Category Archives: Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Optimizing Life, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Choose Your Own Adventure… But Do So Wisely

I remember as a child reading a style of book that was called a “choose your own adventure” book. Basically this style of kids book has a basic story line with several outcomes for each situation the characters encounter based on which choices you as the reader make for them. For example… if in the story the main character faces a choice to go into a cave, or continue in the forest… the reader chooses and turns next to the page that continues the story based on that decision. The outcome is always different based on the choice the reader makes.

The same is true in life. Yes, for each of us there are some preset assumptions for our adventure… who our parents are, where we are born, what value system we are taught, etc. However, we each have the opportunity to make choices for ourselves that influence the outcome of our personal story. This is true whether or not we choose to admit that we are making decisions that matter. Do we get up and find a job? Do we work hard? Do we show love to others? Do we obey God?

We make decisions every day. It is just that we at times overlook the importance of how even our seemingly daily, “small” decisions influence the outcome of our life.

I used to think it would be helpful to have a guide to help me choose wisely as each situation came up in those kids books. What if I had a map that showed which choices led to success and which to destruction? Wouldn’t that be great! It would help me navigate to the best possible outcome for whatever story I was in.

While no one made a guide or map for the choose your own adventure books, God did in fact provide a guide for helping us in our every day life decisions while we deal with other people and with God. While the Bible as a whole provides much value and insight here, Proverbs in particular comes to mind as providing lots of specific applications of wisdom for how we make our daily decisions. Many of the Proverbs are laid out in such a way as to contrast righteousness and wisdom to wickedness. We do well to study Proverbs consistently and apply it as God intended as the guide to help us navigate our lives to the best possible outcome.

Consider this as you read excerpts from Proverbs 17 below. Do not think of it as something old and out of date. Instead, think of it as part of an instruction manual that God has given you… yes you, specifically… for your life. Read it as if God meant for you to use it in making your daily decisions, because He did!

Proverbs 17

      1Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of feasting with strife.

      2A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

      3The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the LORD tests hearts.

      4An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

      5He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

      13He who returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

      14The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

      15He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

      18A man lacking in sense pledges
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

Think of situations and decisions you are facing today in your life. Which verses in today’s reading is God putting on your heart to apply in your life to help you make the right decisions?

God may also show you through His word some examples of where you handled a situation well, even if the outcome was not what you wanted… thank Him for the encouragement!

Continue to study and apply the wisdom contained in Proverbs to specific issues in your life. Use the wisdom God provides to help your find the best outcome based on choices you make that  influence your own personal adventure in life!

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice, Stewardship, Tools

Personal Financial Tools to Help Stewardship

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25, through the parable of the talents, not only that we should invest, but that a good steward periodically checks on the effectiveness of his investments and makes adjustments according to their performance.

Matthew 25:14-30

Parable of the Talents

      14“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15“To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17“In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18“But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

      19“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20“The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      22“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      24“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

      26“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

      29“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30“Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

There are a growing number of personal financial tools available to help us manage and steward our finances ranging from debt and spending to investing. Consider common software tools like Quicken or online tools as recently reported in an article in US News & World Report article, 10 Personal Finance Tools You Should Use Now. There are also tools to help manage personal investment performance across multiple investment accounts like the one available for free online at Personal Capital.

We have no affiliation with any of these specific tools, nor any financial incentive to recommend any particular tool. Neither have we tested all of these tools personally. Rather, our intent is to highlight to those who may not realize it that there are a lot of useful tools available today that you can review and consider to help steward your personal financial plan. Naturally, you can also consider professional investment advice, for a fee, but even with that you will want to validate the guidance they are giving you.

For those who are familiar with Microsoft Office or similar tools, there is always a simple Excel spreadsheet you can make yourself, with complete privacy to develop and steward key elements to your financial plan. And for those that prefer to avoid computers… who are probably not reading my article right now… pencil, paper and calculator still work just fine so long as you have the discipline to apply it frequently enough.

The bottom line is that to be successful in executing our personal financial plan we must steward it. We must track data on performance and then review the data and make decisions on whether to stay the course or make a correction or change to our strategy.

We must be vigilant to avoid laziness or complacency in managing the money we have already gained.

Proverbs 6:6-11

      6Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,

      7Which, having no chief,
Officer or ruler,

      8Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.

      9How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?

      10“A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest”—

      11Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

False Teaching, Optimizing Life, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

What Is Love?

