On Take It To The Bank, 00:00:01.33\00:00:02.66 you'll find ways to get out of debt. 00:00:02.70\00:00:05.83 Solve your credit card problems. 00:00:09.57\00:00:12.07 How to make and stick with the budget. 00:00:14.58\00:00:17.01 Simple ways to save... 00:00:19.71\00:00:21.55 buying or selling a home, 00:00:24.79\00:00:26.92 and many more financial matters on Take It To The Bank. 00:00:26.96\00:00:31.69 Hi. My name is Cordell Thomas. 00:00:33.03\00:00:35.56 I'll be your host here on this program called, 00:00:35.60\00:00:38.13 Take It To The Bank. 00:00:38.17\00:00:39.80 As we start, and as an introduction, 00:00:39.83\00:00:42.27 I'd like to talk to you a little bit about 00:00:42.30\00:00:44.14 what my role is here. 00:00:44.17\00:00:45.51 And my role is simple. 00:00:45.54\00:00:46.91 It's to get you to think a little differently 00:00:46.94\00:00:48.61 about money and about wealth, 00:00:48.64\00:00:50.48 to actually get you motivated 00:00:50.51\00:00:52.21 to change some of your bad habits 00:00:52.25\00:00:53.65 in reference to how you handle money. 00:00:53.68\00:00:55.62 And maybe how you can become a better steward of God's money 00:00:55.65\00:01:00.46 and His talents towards you, 00:01:00.49\00:01:02.39 because wealth is not just about money 00:01:02.42\00:01:05.16 and we're going to find out biblically 00:01:05.19\00:01:07.13 as we take an introductory look 00:01:07.20\00:01:08.73 at what financial literacy is all about. 00:01:08.76\00:01:11.17 It's more so about how we manage the funds 00:01:11.20\00:01:14.70 and or the talents that God gives us 00:01:14.74\00:01:17.07 for each one of us to use. 00:01:17.11\00:01:19.37 Before we get started, I have a quote for you. 00:01:19.41\00:01:21.98 "Youth would be an ideal state 00:01:22.01\00:01:26.08 if it came along later in life." 00:01:26.11\00:01:28.48 Herbert Henry. 00:01:28.52\00:01:30.09 I look back on my life 00:01:30.15\00:01:31.49 and if I knew then what I know now, 00:01:31.52\00:01:37.49 my life would be completely different. 00:01:37.53\00:01:39.33 But then again, I had to go through what I went through 00:01:39.36\00:01:42.70 to understand a little bit more about how money actually works. 00:01:42.73\00:01:47.50 The context of money is very serious 00:01:47.57\00:01:50.77 and I think that we all have to take a serious approach 00:01:50.84\00:01:53.91 at how we take care of those talents 00:01:53.94\00:01:56.21 and I'd like to, in this introduction, 00:01:56.24\00:01:58.68 take a look at the biblical perspective 00:01:58.71\00:02:00.98 of how financial literacy works. 00:02:01.02\00:02:03.02 I can give you definition. 00:02:03.05\00:02:05.22 Financial literacy is basically the ability to manage 00:02:05.25\00:02:07.99 and to communicate about finances. 00:02:08.02\00:02:10.13 And taking a step further, 00:02:10.16\00:02:12.09 it's the ability to make wise decisions about 00:02:12.13\00:02:14.96 how you handle that money. 00:02:15.00\00:02:17.23 But what does the Bible actually say about money. 00:02:17.27\00:02:21.64 I'd like you, had to ask you at your convenience, 00:02:21.67\00:02:24.17 if you have your Bible, take it out 00:02:24.21\00:02:25.77 and look with me at, 00:02:25.81\00:02:27.68 first of all, 1 Corinthians 4:2. 00:02:27.71\00:02:32.05 In 1 Corinthians 4:2, the Bible states, 00:02:32.08\00:02:35.98 "Now it is required that those 00:02:36.02\00:02:37.79 who have been given a trust must prove faithful." 00:02:37.82\00:02:41.52 A good steward is someone that is faithful. 00:02:41.56\00:02:46.90 Okay, let's look at another verse. 00:02:46.96\00:02:48.66 First of all, being a steward of God's money means 00:02:48.70\00:02:52.27 that you must be considered faithful. 00:02:52.30\00:02:55.47 If you take a look in Luke verses 12, 13 and 14... 00:02:55.50\00:03:01.84 The Bible talks about the parable of the rich fool. 00:03:05.58\00:03:09.52 Jesus in verse 14 said, 00:03:09.55\00:03:11.85 "Man, who appointed me to be judge 00:03:11.89\00:03:14.06 or an arbiter between you two?" 00:03:14.09\00:03:16.76 Then He said on to them, "Watch out! 00:03:16.83\00:03:19.46 Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, 00:03:19.49\00:03:23.73 a man's life does not consist 00:03:23.77\00:03:25.30 in the abundance of his possessions." 00:03:25.33\00:03:27.94 The abundance of one's possessions, 00:03:27.97\00:03:29.44 well, man's life, a man's life is not about 00:03:29.47\00:03:32.21 what we corral, and we hoard, 00:03:32.24\00:03:34.94 and we buy and put into our homes. 