Category: Generosity

  • Back to Basics

    Many books and articles have been written about Christians and money, and some about retirement. This blog is about Christians and retirement, and I often write about money and stewardship. There’s much to say about these topics, but the Bible tells us what is most essential for us to know—not every practical detail about personal…

  • Looking Forward to Making Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)

    Now that I’ve reached age 70, I’m looking forward to getting just a little older. Why? Because when I reach age 70½, I’ll be eligible to make Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs). I first mentioned QCDs on this blog in an article published in December of last year titled ”My Year-End Retirement Stewardship Review and Planning…

  • My Year-End Retirement Stewardship Review and Planning Routine

    I’m occasionally asked how I manage my retirement finances. I’ve touched on some aspects in previous posts, but I thought I’d share a little about my not-very-formal-or-complicated year-end regime. I don’t do this to suggest that I handle things in an exemplary way or that you should do what I do. Retired families can have…

  • Giving by Leaving a Financial Legacy

    In my last article, I discussed some things to consider as you decide about giving in retirement. I touched on leaving a legacy (inheritance) as a form of giving and discussed it (biblically) relative to spending and giving. However, I didn’t detail the mechanics of doing so, should that be your desire. As I mentioned…

  • Giving in Retirement

    I was recently working at our church’s welcome desk on a Sunday morning. An elderly lady whom I would guess is well into her 70s or early 80s came up and handed me a $20 bill and asked that I please make sure it went toward our ministry to families with children with special needs…

  • My New Book “Redeeming Retirement: A Practical Guide to Catch Up” Has Been Released!

    I announced earlier that I would soon publish my next book, Redeeming Retirement: A Practical Guide to Catch Up. Well, I’m excited to announce that it’s been released and is now available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle editions! In this article, I want to tell you more about it, and let you know about some giveaways…

  • Making New Years Resolutions? How About “Spend Less, Save and Give More”

    Lots of people make resolutions this time of year. Not surprisingly, things like paying down debt and saving more tend to show up the most. According to Fidelity’s Fidelity’s 11th annual New Year Financial Resolutions Study, “more than half of Americans, 53%, say they aim to save more in 2020, 51% plan to pay down…

  • All You Need to Know About Personal Finance on a 3 x 5 Inch Index Card – Really?

    A few years ago, a University of Chicago college professor named Harold Pollack remarked that everything you really needed to know about personal finance could be fit on a single 3×5 inch index card. Someone asked him to prove it, the result went viral, and Pollack actually ended up co-writing a book about it called…

  • My Stewardship Practices – Part One:  Spending, Debt, and Giving

    One of my pastors and I recently taught a class on stewardship at our church. In one session, a young couple in the class asked about vacations. The question wasn’t very specific, and I took it as “is it good stewardship to spend money on vacations?” It was a reasonable and sincere question as money…

  • New Year Retirement Stewardship 10-Point Check-Up

    Happy New Year! Planning is a wise part of retirement stewardship. But no matter how well we plan, we must always remember that “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov. 16:9). And now that we are closing out 2018 and looking out ahead to 2019, I thought I would share some thoughts…