People put a lot of focus and money into highly marketed holidays like Valentine’s Day, but should we? Is a man-made holiday really ever a reason to make major financial purchases you would not otherwise make? I think the answer is very intuitive when the question is phrased this way. No, we should not let marketing and man-made holidays dictate when we make major purchases. Love is not about how much money you spend on someone or what you give them on a designated day of the year. That is not God’s definition of love at all.

We are sharing an article posted by our sister site, HearingFromJesus.org.

What is love? This is a very old question with many answers. Context is important. We may “love pizza”, but that is different than when we say we “love our spouse”. Today, the world even steals the word “love” as a replacement for “sex”, which is completely incorrect. These are certainly not the same meaning. Greek, the language in which the New Testament was largely written, had multiple different words for different types of love. In English, we have one word and we must therefore pay close attention to context.

Many put a lot of time and focus into the highly marketed cultural holiday of Valentine’s Day. Candy makers will tell you that you must buy chocolates to show you love your spouse. Greeting card makers insist you must “care to send the very best” and thus spend $5 or more on a card, and send one to everyone you know. Flowers are a must, right? But now they even sell gold dipped flowers. Wow. Of course, not to be outdone, Jewelers insist that you are a buffoon if you don’t buy diamonds for that special someone in your life. Once company even suggests you should buy from them a new luxury car. We do well to remember that this is marketing intended to sell things and get our money. This is not how God tells us to show love to one another.

God calls us to show love to one another daily, not once a year, or on a few annual special occasions!

1 Corinthians 13

The Excellence of Love

      1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

      4Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

      8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

If you want to give a gift, and it is wisely within your budget to do so, go ahead. But don’t do so because you “have to” or are “expected to”.  These gifts mean little and will ultimately have a very limited impact if you do not show love the way God tells us to. Often times just giving gifts on designated marketing holidays comes to be expected and not appreciated as much. If you choose to give an expensive gift, don’t do it because it is Valentines Day. Consider intentionally giving it at some other time besides the widely marketed holidays for an even greater impact.

Warning… when you make changes in how you celebrate these marketing holidays, discuss it openly with your spouse ahead of time! Don’t surprise someone by not giving them something they already expect from years of habit.

When you are ready to truly grow in maturity, turn towards God’s definition of love and begin showing it today to those you love. No warning necessary. They will greatly appreciate how you treat them. However, you may consider sharing the scripture with your spouse and helping one another as you both make the effort to shift focus from the world’s definition of love to God’s.

You can also ask yourself, if I am celebrating love, would it not be right to celebrate loving God as well as loving one another? And to come in thanksgiving to Him for all the love He has shown, shows, and will show us? If we are to focus on love in the Biblical sense, Valentine’s Day just does not match up very well at all. If you explore the origins of this celebration you will find that once again the Catholic church embraced this festival, but it was based first on a pagan celebration. As followers of Christ, we are better off not letting these pagan holidays dictate how we show love for our spouse or loved ones. Instead, love people the way God teaches.

(World Religion News: Pagan origin of Valentines day)

One last parting thought… we can love YHWH and love others because He has first shown me love. Yeshua died for us to make a way for us to be forgiven our sins.

John 15:12-13

      12“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

The best way to show love for one another is through how we treat one another every day of the year.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way and use it for His glory rather than your own. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Control Debt, Control Spending, Generate Income, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Are You As Smart As An Ant?

Are you as smart as an ant? Yes, I mean “a-n-t”, not “a-u-n-t”. This may seem like quite a silly question, but sadly many do not fare well in a practical comparison of the wisdom of the ant compared to their own behavior.

Proverbs 6:6-11

     6Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,

      7Which, having no chief,
Officer or ruler,

      8Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.

      9How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?

      10“A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest”—

      11Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man.

While I have great compassion for those to whom bad situations or poverty has come, we do well to recognize that there are many times when it is of our own doing. If we blame others, we do not address the situation. Let us take a lesson from the ant and remind ourselves to plan ahead. Let us not live only in the “now”. Let us give up some pleasure now and trade it for hard work and self discipline. In many cases we can be much more prepared to deal with the challenges which may come our way.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way and use it for His glory rather than your own. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Control Debt, Generate Income, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice, Proverbs

Parental Counsel from Solomon

For those who do not know Solomon, he was a man uniquely gifted with wisdom by God. He wrote proverbs a few thousand years ago now and his observations and counsel are as valid today as they were then.

Here is some of his advice from Proverbs 6.

We should be very cautious when we pledge, with our money or resources to back it up, on behalf of someone else who is struggling to manage their money. (If they were not struggling, they would not need our help.) Do not risk in this way anything you are not willing to lose if circumstances do not work out.