00:03:34.98\00:03:37.51 But it's more so about 00:03:37.55\00:03:38.88 what I think is going on in Matthew 25:14-24. 00:03:38.91\00:03:44.55 And if you realize what that, 00:03:44.59\00:03:45.92 if you remember what that's about, 00:03:45.95\00:03:47.36 it's the story of the talents. 00:03:47.42\00:03:50.49 Turn with me there if you get a chance. 00:03:50.53\00:03:52.49 And it's pretty intriguing. 00:03:52.53\00:03:54.23 First of all, in verse 24, the preceding chapter, 00:03:54.30\00:03:56.43 it talks about signs of the end of the age. 00:03:56.46\00:03:58.40 And it moves forward and talks a little bit about 00:03:58.43\00:04:00.97 the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, 00:04:01.00\00:04:03.51 which is kind of intriguing, 00:04:03.54\00:04:04.97 because if you take a look at the virgins 00:04:05.01\00:04:08.68 and it came to an issue of saving for a rainy day. 00:04:08.71\00:04:12.35 I mean, you talk about the oil that they had 00:04:12.38\00:04:14.68 and about their ability to have the oil at the right time, 00:04:14.72\00:04:18.82 kind of works along 00:04:18.85\00:04:20.39 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\00:04:29.00 And then it moves forward into the story of the talents. 00:04:29.03\00:04:32.87 A landowner is leaving. 00:04:32.90\00:04:34.87 And he's coming back again. 00:04:34.90\00:04:36.71 It seems to parallel to the story of Christ. 00:04:36.77\00:04:40.04 He left. 00:04:40.08\00:04:41.41 And He's coming back 00:04:41.44\00:04:42.78 and He's going to hold us accountable 00:04:42.81\00:04:44.15 to how we manage the funds 00:04:44.21\00:04:45.88 and or the talents that we're given. 00:04:45.91\00:04:47.98 Now read into that. 00:04:48.02\00:04:49.45 You have a landowner who's leaving 00:04:49.48\00:04:51.02 and he calls his servants into him 00:04:51.05\00:04:53.02 and he says, "Hey, I'm leaving but I'm going to come back. 00:04:53.05\00:04:55.46 But I'd like you to manage." 00:04:55.49\00:04:57.19 In this case, the talent was called money, 00:04:57.23\00:05:00.33 which tells me something. 00:05:00.36\00:05:02.56 There are more venues of wealth 00:05:02.60\00:05:06.40 than just the venue of money for wealth. 00:05:06.43\00:05:11.91 In this case, he handed his servant 00:05:11.94\00:05:15.51 five talents of money. 00:05:15.54\00:05:18.01 It could be $50,000, if it's in the $5000, 00:05:18.05\00:05:20.62 whatever the case may be, 00:05:20.65\00:05:22.52 the Bible says that he gave the person five talents. 00:05:22.55\00:05:25.79 And you remember, he gave the second servant two talents 00:05:25.82\00:05:29.09 and the third servant he provided one talent. 00:05:29.12\00:05:33.06 Now he gave it to, in context to their ability, 00:05:33.09\00:05:36.93 again in context to their abilities. 00:05:36.97\00:05:38.30 So God looks at each one of us 00:05:38.33\00:05:39.87 and says, you have an ability that I see in you. 00:05:39.90\00:05:42.64 That talent could be the talent of music, 00:05:42.67\00:05:44.84 it could be the talent of teaching, 00:05:44.87\00:05:46.21 it could be the talent of faith, 00:05:46.24\00:05:47.88 it could be so many other different type of talents. 00:05:47.91\00:05:50.71 But in this case, there is a talent called money. 00:05:50.75\00:05:52.81 And He knows that there are several of us that know 00:05:52.85\00:05:56.02 how to build and utilize that talent. 00:05:56.05\00:05:58.99 The first servant, if you continue with the study. 00:05:59.02\00:06:03.39 It says, "After a long time 00:06:03.46\00:06:05.49 the master of those servants return 00:06:05.53\00:06:07.40 and settled accounts with them. 00:06:07.46\00:06:08.76 The man who had received the five talents 00:06:08.80\00:06:10.80 bought the other five and said, 00:06:10.87\00:06:13.84 'Master, you entrusted me with five, 00:06:13.87\00:06:16.27 so I've gained five more." 00:06:16.30\00:06:17.81 He put his money to work. 00:06:17.84\00:06:20.28 And when you consider the fact that 00:06:20.31\00:06:23.21 he had five talents and double the five talents, 00:06:23.24\00:06:25.78 and then you consider what happened to the individual 00:06:25.81\00:06:27.75 with just one talent, 00:06:27.78\00:06:29.42 you understand that 00:06:29.45\00:06:31.25 the one that buried his talent was told by the master. 00:06:31.29\00:06:35.39 "Why didn't you do anything more? 00:06:35.42\00:06:37.16 At least you could have taken the money 00:06:37.23\00:06:39.19 and you could have put it in a bank 00:06:39.23\00:06:40.60 where it could have gained simple interest." 00:06:40.63\00:06:44.03 This case it tells me that the gentleman 00:06:44.07\00:06:46.94 understood how to make money work for him. 00:06:47.00\00:06:51.17 It could be that he bought some equipment, 00:06:51.21\00:06:54.24 he bought some assets, 00:06:54.28\00:06:55.61 he developed a type of talent to teach 00:06:55.64\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\00:07:07.49 he was given. 00:07:07.52\00:07:08.86 The same with two. He doubled the money. 00:07:08.89\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\00:07:14.36 because the money that you have is not really working for you. 00:07:14.40\00:07:18.97 And so he says to the one that one was entrusted one, 00:07:19.00\00:07:24.41 he said now, 00:07:24.44\00:07:25.94 "Then the man who had received the one talent came, 00:07:25.97\00:07:29.34 'Master he said, 00:07:29.38\00:07:30.75 I knew that you are a hard man harvesting here 00:07:30.78\00:07:32.55 and you have not sown and gather it, 00:07:32.58\00:07:35.72 where you have not scattered seed 00:07:35.75\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\00:07:45.23 that it would stay there. 00:07:45.26\00:07:46.59 He did not make that money work for him. 00:07:46.63\00:07:49.16 So what am I actually saying here? 00:07:49.20\00:07:51.27 In this case, it was in a different approach 00:07:51.30\00:07:52.90 that we should all have to what money is all about. 00:07:52.93\00:07:56.54 Because what I'm going to say to you 00:07:56.57\00:07:57.91 is something that has intrigued me for a while. 00:07:57.94\00:07:59.81 In James 2:5-9, 00:07:59.84\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 00:08:10.62\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\00:08:22.20 James 2:5-9, 00:08:22.23\00:08:25.23 it says, "My brothers, 00:08:25.27\00:08:28.97 and we'll start at the beginning of the chapter. 00:08:29.00\00:08:31.87 It says favoritism should be forbidden." 00:08:31.91\00:08:34.51 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, 00:08:34.54\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\00:08:42.58 wearing a gold ring and fine clothing 00:08:42.62\00:08:44.82 and a poor man in shabby clothes 00:08:44.85\00:08:46.69 also comes in. 00:08:46.76\00:08:48.46 If you show special attention 00:08:48.49\00:08:50.43 to the man wearing fine clothes, 00:08:50.46\00:08:52.43 and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' 00:08:52.46\00:08:54.36 but say to the poor man, 'You stand over here,' 00:08:54.36\00:08:57.57 or 'Sit on the floor at my feet,' 00:08:57.60\00:08:59.13 have you not discriminated against among yourselves 00:08:59.17\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? 00:09:27.56\00:09:30.80 Are they not the ones 00:09:30.87\00:09:32.20 who are slandering the noble name of Him 00:09:32.23\00:09:34.70 who you belong? 00:09:34.74\00:09:36.40 If you really keep the royal law 00:09:36.44\00:09:38.14 found in the Scriptures, 00:09:38.17\00:09:39.64 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' 00:09:39.67\00:09:43.28 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\00:09:50.62 This is heavy information. 00:09:50.69\00:09:53.56 Most individuals see wealth and wealthy individuals 00:09:53.59\00:09:57.73 and treat them in a different way 00:09:57.76\00:09:59.16 than they treat individuals who are considered poor. 00:09:59.19\00:10:01.93 Remember the Bible verse talked about the faith. 00:10:01.96\00:10:05.63 Faith is a wealth. It's a form of wealth. 00:10:05.67\00:10:08.97 And those who are poor are wealthy in faith. 00:10:09.00\00:10:12.21 Those who are poor could be wealthy in other talents. 00:10:12.24\00:10:15.18 It's not necessarily the talent of money 00:10:15.21\00:10:17.61 that should cause you as an individual, 00:10:17.65\00:10:19.25 if you have a lot of it, to treat others differently. 00:10:19.28\00:10:21.75 In fact, your responsibility grows all the more. 00:10:21.78\00:10:25.62 You should be far more humble. 00:10:25.65\00:10:27.66 And you should be far more appreciative 00:10:27.69\00:10:31.03 of what those who may not have 00:10:31.06\00:10:33.29 the monetary advantages that you have, 00:10:33.36\00:10:36.43 they still have to go through in practicing their talents 00:10:36.46\00:10:40.40 that could include and incorporate faith. 00:10:40.47\00:10:43.67 So my request to use as we go through these, 00:10:43.74\00:10:48.88 these programs on financial literacy. 00:10:48.91\00:10:52.88 I ask you to think differently about wealth 00:10:52.91\00:10:56.42 and begin the process of thinking 00:10:56.45\00:10:59.09 that we all as individuals are wealthy 00:10:59.12\00:11:03.12 because God has given each one of us talents 00:11:03.16\00:11:06.70 according to our own abilities. 00:11:06.73\00:11:08.70 And the fact that you have money 00:11:08.73\00:11:10.33 and someone may not have money 00:11:10.37\00:11:11.77 doesn't mean that they should be treated any differently. 00:11:11.80\00:11:17.21 So consider that as we talk about financial literacy 00:11:17.27\00:11:20.14 and continue to consider the issues that are involved 00:11:20.18\00:11:24.15 with how we manage our money. 00:11:24.21\00:11:26.18 With that said, I'm going to begin the process 00:11:26.21\00:11:28.82 of dialoguing with you about the basics. 00:11:28.85\00:11:32.09 One of the things we're going to talk about, 00:11:32.12\00:11:33.62 and there are four basic areas, 00:11:33.66\00:11:34.99 we're going to talk about debt. 00:11:35.02\00:11:36.59 We're going to talk about cash flow. 00:11:36.62\00:11:38.59 We will talk about the issue of budgeting 00:11:38.63\00:11:41.36 which is critical to understanding 00:11:41.40\00:11:43.63 how you can manage your money well. 00:11:43.70\00:11:45.33 And the fourth area we'll discuss will be credit. 00:11:45.37\00:11:48.50 There are many different issues 00:11:48.54\00:11:50.17 that are going on right now in reference to credit, 00:11:50.24\00:11:53.51 ID theft, fraud and many other issues 00:11:53.54\00:11:56.78 that are associated with it. 00:11:56.81\00:11:58.15 So let's start out with the simple issue of a budget. 00:11:58.18\00:12:01.08 The reason we talk about budgeting 00:12:01.12\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\00:12:08.39 the understanding of where you can be 00:12:08.42\00:12:11.46 and where you would like to be. 00:12:11.49\00:12:13.90 It gives you planning, the opportunities of planning. 00:12:13.93\00:12:16.93 But from a simple perspective, 00:12:16.97\00:12:18.33 I'll take a step back and make this statement. 00:12:18.37\00:12:23.87 If you know where your money comes from 00:12:26.64\00:12:33.48 and you know where your money goes, 00:12:33.52\00:12:37.45 you are in pretty good shape. 00:12:37.49\00:12:38.89 A lot of people don't know. 00:12:38.92\00:12:40.99 I remember when I was in college, 00:12:41.02\00:12:42.49 you know, it was my checking account 00:12:42.52\00:12:44.29 was basically up here in my head. 00:12:44.33\00:12:45.86 I pretty much wrote checks 00:12:45.89\00:12:47.56 and say, "I think I got the $25 in the account. 00:12:47.60\00:12:50.00 That should be no problem." And wrote the check. 00:12:50.03\00:12:52.00 That was my managerial perspective 00:12:52.03\00:12:54.57 of my holding on to my checking account and managing it. 00:12:54.60\00:12:59.47 The first time though that I bounced a check 00:12:59.51\00:13:01.71 would change my all, my perspective all together. 00:13:01.74\00:13:04.05 And I knew at that point in time 00:13:04.08\00:13:05.95 that I had to take a different approach 00:13:05.98\00:13:08.55 to managing what it was 00:13:08.58\00:13:10.09 if I wanted to get to a different place. 00:13:10.12\00:13:12.69 Now a budget basically says 00:13:12.72\00:13:15.06 that I know where my revenue comes from. 00:13:15.09\00:13:18.03 I know where my expenses are paid. 00:13:18.06\00:13:20.83 If you are spending the same amount 00:13:20.90\00:13:23.83 that you are bringing in, 00:13:23.87\00:13:25.43 you're in a very dangerous position. 00:13:25.47\00:13:27.40 And I ask you to take a look very seriously 00:13:27.44\00:13:29.67 how much money you're spending 00:13:29.70\00:13:31.31 and try to increase the margin between revenue and expenses. 00:13:31.34\00:13:37.41 It's that area between revenue and expenses 00:13:37.45\00:13:39.55 that you have the option 00:13:39.58\00:13:41.05 of putting more money into savings. 00:13:41.08\00:13:43.59 You have the option of investing some of that money, 00:13:43.65\00:13:47.22 and you have the opportunity of acquiring assets. 00:13:47.26\00:13:50.03 And that's where I believe 00:13:50.09\00:13:51.56 this issue of financial literacy comes to play, 00:13:51.59\00:13:54.83 because it's not about, 00:13:54.83\00:13:56.33 remember the Bible verse that says, 00:13:56.36\00:13:58.53 it's not about the amount of possessions that you carry, 00:13:58.57\00:14:03.71 it's how you use the talents that God has given to you. 00:14:03.74\00:14:08.01 So it's essential that you save, you invest, 00:14:08.04\00:14:11.75 you have an emergency fund, 00:14:11.78\00:14:13.35 but you also have another bond of money 00:14:13.42\00:14:15.38 that you can actually use to give to charities, 00:14:15.42\00:14:20.66 to give to these organizations 00:14:20.69\00:14:22.92 such as 3ABN and support the ministry. 00:14:22.96\00:14:25.83 Because the overall objective 00:14:25.86\00:14:28.86 about the parable is to tell you 00:14:28.90\00:14:30.87 that Jesus is coming again soon. 00:14:30.93\00:14:33.74 And He's gonna hold you accountable 00:14:33.80\00:14:35.44 to how you dealt with the talents 00:14:35.47\00:14:37.11 that He gave to you. 00:14:37.17\00:14:39.51 And so it's essential that we begin to think about 00:14:39.54\00:14:42.34 how we spend our money based on the revenue 00:14:42.38\00:14:45.35 and through the talents that God has given us. 00:14:45.38\00:14:47.85 And it's that amount of money that we can use to save, 00:14:47.88\00:14:50.95 set up an emergency fund, 00:14:50.99\00:14:52.42 understand and study how banks work, 00:14:52.45\00:14:54.69 to talk about it on a high level, 00:14:54.72\00:14:57.33 and then at the same time, 00:14:57.39\00:14:58.73 have that additional fund that you can give. 00:14:58.76\00:15:00.83 I have a story that's kind of interesting. 00:15:00.86\00:15:03.40 When I worked at another organization 00:15:03.47\00:15:05.93 and it dealt with the donations of outside contributors. 00:15:05.97\00:15:10.71 I remember a conversation I had about one of the donors 00:15:10.74\00:15:13.21 and it was interesting to see 00:15:13.24\00:15:14.68 how she dealt with the funds that she had or didn't have. 00:15:14.71\00:15:19.15 She was retired. 00:15:19.18\00:15:20.52 She was dealing on a fixed income 00:15:20.55\00:15:22.22 and the question came up about-- 00:15:22.25\00:15:24.19 "But if you're on a fixed income 00:15:24.22\00:15:25.99 and you have increased costs during the winter time, 00:15:26.02\00:15:29.02 how do you maintain a steady giving 00:15:29.06\00:15:32.13 every single month of every year? 00:15:32.16\00:15:33.70 We can count on your giving. 00:15:33.73\00:15:35.96 How is it that you dealt with that?" 00:15:36.00\00:15:37.63 And she said, "You know, during the winter times, 00:15:37.67\00:15:40.44 I know it gets difficult for all of us 00:15:40.50\00:15:42.27 and especially those who are on a fixed income. 00:15:42.30\00:15:43.97 But God has given me the wisdom to know that I can. 00:15:44.01\00:15:47.91 When the heating bills come in, 00:15:47.94\00:15:49.44 I can shut down different portions of my home. 00:15:49.48\00:15:52.45 And only heat the areas in my home that are necessary 00:15:52.48\00:15:55.62 and I can use the savings from those expenses 00:15:55.65\00:15:59.72 and I can continue to give my $25 a month." 00:15:59.75\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\00:16:09.36 it's helping sustain many of our non-profit organizations. 00:16:09.40\00:16:12.93 And then you begin to understand 00:16:12.97\00:16:14.30 what God meant when He talked about the widow's mite. 00:16:14.34\00:16:19.07 The lady gave as much as she possibly could, 00:16:19.11\00:16:23.45 which looked very little 00:16:23.48\00:16:25.08 in the side of the wealthy people looking on. 00:16:25.11\00:16:27.88 But Jesus said something that's powerful. 00:16:27.92\00:16:30.79 She gave far more than those wealthy people did 00:16:30.82\00:16:35.76 because she gave all that she could. 00:16:35.79\00:16:39.53 And that's a context of where we want to go 00:16:39.56\00:16:42.63 with this understanding of financial literacy. 00:16:42.66\00:16:44.27 I don't want you to start thinking 00:16:44.30\00:16:46.03 about the context of wealth and riches and travel 00:16:46.07\00:16:49.84 and new cars and new things to acquire 00:16:49.87\00:16:52.44 because possessions is not it. 00:16:52.47\00:16:55.48 The context is, understanding that 00:16:55.51\00:16:58.71 God has given you a talent. 00:16:58.75\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\00:17:14.83 So I'm gonna move forward 00:17:14.86\00:17:16.20 and talk a little bit more 00:17:16.23\00:17:17.57 about the context of financial literacy 00:17:17.60\00:17:20.04 and with doing that, 00:17:20.07\00:17:21.57 I would like to bring on a resource of mine, 00:17:21.60\00:17:24.77 Mr. Rodney Watson. 00:17:24.81\00:17:26.34 He's a fantastic individual that I talk to all the time. 00:17:26.37\00:17:29.48 He has these games that we play 00:17:29.51\00:17:31.85 and things that we do that reference money 00:17:31.88\00:17:35.12 and management, cash flow, that type of thing. 00:17:35.15\00:17:37.92 And I asked him a question the other day 00:17:37.95\00:17:39.52 and that question was, 00:17:39.55\00:17:41.29 "How does cash flow management fit into financial literacy?" 00:17:41.32\00:17:45.89 Rodney, can you give us the answer please? 00:17:45.93\00:17:48.30 Whenever you think of cash flow management 00:17:51.30\00:17:53.40 and financial literacy, they both go hand in hand. 00:17:53.44\00:17:56.20 The reason is, whenever you need to manage something, 00:17:56.24\00:17:59.24 you have to know about it to be able to manage it. 00:17:59.27\00:18:02.44 So to know about money, 00:18:02.48\00:18:04.11 you have to learn how money flows 00:18:04.18\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\00:18:25.00 they take money, it flows to them 00:18:25.03\00:18:27.04 and they keep a portion of it first. 00:18:27.07\00:18:29.64 And they keep a portion of that first, and they save it 00:18:29.67\00:18:32.24 and that money goes to buy assets, assets only. 00:18:32.27\00:18:35.78 Then after that, they take the rest of the money 00:18:35.81\00:18:38.08 and they use it for savings 00:18:38.11\00:18:39.81 and they also use it to live on. 00:18:39.85\00:18:41.95 So whenever you're thinking about 00:18:41.98\00:18:43.32 financial literacy and cash management, 00:18:43.39\00:18:45.52 manage your cash, 00:18:45.55\00:18:47.06 so your cash will end up managing you. 00:18:47.09\00:18:49.62 Thank you, Rodney. 00:18:49.66\00:18:50.99 Thank you very much. You know. 00:18:51.03\00:18:52.73 Those that are able to live within their means 00:18:52.76\00:18:54.66 and plan for their future, 00:18:54.73\00:18:56.03 have an idea of how they manage their own budgets, 00:18:56.06\00:18:59.10 their own personal budgets 00:18:59.13\00:19:00.57 and each budget that we have is gonna be different, 00:19:00.60\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\00:19:07.51 So I ask you to take a look and begin the process today. 00:19:07.54\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\00:19:17.02 Write down everything you spend. 00:19:17.05\00:19:18.39 Write down the cash purchases that you make and as well, 00:19:18.42\00:19:22.46 write down the areas 00:19:22.49\00:19:24.26 where you think you have talents, 00:19:24.29\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 00:19:27.66\00:19:31.00 and begin the process of understanding, 00:19:31.03\00:19:33.20 if you can develop more of a margin 00:19:33.23\00:19:35.74 between your revenues and expenses, 00:19:35.77\00:19:37.97 ensuring that you're making more than you are sending out. 00:19:38.01\00:19:42.18 Now one of the things 00:19:42.21\00:19:44.25 that's very important about cash flow is that 00:19:44.28\00:19:48.22 you have funds set away for emergencies. 00:19:48.25\00:19:52.02 I have seen circumstance 00:19:52.05\00:19:53.56 where individuals have been wiped out 00:19:53.59\00:19:56.19 based on a medical emergency 00:19:56.22\00:19:58.79 because we haven't spent the money 00:19:58.83\00:20:00.50 or budgeted enough to have 00:20:00.53\00:20:02.13 maybe health insurance on tap 00:20:02.16\00:20:04.07 or if in fact, we had a lot of money saved, 00:20:04.13\00:20:07.54 we find that there are emergencies 00:20:07.60\00:20:09.24 that can arise on our daily basis 00:20:09.27\00:20:12.04 and on monthly or whatever the case may be 00:20:12.07\00:20:14.14 to each individual life. 00:20:14.18\00:20:15.94 Many times we think it will never affect us. 00:20:15.98\00:20:18.45 But it does at some point in time, 00:20:18.48\00:20:20.95 it comes in and impacts our lives. 00:20:20.98\00:20:23.35 For example, the last, 00:20:23.39\00:20:26.29 I bought a house like back in 2004. 00:20:26.32\00:20:28.49 The house right now is only seven years old 00:20:28.52\00:20:30.29 and you hearing a little bit of irritability 00:20:30.33\00:20:31.86 on this side of things. 00:20:31.89\00:20:33.56 Because the water heater went out after seven years 00:20:33.60\00:20:36.70 and of course, you know 00:20:36.73\00:20:38.07 when your water heater goes out, 00:20:38.10\00:20:39.43 you go to shop for another water heater, right? 00:20:39.47\00:20:41.67 And you run into people who are, you got it, 00:20:41.70\00:20:44.84 shopping for water heaters. 00:20:44.87\00:20:46.54 And you happen to run into a person that said, 00:20:46.61\00:20:48.11 this young lady was telling me, "Yes, I am so upset. 00:20:48.14\00:20:52.25 My water heater broke down after 22 years." 00:20:52.28\00:20:56.48 Mine broke down after seven years. 00:20:56.52\00:20:58.32 And that's couple of things you have to look at 00:20:58.35\00:20:59.75 because you never know when that emergency will arise. 00:20:59.79\00:21:02.92 So for me, I had to make a $600 acquisition 00:21:02.96\00:21:05.56 to go and put a new water heater into my home. 00:21:05.59\00:21:08.56 Fortunately, I had a brother-in-law that came by 00:21:08.60\00:21:11.40 and was able to help me put all of that equipment in 00:21:11.43\00:21:14.10 and get me back to square zero with hot water in my home. 00:21:14.14\00:21:17.81 Now it's interesting as we take a look at financial literacy. 00:21:17.84\00:21:21.84 The context is really 00:21:21.88\00:21:23.55 that we plan for those type of emergencies. 00:21:23.61\00:21:27.18 You'll never know when the job loss might happen. 00:21:27.22\00:21:29.85 You'll never know 00:21:29.88\00:21:31.22 when any critical issue might happen at home. 00:21:31.25\00:21:33.42 And one of the major issues that people don't think about 00:21:33.46\00:21:35.69 is the context of health 00:21:35.72\00:21:37.79 and how that can wipe out 00:21:37.83\00:21:39.33 people's savings very, very quickly. 00:21:39.36\00:21:42.76 I believe that people have been told in the past 00:21:42.80\00:21:46.37 that they should have a six month, 00:21:46.40\00:21:48.67 six months worth of savings 00:21:48.70\00:21:50.34 available in case of any type of emergencies. 00:21:50.37\00:21:53.64 Job loss now, 00:21:53.71\00:21:55.31 it may take people upwards of 24 to 28 months 00:21:55.34\00:21:57.81 to find a new job. 00:21:57.85\00:21:59.38 How do you plan for that? 00:21:59.41\00:22:00.82 What is the context of the planning 00:22:00.85\00:22:04.55 in savings to help alleviate a lot of those concerns? 00:22:04.59\00:22:07.99 We know that some employers 00:22:08.02\00:22:09.36 don't pay into unemployment insurance. 00:22:09.39\00:22:11.36 And people are left out there without that income 00:22:11.39\00:22:14.40 to support the needs that they have 00:22:14.46\00:22:16.63 and support the context of their budgets. 00:22:16.67\00:22:21.14 One of the things that might help is, 00:22:21.17\00:22:22.84 if we weren't necessarily getting in too much debt, 00:22:22.87\00:22:25.51 if we didn't have credit card debt, 00:22:25.54\00:22:26.88 and we didn't have a lot of those type of debts 00:22:26.94\00:22:28.58 that people typically recommend to help build credit histories. 00:22:28.61\00:22:33.42 There's a 20-10 rule that's out there. 00:22:33.48\00:22:35.15 It basically says that you, your budget should not exceed 00:22:35.18\00:22:39.45 or your credit or indebtedness 00:22:39.49\00:22:42.32 should not exceed 20 percent of your yearly annual income, 00:22:42.36\00:22:47.23 your net income for the year. 00:22:47.30\00:22:48.83 And that your monthly expenditures 00:22:48.86\00:22:51.63 on repayment of that debt 00:22:51.67\00:22:53.00 should not exceed 10 percent of your monthly net income. 00:22:53.03\00:22:56.17 That's a 20-10 rule. 00:22:56.20\00:22:58.17 I don't believe that anyone should have any type of debt. 00:22:58.21\00:23:01.58 If you cannot afford it by paying cash, 00:23:01.61\00:23:05.78 why are you gonna put it on a credit card 00:23:05.81\00:23:07.65 and pay that additional expense 00:23:07.68\00:23:09.68 of paying off with the interest that you typically incur? 00:23:09.72\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\00:23:19.56 And so it goes back 00:23:19.59\00:23:20.93 to preparing for those emergencies. 00:23:20.96\00:23:22.26 If you don't have a high overhead 00:23:22.30\00:23:23.87 in reference to expenses, 00:23:23.93\00:23:25.90 then you shouldn't have as much to worry about 00:23:25.93\00:23:29.47 if you go through a specific job loss 00:23:29.50\00:23:31.47 because your expenses are minimized. 00:23:31.51\00:23:35.71 Look, we're coming to the end of our first program, 00:23:35.74\00:23:38.71 but I really want to emphasize this in an end 00:23:38.75\00:23:41.78 as an introduction 00:23:41.82\00:23:43.35 that understanding where you're at now 00:23:43.39\00:23:46.72 is the best thing to understand where you can go from now. 00:23:46.76\00:23:50.33 And my intent in this case 00:23:50.39\00:23:52.63 is to help you to think more so about money 00:23:52.66\00:23:55.10 and about how you save 00:23:55.13\00:23:57.63 and how you plan for future events. 00:23:57.67\00:24:00.77 That's the key. 00:24:00.84\00:24:02.24 And that's what we want to accomplish today. 00:24:02.27\00:24:04.84 But more so, this introduction was to talk about James 2:5-9. 00:24:04.87\00:24:11.75 James 2:5-9. 00:24:11.78\00:24:13.92 The key is to understand 00:24:13.95\00:24:17.42 that wealth comes in many different forms. 00:24:17.49\00:24:21.19 And people have different talents 00:24:21.22\00:24:23.43 that Christ has given them. 00:24:23.46\00:24:25.69 When you take a look at your own personal situation, 00:24:25.73\00:24:29.73 it doesn't matter if you make $24,000 a year 00:24:29.76\00:24:33.23 or two and a half million dollars year, 00:24:33.30\00:24:35.34 if you are able to save ten 00:24:35.37\00:24:38.27 or you know, 10 percent or 15 or even 50 percent 00:24:38.31\00:24:41.71 of what you make on the yearly basis, 00:24:41.74\00:24:43.24 you're far better than a millionaire 00:24:43.31\00:24:45.38 that spends the million dollars each year. 00:24:45.41\00:24:47.58 We see time and time again, 00:24:47.62\00:24:49.58 million dollar homes going up foreclosure, 00:24:49.62\00:24:51.79 we hear of millionaires 00:24:51.82\00:24:53.15 and we shouldn't really call them millionaires 00:24:53.19\00:24:54.82 but they are people who make a million dollars a year 00:24:54.86\00:24:57.39 or spending a million dollars a year, 00:24:57.43\00:24:59.36 and those individuals who get unemployed, 00:24:59.39\00:25:01.80 are actually tapping into unemployment insurance now 00:25:01.83\00:25:04.57 and finding that many of our people are doing that. 00:25:04.60\00:25:07.04 So this crisis of money can be alleviated 00:25:07.07\00:25:10.94 by addressing a few simple issues. 00:25:10.97\00:25:15.28 In closing for today, 00:25:15.31\00:25:17.68 we understand that financial literacy is a key. 00:25:17.71\00:25:19.68 Understanding how money works can be very valuable 00:25:19.71\00:25:22.95 and maintaining a budget is beneficial not only short term, 00:25:22.98\00:25:26.59 but it will sustain you on a long term basis. 00:25:26.62\00:25:30.16 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\00:25:34.83 that I'd like you to think over as we go to the next program. 00:25:34.83\00:25:38.53 Those questions include, 00:25:38.57\00:25:40.44 one, who insures your stocks in the stock market? 00:25:40.50\00:25:45.01 Is it A, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation? 00:25:45.04\00:25:48.51 Is it B, The Securities and Exchange Commission? 00:25:48.54\00:25:50.95 Is it C, The U.S. Department of Treasure? 00:25:50.98\00:25:53.58 Or is it D, No one? 00:25:53.62\00:25:57.59 The other question I would like you to answer for me is also, 00:25:57.62\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\00:26:08.76 to cancel the purchase of a new or used car 00:26:08.80\00:26:11.23 from the dealer. 00:26:11.27\00:26:12.60 Is that true? Is that false? 00:26:12.63\00:26:16.04 As we look at financial literacy, 00:26:19.17\00:26:21.74 I want us to take a whole different approach 00:26:21.78\00:26:23.68 in understanding that wealth is a wonderful thing 00:26:23.75\00:26:27.85 and wealth takes different forms. 00:26:27.88\00:26:30.09 The fact that we may be monetarily wealthy 00:26:30.12\00:26:32.69 doesn't mean we treat anyone any differently, 00:26:32.72\00:26:35.32 because that other person 00:26:35.36\00:26:36.73 could be wealthy from the standpoint of faith, 00:26:36.76\00:26:39.73 could be wealthy from the standpoint of ministry, 00:26:39.76\00:26:42.20 from be wealthy from the standpoint of leadership. 00:26:42.23\00:26:44.73 Let's get rid of those situations 00:26:44.77\00:26:48.70 where we can treat people in different ways 00:26:48.74\00:26:51.44 because of who we think we are. 00:26:51.47\00:26:52.81 Let's not use favoritism. 00:26:52.84\00:26:55.68 Let's begin the process of thinking more so 00:26:55.71\00:26:58.35 about wealth from the standpoint 00:26:58.38\00:27:00.15 of being obligated to God 00:27:00.18\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\00:27:19.57 And I will constantly lead you 00:27:19.60\00:27:21.17 back to that parable of the talent, 00:27:21.20\00:27:26.21 because I think it resonates 00:27:26.24\00:27:28.18 with how we as individuals should make the money work. 00:27:28.21\00:27:33.42 And if we are able to make money work, 00:27:33.45\00:27:37.39 we are able to give money to the resources 00:27:37.42\00:27:41.66 that can get the gospel to others around the world. 00:27:41.69\00:27:46.39 Thank you for participating in this program. 00:27:46.43\00:27:48.53 Thank you for being a part. 00:27:48.56\00:27:50.03 And as we... 00:27:50.07\00:27:52.93 as we talk more about financial literacy issues, 00:27:52.97\00:27:55.90 please remember, 00:27:55.94\00:27:57.27 let's Take It To The Bank and save. 00:27:57.31\00:27:59.71