\00:06:37.19 At least you could have taken the money 00:06:37.23\00:06:39.23 and you could have put it in a bank 00:06:39.26\00:06:40.63 where it could have gained simple interest." 00:06:40.66\00:06:44.07 This case it tells me that the gentleman 00:06:44.10\00:06:47.00 understood how to make money work for him. 00:06:47.04\00:06:51.24 It could be that he bought some equipment, 00:06:51.27\00:06:54.31 he bought some assets, 00:06:54.34\00:06:55.68 he developed a type of talent to teach 00:06:55.71\00:07:00.15 or he used the money to do something. 00:07:00.18\00:07:02.08 And in the end he was able to return on that investment, 00:07:02.12\00:07:05.62 a double, doubling the amount of money 00:07:05.65\00:07:07.46 he was given. 00:07:07.49\00:07:08.82 The same with two. He doubled the money. 00:07:08.86\00:07:11.29 The one that buried it, 00:07:11.33\00:07:12.66 it's like stashing your cash in your mattress, 00:07:12.69\00:07:14.40 because the money that you have is not really working for you. 00:07:14.43\00:07:19.00 And so he says to the one that one was entrusted one, 00:07:19.03\00:07:24.44 he said now, 00:07:24.47\00:07:25.97 "Then the man who had received the one talent came, 00:07:26.01\00:07:29.38 'Master he said, 00:07:29.41\00:07:30.75 I knew that you are a hard man harvesting here 00:07:30.78\00:07:32.58 and you have not sown and gather it, 00:07:32.61\00:07:35.75 where you have not scattered seed 00:07:35.78\00:07:37.59 so I was afraid that if I went out 00:07:37.62\00:07:40.06 and hid your talent in the ground." 00:07:40.09\00:07:41.42 See, I hid it and I was secure in knowing 00:07:41.46\00:07:45.26 that it would stay there. 00:07:45.29\00:07:46.63 He did not make that money work for him. 00:07:46.66\00:07:49.23 So what am I actually saying here? 00:07:49.26\00:07:51.33 In this case, it was in a different approach 00:07:51.37\00:07:52.97 that we should all have to what money is all about. 00:07:53.00\00:07:56.60 Because what I'm going to say to you 00:07:56.64\00:07:57.97 is something that has intrigued me for a while. 00:07:58.01\00:07:59.87 In James 2:5-9, 00:07:59.91\00:08:05.88 it tells a story of... 00:08:05.91\00:08:07.98 how we as individuals should take a look 00:08:10.59\00:08:15.12 at what wealth actually means. 00:08:15.16\00:08:18.13 When you're a wealthy individual, 00:08:18.16\00:08:19.83 and as I find the verse, 00:08:19.86\00:08:22.23 James 2:5-9, 00:08:22.26\00:08:25.27 it says, "My brothers, 00:08:25.30\00:08:29.00 and we'll start at the beginning of the chapter. 00:08:29.04\00:08:31.91 It says favoritism should be forbidden." 00:08:31.94\00:08:34.54 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, 00:08:34.58\00:08:37.45 don't show favoritism. 00:08:37.48\00:08:40.22 Suppose a man comes into your meeting 00:08:40.25\00:08:42.62 wearing a gold ring and fine clothing 00:08:42.65\00:08:44.85 and a poor man in shabby clothes 00:08:44.89\00:08:46.72 also comes in. 00:08:46.76\00:08:48.49 If you show special attention 00:08:48.52\00:08:50.43 to the man wearing fine clothes, 00:08:50.46\00:08:52.46 and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' 00:08:52.49\00:08:54.40 but say to the poor man, 'You stand over here,' 00:08:54.43\00:08:57.63 or 'Sit on the floor at my feet,' 00:08:57.67\00:08:59.20 have you not discriminated against among yourselves 00:08:59.23\00:09:03.10 and become judges with evil thoughts? 00:09:03.14\00:09:06.54 Listen, my dear brothers, has not God chosen 00:09:06.57\00:09:10.28 those who are poor in the eyes of the world 00:09:10.31\00:09:15.55 to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom 00:09:15.58\00:09:19.79 He has promised those who love him. 00:09:19.82\00:09:22.19 But you have insulted the poor. 00:09:22.22\00:09:25.09 Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? 00:09:25.13\00:09:27.50 Are you not the ones who are dragging others into court? 00:09:27.53\00:09:30.83 Are they not the ones 00:09:30.87\00:09:32.23 who are slandering the noble name of Him 00:09:32.27\00:09:34.74 who you belong? 00:09:34.77\00:09:36.44 If you really keep the royal law 00:09:36.47\00:09:38.17 found in the Scriptures, 00:09:38.21\00:09:39.67 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' 00:09:39.71\00:09:43.31 you're doing right. 00:09:43.35\00:09:44.68 But if you show favoritism, 00:09:44.71\00:09:46.05 you sin and are convicted by the law as law breakers." 00:09:46.08\00:09:50.65 This is heavy information. 00:09:50.69\00:09:53.56 Most individuals see wealth and wealthy individuals 00:09:53.59\00:09:57.76 and treat them in a different way 00:09:57.79\00:09:59.19 than they treat individuals who are considered poor. 00:09:59.23\00:10:02.00 Remember the Bible verse talked about the faith. 00:10:02.03\00:10:05.70 Faith is a wealth. It's a form of wealth. 00:10:05.73\00:10:09.04 And those who are poor are wealthy in faith. 00:10:09.07\00:10:12.27 Those who are poor could be wealthy in other talents. 00:10:12.31\00:10:15.24 It's not necessarily the talent of money 00:10:15.28\00:10:17.65 that should cause you as an individual, 00:10:17.68\00:10:19.31 if you have a lot of it, to treat others differently. 00:10:19.35\00:10:21.82 In fact, your responsibility grows all the more. 00:10:21.85\00:10:25.69 You should be far more humble. 00:10:25.72\00:10:27.72 And you should be far more appreciative 00:10:27.76\00:10:31.09 of what those who may not have 00:10:31.13\00:10:33.36 the monetary advantages that you have, 00:10:33.40\00:10:36.53 they still have to go through in practicing their talents 00:10:36.56\00:10:40.50 that could include and incorporate faith. 00:10:40.54\00:10:43.77 So my request to use as we go through these, 00:10:43.81\00:10:48.98 these programs on financial literacy. 00:10:49.01\00:10:52.98 I ask you to think differently about wealth 00:10:53.01\00:10:56.52 and begin the process of thinking 00:10:56.55\00:10:59.19 that we all as individuals are wealthy 00:10:59.22\00:11:03.16 because God has given each one of us talents 00:11:03.19\00:11:06.73 according to our own abilities. 00:11:06.76\00:11:08.76 And the fact that you have money 00:11:08.80\00:11:10.37 and someone may not have money 00:11:10.40\00:11:11.83 doesn't mean that they should be treated any differently. 00:11:11.87\00:11:17.27 So consider that as we talk about financial literacy 00:11:17.31\00:11:20.18 and continue to consider the issues that are involved 00:11:20.21\00:11:24.21 with how we manage our money. 00:11:24.25\00:11:26.25 With that said, I'm going to begin the process 00:11:26.28\00:11:28.88 of dialoguing with you about the basics. 00:11:28.92\00:11:32.15 One of the things we're going to talk about, 00:11:32.19\00:11:33.66 and there are four basic areas, 00:11:33.69\00:11:35.02 we're going to talk about debt. 00:11:35.06\00:11:36.66 We're going to talk about cash flow. 00:11:36.69\00:11:38.66 We will talk about the issue of budgeting 00:11:38.69\00:11:41.46 which is critical to understanding 00:11:41.50\00:11:43.73 how you can manage your money well. 00:11:43.77\00:11:45.43 And the fourth area we'll discuss will be credit. 00:11:45.47\00:11:48.60 There are many different issues 00:11:48.64\00:11:50.27 that are going on right now in reference to credit, 00:11:50.31\00:11:53.61 ID theft, fraud and many other issues 00:11:53.64\00:11:56.88 that are associated with it. 00:11:56.91\00:11:58.25 So let's start out with the simple issue of a budget. 00:11:58.28\00:12:01.12 The reason we talk about budgeting 00:12:01.15\00:12:03.39 as a key form of understanding where you are, 00:12:03.42\00:12:06.96 it also provides you 00:12:06.99\00:12:08.42 the understanding of where you can be 00:12:08.46\00:12:11.49 and where you would like to be. 00:12:11.53\00:12:13.90 It gives you planning, the opportunities of planning. 00:12:13.93\00:12:16.97 But from a simple perspective, 00:12:17.00\00:12:18.40 I'll take a step back and make this statement. 00:12:18.43\00:12:23.91 If you know where your money comes from 00:12:26.71\00:12:33.55 and you know where your money goes, 00:12:33.58\00:12:37.49 you are in pretty good shape. 00:12:37.52\00:12:38.95 A lot of people don't know. 00:12:38.99\00:12:41.06 I remember when I was in college, 00:12:41.09\00:12:42.56 you know, it was my checking account 00:12:42.59\00:12:44.36 was basically up here in my head. 00:12:44.39\00:12:45.93 I pretty much wrote checks 00:12:45.96\00:12:47.63 and say, "I think I got the $25 in the account. 00:12:47.66\00:12:50.07 That should be no problem." And wrote the check. 00:12:50.10\00:12:52.10 That was my managerial perspective 00:12:52.13\00:12:54.67 of my holding on to my checking account and managing it. 00:12:54.70\00:12:59.57 The first time though that I bounced a check 00:12:59.61\00:13:01.74 would change my all, my perspective all together. 00:13:01.78\00:13:04.08 And I knew at that point in time 00:13:04.11\00:13:05.98 that I had to take a different approach 00:13:06.01\00:13:08.58 to managing what it was 00:13:08.62\00:13:10.09 if I wanted to get to a different place. 00:13:10.12\00:13:12.72 Now a budget basically says 00:13:12.75\00:13:15.09 that I know where my revenue comes from. 00:13:15.12\00:13:18.06 I know where my expenses are paid. 00:13:18.09\00:13:20.86 If you are spending the same amount 00:13:20.90\00:13:23.87 that you are bringing in, 00:13:23.90\00:13:25.50 you're in a very dangerous position. 00:13:25.53\00:13:27.47 And I ask you to take a look very seriously 00:13:27.50\00:13:29.74 how much money you're spending 00:13:29.77\00:13:31.37 and try to increase the margin between revenue and expenses. 00:13:31.41\00:13:37.48 It's that area between revenue and expenses 00:13:37.51\00:13:39.61 that you have the option 00:13:39.65\00:13:41.12 of putting more money into savings. 00:13:41.15\00:13:43.65 You have the option of investing some of that money, 00:13:43.69\00:13:47.29 and you have the opportunity of acquiring assets. 00:13:47.32\00:13:50.09 And that's where I believe 00:13:50.13\00:13:51.63 this issue of financial literacy comes to play, 00:13:51.66\00:13:54.90 because it's not about, 00:13:54.93\00:13:56.43 remember the Bible verse that says, 00:13:56.46\00:13:58.63 it's not about the amount of possessions that you carry, 00:13:58.67\00:14:03.71 it's how you use the talents that God has given to you. 00:14:03.74\00:14:08.04 So it's essential that you save, you invest, 00:14:08.08\00:14:11.78 you have an emergency fund, 00:14:11.81\00:14:13.38 but you also have another bond of money 00:14:13.42\00:14:15.42 that you can actually use to give to charities, 00:14:15.45\00:14:20.69 to give to these organizations 00:14:20.72\00:14:22.96 such as 3ABN and support the ministry. 00:14:22.99\00:14:25.86 Because the overall objective 00:14:25.89\00:14:28.93 about the parable is to tell you 00:14:28.96\00:14:30.93 that Jesus is coming again soon. 00:14:30.97\00:14:33.80 And He's gonna hold you accountable 00:14:33.84\00:14:35.50 to how you dealt with the talents 00:14:35.54\00:14:37.17 that He gave to you. 00:14:37.21\00:14:39.57 And so it's essential that we begin to think about 00:14:39.61\00:14:42.41 how we spend our money based on the revenue 00:14:42.44\00:14:45.41 and through the talents that God has given us. 00:14:45.45\00:14:47.92 And it's that amount of money that we can use to save, 00:14:47.95\00:14:51.02 set up an emergency fund, 00:14:51.05\00:14:52.49 understand and study how banks work, 00:14:52.52\00:14:54.76 to talk about it on a high level, 00:14:54.79\00:14:57.39 and then at the same time, 00:14:57.43\00:14:58.76 have that additional fund that you can give. 00:14:58.79\00:15:00.80 I have a story that's kind of interesting. 00:15:00.83\00:15:03.43 When I worked at another organization 00:15:03.47\00:15:05.97 and it dealt with the donations of outside contributors. 00:15:06.00\00:15:10.74 I remember a conversation I had about one of the donors 00:15:10.77\00:15:13.24 and it was interesting to see 00:15:13.27\00:15:14.71 how she dealt with the funds that she had or didn't have. 00:15:14.74\00:15:19.18 She was retired. 00:15:19.21\00:15:20.55 She was dealing on a fixed income 00:15:20.58\00:15:22.25 and the question came up about-- 00:15:22.28\00:15:24.22 "But if you're on a fixed income 00:15:24.25\00:15:26.02 and you have increased costs during the winter time, 00:15:26.05\00:15:29.06 how do you maintain a steady giving 00:15:29.09\00:15:32.16 every single month of every year? 00:15:32.19\00:15:33.70 We can count on your giving. 00:15:33.73\00:15:36.03 How is it that you dealt with that?" 00:15:36.06\00:15:37.70 And she said, "You know, during the winter times, 00:15:37.73\00:15:40.50 I know it gets difficult for all of us 00:15:40.54\00:15:42.34 and especially those who are on a fixed income. 00:15:42.37\00:15:44.04 But God has given me the wisdom to know that I can. 00:15:44.07\00:15:47.98 When the heating bills come in, 00:15:48.01\00:15:49.51 I can shut down different portions of my home. 00:15:49.54\00:15:52.51 And only heat the areas in my home that are necessary 00:15:52.55\00:15:55.68 and I can use the savings from those expenses 00:15:55.72\00:15:59.79 and I can continue to give my $25 a month." 00:15:59.82\00:16:03.12 Twenty five dollars a month doesn't seem like much, 00:16:03.16\00:16:05.79 but it is in the eyes of God because it's her giving, 00:16:05.83\00:16:09.40 it's helping sustain many of our non-profit organizations. 00:16:09.43\00:16:12.97 And then you begin to understand 00:16:13.00\00:16:14.34 what God meant when He talked about the widow's mite. 00:16:14.37\00:16:19.11 The lady gave as much as she possibly could, 00:16:19.14\00:16:23.45 which looked very little 00:16:23.48\00:16:25.11 in the side of the wealthy people looking on. 00:16:25.15\00:16:27.92 But Jesus said something that's powerful. 00:16:27.95\00:16:30.82 She gave far more than those wealthy people did 00:16:30.85\00:16:35.79 because she gave all that she could. 00:16:35.82\00:16:39.56 And that's a context of where we want to go 00:16:39.59\00:16:42.70 with this understanding of financial literacy. 00:16:42.73\00:16:44.33 I don't want you to start thinking 00:16:44.37\00:16:46.10 about the context of wealth and riches and travel 00:16:46.13\00:16:49.90 and new cars and new things to acquire 00:16:49.94\00:16:52.51 because possessions is not it. 00:16:52.54\00:16:55.54 The context is, understanding that 00:16:55.58\00:16:58.78 God has given you a talent. 00:16:58.81\00:17:02.08 That talent has to be used for Him 00:17:02.12\00:17:04.85 and if you use it for Him, 00:17:04.89\00:17:06.45 it will draw other people onto Him 00:17:06.49\00:17:08.89 and help us close out this history in this world 00:17:08.92\00:17:12.63 and take us to be with Him. 00:17:12.66\00:17:14.86 So I'm gonna move forward 00:17:14.90\00:17:16.23 and talk a little bit more 00:17:16.26\00:17:17.60 about the context of financial literacy 00:17:17.63\00:17:20.07 and with doing that, 00:17:20.10\00:17:21.60 I would like to bring on a resource of mine, 00:17:21.64\00:17:24.81 Mr. Rodney Watson. 00:17:24.84\00:17:26.37 He's a fantastic individual that I talk to all the time. 00:17:26.41\00:17:29.51 He has these games that we play 00:17:29.54\00:17:31.88 and things that we do that reference money 00:17:31.91\00:17:35.15 and management, cash flow, that type of thing. 00:17:35.18\00:17:37.95 And I asked him a question the other day 00:17:37.99\00:17:39.55 and that question was, 00:17:39.59\00:17:41.32 "How does cash flow management fit into financial literacy?" 00:17:41.36\00:17:45.93 Rodney, can you give us the answer please? 00:17:45.96\00:17:48.36 Whenever you think of cash flow management 00:17:51.37\00:17:53.47 and financial literacy, they both go hand in hand. 00:17:53.50\00:17:56.27 The reason is, whenever you need to manage something, 00:17:56.30\00:17:59.31 you have to know about it to be able to manage it. 00:17:59.34\00:18:02.44 So to know about money, 00:18:02.48\00:18:04.11 you have to learn how money flows 00:18:04.15\00:18:06.45 and money flows just like air flows, 00:18:06.48\00:18:09.12 just like water flows or just like anything else. 00:18:09.15\00:18:11.95 So whenever money comes to you, 00:18:11.99\00:18:14.56 it's gonna flow through you and to someone else. 00:18:14.59\00:18:18.29 Hopefully it doesn't flow to all your creditors. 00:18:18.33\00:18:20.93 Hopefully it does flow to some assets. 00:18:20.96\00:18:23.37 Rich people, what they do is, 00:18:23.40\00:18:25.03 they take money, it flows to them 00:18:25.07\00:18:27.07 and they keep a portion of it first. 00:18:27.10\00:18:29.67 And they keep a portion of that first, and they save it 00:18:29.70\00:18:32.27 and that money goes to buy assets, assets only. 00:18:32.31\00:18:35.81 Then after that, they take the rest of the money 00:18:35.84\00:18:38.11 and they use it for savings 00:18:38.15\00:18:39.85 and they also use it to live on. 00:18:39.88\00:18:41.98 So whenever you're thinking about 00:18:42.02\00:18:43.35 financial literacy and cash management, 00:18:43.39\00:18:45.55 manage your cash, 00:18:45.59\00:18:47.06 so your cash will end up managing you. 00:18:47.09\00:18:49.66 Thank you, Rodney. 00:18:49.69\00:18:51.03 Thank you very much. You know. 00:18:51.06\00:18:52.76 Those that are able to live within their means 00:18:52.79\00:18:54.73 and plan for their future, 00:18:54.76\00:18:56.10 have an idea of how they manage their own budgets, 00:18:56.13\00:18:59.17 their own personal budgets 00:18:59.20\00:19:00.54 and each budget that we have is gonna be different, 00:19:00.57\00:19:02.67 it's gonna be separate. 00:19:02.70\00:19:04.04 Each one of us are unique individuals 00:19:04.07\00:19:06.01 with different circumstances. 00:19:06.04\00:19:07.48 So I ask you to take a look and begin the process today. 00:19:07.51\00:19:10.98 Because the next time we talk, 00:19:11.01\00:19:12.68 I would like for you to have written down your expenses. 00:19:12.71\00:19:15.62 Look where the money goes. 00:19:15.65\00:19:16.99 Write down everything you spend. 00:19:17.02\00:19:18.35 Write down the cash purchases that you make and as well, 00:19:18.39\00:19:22.46 write down the areas 00:19:22.49\00:19:24.23 where you think you have talents, 00:19:24.26\00:19:25.79 where you can generate revenue. 00:19:25.83\00:19:27.66 Take a look at your expenses, take a look at your income 00:19:27.70\00:19:31.03 and begin the process of understanding, 00:19:31.07\00:19:33.23 if you can develop more of a margin 00:19:33.27\00:19:35.77 between your revenues and expenses, 00:19:35.80\00:19:38.01 ensuring that you're making more than you are sending out. 00:19:38.04\00:19:42.21 Now one of the things 00:19:42.24\00:19:44.25 that's very important about cash flow is that 00:19:44.28\00:19:48.25 you have funds set away for emergencies. 00:19:48.28\00:19:52.05 I have seen circumstance 00:19:52.09\00:19:53.59 where individuals have been wiped out 00:19:53.62\00:19:56.22 based on a medical emergency 00:19:56.26\00:19:58.83 because we haven't spent the money 00:19:58.86\00:20:00.53 or budgeted enough to have 00:20:00.56\00:20:02.20 maybe health insurance on tap 00:20:02.23\00:20:04.13 or if in fact, we had a lot of money saved, 00:20:04.17\00:20:07.60 we find that there are emergencies 00:20:07.64\00:20:09.30 that can arise on our daily basis 00:20:09.34\00:20:12.11 and on monthly or whatever the case may be 00:20:12.14\00:20:14.18 to each individual life. 00:20:14.21\00:20:16.01 Many times we think it will never affect us. 00:20:16.04\00:20:18.51 But it does at some point in time, 00:20:18.55\00:20:21.02 it comes in and impacts our lives. 00:20:21.05\00:20:23.39 For example, the last, 00:20:23.42\00:20:26.35 I bought a house like back in 2004. 00:20:26.39\00:20:28.56 The house right now is only seven years old 00:20:28.59\00:20:30.33 and you hearing a little bit of irritability 00:20:30.36\00:20:31.93 on this side of things. 00:20:31.96\00:20:33.63 Because the water heater went out after seven years 00:20:33.66\00:20:36.77 and of course, you know 00:20:36.80\00:20:38.13 when your water heater goes out, 00:20:38.17\00:20:39.50 you go to shop for another water heater, right? 00:20:39.53\00:20:41.77 And you run into people who are, you got it, 00:20:41.80\00:20:44.94 shopping for water heaters. 00:20:44.97\00:20:46.64 And you happen to run into a person that said, 00:20:46.68\00:20:48.21 this young lady was telling me, "Yes, I am so upset. 00:20:48.24\00:20:52.35 My water heater broke down after 22 years." 00:20:52.38\00:20:56.58 Mine broke down after seven years. 00:20:56.62\00:20:58.42 And that's couple of things you have to look at 00:20:58.45\00:20:59.85 because you never know when that emergency will arise. 00:20:59.89\00:21:02.96 So for me, I had to make a $600 acquisition 00:21:02.99\00:21:05.59 to go and put a new water heater into my home. 00:21:05.63\00:21:08.63 Fortunately, I had a brother-in-law that came by 00:21:08.66\00:21:11.47 and was able to help me put all of that equipment in 00:21:11.50\00:21:14.14 and get me back to square zero with hot water in my home. 00:21:14.17\00:21:17.87 Now it's interesting as we take a look at financial literacy. 00:21:17.91\00:21:21.91 The context is really 00:21:21.94\00:21:23.61 that we plan for those type of emergencies. 00:21:23.65\00:21:27.22 You'll never know when the job loss might happen. 00:21:27.25\00:21:29.92 You'll never know 00:21:29.95\00:21:31.29 when any critical issue might happen at home. 00:21:31.32\00:21:33.49 And one of the major issues that people don't think about 00:21:33.52\00:21:35.76 is the context of health 00:21:35.79\00:21:37.86 and how that can wipe out 00:21:37.89\00:21:39.39 people's savings very, very quickly. 00:21:39.43\00:21:42.86 I believe that people have been told in the past 00:21:42.90\00:21:46.47 that they should have a six month, 00:21:46.50\00:21:48.77 six months worth of savings 00:21:48.80\00:21:50.41 available in case of any type of emergencies. 00:21:50.44\00:21:53.74 Job loss now, 00:21:53.78\00:21:55.41 it may take people upwards of 24 to 28 months 00:21:55.44\00:21:57.91 to find a new job. 00:21:57.95\00:21:59.48 How do you plan for that? 00:21:59.51\00:22:00.85 What is the context of the planning 00:22:00.88\00:22:04.59 in savings to help alleviate a lot of those concerns? 00:22:04.62\00:22:08.02 We know that some employers 00:22:08.06\00:22:09.39 don't pay into unemployment insurance. 00:22:09.42\00:22:11.39 And people are left out there without that income 00:22:11.43\00:22:14.46 to support the needs that they have 00:22:14.50\00:22:16.70 and support the context of their budgets. 00:22:16.73\00:22:21.20 One of the things that might help is, 00:22:21.24\00:22:22.90 if we weren't necessarily getting in too much debt, 00:22:22.94\00:22:25.57 if we didn't have credit card debt, 00:22:25.61\00:22:26.94 and we didn't have a lot of those type of debts 00:22:26.98\00:22:28.64 that people typically recommend to help build credit histories. 00:22:28.68\00:22:33.48 There's a 20-10 rule that's out there. 00:22:33.52\00:22:35.22 It basically says that you, your budget should not exceed 00:22:35.25\00:22:39.52 or your credit or indebtedness 00:22:39.55\00:22:42.39 should not exceed 20 percent of your yearly annual income, 00:22:42.42\00:22:47.33 your net income for the year. 00:22:47.36\00:22:48.93 And that your monthly expenditures 00:22:48.96\00:22:51.73 on repayment of that debt 00:22:51.77\00:22:53.10 should not exceed 10 percent of your monthly net income. 00:22:53.13\00:22:56.27 That's a 20-10 rule. 00:22:56.30\00:22:58.27 I don't believe that anyone should have any type of debt. 00:22:58.31\00:23:01.61 If you cannot afford it by paying cash, 00:23:01.64\00:23:05.81 why are you gonna put it on a credit card 00:23:05.85\00:23:07.68 and pay that additional expense 00:23:07.72\00:23:09.72 of paying off with the interest that you typically incur? 00:23:09.75\00:23:13.86 If you're not able to pay the full amount 00:23:13.89\00:23:17.23 to get what you need, just leave it alone. 00:23:17.26\00:23:19.59 And so it goes back 00:23:19.63\00:23:20.96 to preparing for those emergencies. 00:23:21.00\00:23:22.33 If you don't have a high overhead 00:23:22.36\00:23:23.93 in reference to expenses, 00:23:23.97\00:23:25.97 then you shouldn't have as much to worry about 00:23:26.00\00:23:29.54 if you go through a specific job loss 00:23:29.57\00:23:31.54 because your expenses are minimized. 00:23:31.57\00:23:35.78 Look, we're coming to the end of our first program, 00:23:35.81\00:23:38.78 but I really want to emphasize this in an end 00:23:38.81\00:23:41.85 as an introduction 00:23:41.88\00:23:43.39 that understanding where you're at now 00:23:43.42\00:23:46.76 is the best thing to understand where you can go from now. 00:23:46.79\00:23:50.39 And my intent in this case 00:23:50.43\00:23:52.69 is to help you to think more so about money 00:23:52.73\00:23:55.20 and about how you save 00:23:55.23\00:23:57.73 and how you plan for future events. 00:23:57.77\00:24:00.80 That's the key. 00:24:00.84\00:24:02.27 And that's what we want to accomplish today. 00:24:02.30\00:24:04.87 But more so, this introduction was to talk about James 2:5-9. 00:24:04.91\00:24:11.78 James 2:5-9. 00:24:11.81\00:24:13.95 The key is to understand 00:24:13.98\00:24:17.45 that wealth comes in many different forms. 00:24:17.49\00:24:21.22 And people have different talents 00:24:21.26\00:24:23.46 that Christ has given them. 00:24:23.49\00:24:25.73 When you take a look at your own personal situation, 00:24:25.76\00:24:29.80 it doesn't matter if you make $24,000 a year 00:24:29.83\00:24:33.30 or two and a half million dollars year, 00:24:33.34\00:24:35.40 if you are able to save ten 00:24:35.44\00:24:38.34 or you know, 10 percent or 15 or even 50 percent 00:24:38.37\00:24:41.78 of what you make on the yearly basis, 00:24:41.81\00:24:43.31 you're far better than a millionaire 00:24:43.35\00:24:45.45 that spends the million dollars each year. 00:24:45.48\00:24:47.65 We see time and time again, 00:24:47.68\00:24:49.65 million dollar homes going up foreclosure, 00:24:49.68\00:24:51.85 we hear of millionaires 00:24:51.89\00:24:53.22 and we shouldn't really call them millionaires 00:24:53.25\00:24:54.89 but they are people who make a million dollars a year 00:24:54.92\00:24:57.46 or spending a million dollars a year, 00:24:57.49\00:24:59.43 and those individuals who get unemployed, 00:24:59.46\00:25:01.83 are actually tapping into unemployment insurance now 00:25:01.86\00:25:04.60 and finding that many of our people are doing that. 00:25:04.63\00:25:07.04 So this crisis of money can be alleviated 00:25:07.07\00:25:10.97 by addressing a few simple issues. 