Proverbs 6:1-5

      1My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor,
Have given a pledge for a stranger,

      2If you have been snared with the words of your mouth,
Have been caught with the words of your mouth,

      3Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself;
Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor,
Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.

      4Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids;

      5Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand
And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

We must be diligent and take personal responsibility for our future needs. Do not rely on someone else or make excuses to put off getting started. The most important aspect of completing a journey is beginning it properly and at the right time. In this way we prepare wisely for our future and will also be better prepared to help others along the way.

Proverbs 6:6-8

      6Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,

      7Which, having no chief,
Officer or ruler,

      8Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.

Sloth, or laziness, is a sure way to end in poverty and need. There are other ways to find poverty, but sloth is one that almost assures it.

Proverbs 6:9-11

      9How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?

      10“A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest”—

      11Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man.

God considers those who are wicked and perverse to be worthless. They may feel like they are “winning” and “being successful” at their wicked endeavors, but in the end they will face God’s judgment. Often there deceitful ways catch up with them in this life as well, bringing calamity without healing.

Proverbs 6:11-15

      12A worthless person, a wicked man,
Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,

      13Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet,
Who points with his fingers;

      14Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil,
Who spreads strife.

      15Therefore his calamity will come suddenly;
Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.

Be wise in the ways of God rather than man. Seek to reflect on this wisdom from Solomon and apply it in your life. Do not just read it and say… “that is true, someone needs to hear that”. Instead, prayerfully ask God to help reveal to you any areas that you need to address personally in your life… and go start to fix them. Then consider if there are others you know that need help in this area. They will learn more from your example than from your words.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice, Tools

Crown Financial Ministries May Be Helpful to You

One aspect of what we try to do is to make people aware of the types of organizations and potentially helpful material that is already readily available to them and may help them in managing the finances God has given them to steward.

Crown Financial Ministries, at www.Crown.org, is an international organization that strives to help people understand godly wisdom in properly handling finances. They provide assistance for personal, church, career, and business needs. They have a reach of over 80 nations and 120 languages.

I encourage you to click through to their website and look around to fully understand what they may offer.  I was intrigued by the variety of resources available in their store that cover a wide range of financial teaching, even for kids.

We are not affiliated with Crown and make no money off any sales, just looks like it has useful resources to help you, whether for personal, business, career, or church finances..

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Ethics, Optimizing Life, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

A Light In The Darkness

We have probably all experienced a time when we are in true darkness. Perhaps camping in the woods on a very cloudy night? Maybe just in our house when the power goes out at night or we wake up at night and walk around the house without turning lights on so as not to disturb our family. Sometimes we can start to remember our way around if it is familiar circumstances… but how well do we do when there are unexpected obstacles (e.g. toys left out in pathways, etc.) or imagine if someone rearranged all the furniture! Usually we will not do well. We will trip or fall or gather bumps and bruises. It is really hard to get around without being able to see where we are going… to recognize clearly what are the obstacles that could hurt us and which is the safe path to travel. This is how many feel about managing their personal finances and trying to get beyond paycheck to paycheck or day to day living and into planning and strategy to prepare for what is to come in the future.

That is why God has given us the Bible! What a glorious gift to His people to have His written instruction book for life. If we choose to use it, it serves to light up our path so we can safely find the right path for living and avoid the traps and obstacles that could hurt us.

Psalm 119:105

105Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

Proverbs in particular serves to provide timeless wisdom for us in how we should deal with our fellow man and also with God. It reminds us of what is good and what is bad. Remember, true goodness is that which is identified by God as right, not that which is identified by man as right. Man often gets it wrong. That is why God wrote it down!

Read Proverbs often, and not as if you are trying to win a race for reading quickly but rather pausing and considering how each verse is relevant not only in life today, but specifically how it may apply to your life. Then allow yourself the humility to admit where you are wrong and work to change your behavior and attitude. Those who are too proud to admit they are wrong, never get the benefit of learning to do better.

Proverbs 16

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

       1The plans of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

      2All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,
But the LORD weighs the motives.

      3Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.

      4The LORD has made everything for its own purpose,
Even the wicked for the day of evil.

      5Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD;
Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

      6By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for,
And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.

      7When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

      8Better is a little with righteousness
Than great income with injustice.

      9The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.

      10A divine decision is in the lips of the king;
His mouth should not err in judgment.

      11A just balance and scales belong to the LORD;
All the weights of the bag are His concern.

      12It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts,
For a throne is established on righteousness.

      13Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And he who speaks right is loved.

      14The fury of a king is like messengers of death,
But a wise man will appease it.

      15In the light of a king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain.

      16How much better it is to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.

      17The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who watches his way preserves his life.

      18Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

      19It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

      20He who gives attention to the word will find good,
And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

      21The wise in heart will be called understanding,
And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

      22Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it,
But the discipline of fools is folly.

      23The heart of the wise instructs his mouth
And adds persuasiveness to his lips.

      24Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

      25There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

      26A worker’s appetite works for him,
For his hunger urges him on.

      27A worthless man digs up evil,
While his words are like scorching fire.

      28A perverse man spreads strife,
And a slanderer separates intimate friends.

      29A man of violence entices his neighbor
And leads him in a way that is not good.

      30He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things;
He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.

      31A gray head is a crown of glory;
It is found in the way of righteousness.

      32He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

      33The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the LORD.

Challenge yourself to identify at least one, but maybe even up to three specific things, that you want to try to work on related to managing your personal finances. As an example, you might consider focusing verse 3 or verse 8.

      3Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.

8Better is a little with righteousness
Than great income with injustice.

Apply these goals to specific decisions and strategies you need to make in regards to your personal finances. If you can, share what you are working on with a trusted friend or family member who is a genuine follower of Christ. There is something for all of us to work on… we just need to admit it and then get about pursuing it!

My top pick for me personally today…

20He who gives attention to the word will find good,
And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

What will you work on? Remember to ask God in prayer to help you!

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Get Started. Do Not Wait For Perfect Timing.

Many know they do not have an adequate personal financial strategy to manage their finances today or plan for the future. They may feel inadequate to the task or simply overwhelmed not knowing where to start, so they wait for “a better time” to do it.

Every task or journey, no matter how complex, can not be completed until you begin. When we continue to put off planning our finances we are like a farmer who never plants his seeds because he is always watching the weather and worried that it is not the perfect time to do so.

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. [Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT]

It is essential to get started. Set aside some time, even if only in small pieces, and begin. It is an important step to get over the psychological barrier many have to start an intimidating task they are not familiar with. If you wait for the perfect time to take the next step, you will never take the next step.

Lay out some easy commitments you know you can make, even if 1 hour a week, or 15 minutes a day to start studying and preparing. Get away from distractions for that time and get started. Many resources are available for free on the internet (such as GrowGodsMoney.org). We have included several that we think are very good in the Resources section of our website.

Wherever you are on your journey to developing a robust personal financial strategy… whether you are waiting to take the first step in planning or whether you have the plan but have not begun to implement or even if you are already implementing but you have not come back to steward your results… take the next step.

If you have it all together and are well-planned and executing well… there is still another step. Find someone who has not come as far and help to encourage, mentor, and guide them.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Diversification, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Diversify Through Fixed Income

When I first started investing, I did not know where to begin in regards to researching the fixed income (e.g. government or corporate bonds) asset class. It is a significant asset class to consider for our portfolio which typically may have more modest returns but less risk than stocks. It can seem overwhelming to at-home investors, or even those who are trying to understand recommendations from their financial advisors. However, we do not win by guessing or by always assuming our advisor is right, but by studying and asking good questions to improve our understanding.

I recommend spending some time at the Vanguard site online to research and possibly invest in diversified government or corporate bond funds. They provide a lot of choices and effective diversification through bond funds. They also have a good search tool to help you sort through the many options available and find what is right for you.

vanguard bond funds

Take the time to research and study either with the Vanguard search tool or other similar tools at different investing sites. Browse through and drill down to read about the different options. For those working with a financial advisor, use this research to help focus your questions and validate the advice they may be giving you. Compare the fee structure of products you are offered vs. the low fee structure at Vanguard.

For the record, I have no affiliation with Vanguard or any other products I comment on in my articles.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Diversification, Plan Carefully and Seek Wise Advice

Diversify Within Stock Investments

Once you have used your personal financial plan to decide how much money you have to invest within an asset class like the stock market, you still want to ensure you diversify within that asset class.

In other words, if you have 5,000 dollars to invest in the stock market you should not put it all in one stock or even in a set of related stocks that could all lose value simultaneously. For example, I am not diversified very effectively if I spread my investment across 5 stocks, but they are all banks… or all oil companies… or all technology companies. If everything goes well I may feel like a genius, but I am also taking a significant risk if something disrupts a whole sector. If I invest in all oil-related stocks, then I am subject to the changes in the price of oil affecting my entire portfolio.

There are many options for investing, even in how to diversify. One way to diversify is to invest in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) that represent sectors of the stock market instead of single stocks. