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| The Health Insurance Void... By Doug Ison, His Friends community organizer A rapidly increasing number of American families are uninsured. They are at grave risk of being in debt indefinitely paying uninsured medical bills or trying to postpone necessary care. Our government leaders have shown little inclination (and less skill) in managing this escalating crisis. We can't rely upon our employers to provide health insurance either. Many of them view health insurance premiums as an unnecessary or prohibitive expense. Fewer and fewer employers offer health insurance at all; those that do often cover the employee afford ably but have very high costs to protect spouses and kids. We often over look a potentially good solution: an individual/family health insurance policy that you pay directly-not through an employer and without waiting for a government program. These health policies are highly flexible, often more affordable, and have become very widely available. They are often helpful in the following situations: *I have a job I like but they don't have health insurance or I can't afford it. *I'm self-employed and group insurance is too expensive *I'm retired but not yet Medicare eligible *My divorce requires me to protect the kids, but how can I pay for it *etc, etc, etc. Click the "quote" link above for no obligation information and prices....its like financial chicken soup...can't hurt, might help. |
| Few things are more divisive in family life than disagreement about money...even if there's lots of it. My wife and I have found that the only thing to do is to keep communicating openly...and to plan ahead together about finances. Secrets about money don't work in marriage. |
| Struggling with family budget? Too much debt? Planning for a baby, education, or retirement? Need to get your act together? Just need some new ideas? Check this out |
| Sick and tired of struggling through the bills every month. Confused? Need Help? Need a Plan? Having a visible budget plan is the first step to solving most family financial issues A simple budget helps you plan, stay on track, and communicate clearly with the whole family on money matters....Click below to use our sample monthly plan sheet. You can link from there to online help. Click for Budget Help |
Godly Retirement
By Al Boyce
Two dozen newly hired employees of a large financial institution gathered in a conference room for three days of orientation. A good part of the first day was devoted to taking full advantage of the company's 401K plan. The entire last day was devoted to IRAs and other retirement plans.
Repeatedly, speakers warned that Social Security would soon be a thing of the past; that we must work to assure our own solvency when we retire. One woman estimated each of us would need $500,000 in retirement savings accounts in order to retire "comfortably." Another suggested putting away every spare penny to protect against the ravages of inflation.
With the best of intentions, this company was systematically instilling in its employees the desire -- no, the NEED -- to look out for themselves, to hoard their money, to define their "comfortable" retirement years by how lavishly they would be able to live. Vacation homes were a given.
Is it any wonder that Americans struggle to tithe, or to serve others, or even to reduce their own worldly appetites when we are surrounded by trusted advisors who lecture us about materialism as if it were the ultimate virtue?
Contrast that with Christ's admonition that we give freely to others; that we are to live simply and hold our material possessions with open hands.
His "investment" advice was this:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."(Matthew 6:19-21)
I know a man who is in his mid-40s. He lives in an unheated trailer behind someone else's house. When he can't get day labor jobs, he panhandles. Sometimes he gets food from dumpsters behind grocery stores.
This man also volunteers four hours a day at a warehouse that provides food, clothing and other necessities to the homeless, to migrant workers, to displaced families. He refuses to take anything from the warehouse for himself because he wants to "give back" what he has received from others.
One gift he has received has been the support and friendship to help him stay sober for nearly six months.
This man has no IRA, no pension fund, no 401K, no savings account. He is looking for a steady job, but with poor reading skills, hearing difficulties and a spotty employment history, his prospects are not good.
Still, he reaches out to his brothers and sisters on the street; those who can't shake their own substance abuse. He doesn't counsel them on how to save up money, get a job or prepare for retirement. He encourages them to embrace Jesus as their Lord and Savior; to relinquish their grim hold on things of this earth and to recognize the joy of living by God's grace.
In this way, he contributes to the ultimate 401K. There are no contribution limits. You are never too old to start paying in. Your assets are controlled by someone with a proven track record.
One more thing: God provides an infinite match, which is a good thing, since your life expectancy will be off the charts.
Al Boyce is a former writer and reporter for The Associated Press. He lives in Raleigh, NC, where he now writes for God.
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com
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