00:25:11.01\00:25:15.31 In closing for today, 00:25:15.34\00:25:17.71 we understand that financial literacy is a key. 00:25:17.75\00:25:19.71 Understanding how money works can be very valuable 00:25:19.75\00:25:22.98 and maintaining a budget is beneficial not only short term, 00:25:23.02\00:25:26.62 but it will sustain you on a long term basis. 00:25:26.65\00:25:30.19 As we do go through this closing, 00:25:30.23\00:25:31.56 I'd like to give you two different questions 00:25:31.59\00:25:34.86 that I'd like you to think over as we go to the next program. 00:25:34.90\00:25:38.60 Those questions include, 00:25:38.63\00:25:40.50 one, who insures your stocks in the stock market? 00:25:40.54\00:25:45.07 Is it A, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation? 00:25:45.11\00:25:48.58 Is it B, The Securities and Exchange Commission? 00:25:48.61\00:25:51.01 Is it C, The U.S. Department of Treasure? 00:25:51.05\00:25:53.62 Or is it D, No one? 00:25:53.65\00:25:57.65 The other question I would like you to answer for me is also, 00:25:57.69\00:26:02.82 and think about is, 00:26:02.86\00:26:06.16 Federal law gives you three days 00:26:06.19\00:26:08.80 to cancel the purchase of a new or used car 00:26:08.83\00:26:11.27 from the dealer. 00:26:11.30\00:26:12.63 Is that true? Is that false? 00:26:12.67\00:26:16.07 As we look at financial literacy, 00:26:19.21\00:26:21.78 I want us to take a whole different approach 00:26:21.81\00:26:23.71 in understanding that wealth is a wonderful thing 00:26:23.75\00:26:27.88 and wealth takes different forms. 00:26:27.92\00:26:30.12 The fact that we may be monetarily wealthy 00:26:30.15\00:26:32.72 doesn't mean we treat anyone any differently, 00:26:32.75\00:26:35.36 because that other person 00:26:35.39\00:26:36.73 could be wealthy from the standpoint of faith, 00:26:36.76\00:26:39.76 could be wealthy from the standpoint of ministry, 00:26:39.79\00:26:42.26 from be wealthy from the standpoint of leadership. 00:26:42.30\00:26:44.80 Let's get rid of those situations 00:26:44.83\00:26:48.77 where we can treat people in different ways 00:26:48.80\00:26:51.51 because of who we think we are. 00:26:51.54\00:26:52.87 Let's not use favoritism. 00:26:52.91\00:26:55.74 Let's begin the process of thinking more so 00:26:55.78\00:26:58.41 about wealth from the standpoint 00:26:58.45\00:27:00.12 of being obligated to God 00:27:00.15\00:27:03.42 for what He's given us in the form of talents. 00:27:03.45\00:27:06.52 And to manage our money in a way 00:27:06.55\00:27:09.89 that provides a benefit to others. 00:27:09.92\00:27:13.83 Specifically, enlightening others about 00:27:13.86\00:27:16.97 Christ's soon return. 00:27:17.00\00:27:19.60 And I will constantly lead you 00:27:19.63\00:27:21.20 back to that parable of the talent, 00:27:21.24\00:27:26.24 because I think it resonates 00:27:26.27\00:27:28.21 with how we as individuals should make the money work. 00:27:28.24\00:27:33.42 And if we are able to make money work, 00:27:33.45\00:27:37.42 we are able to give money to the resources 00:27:37.45\00:27:41.69 that can get the gospel to others around the world. 00:27:41.72\00:27:46.43 Thank you for participating in this program. 00:27:46.46\00:27:48.60 Thank you for being a part. 00:27:48.63\00:27:50.10 And as we... 00:27:50.13\00:27:53.00 as we talk more about financial literacy issues, 00:27:53.03\00:27:55.97 please remember, 00:27:56.00\00:27:57.34 let's Take It To The Bank and save. 00:27:57.37\00:27:59.77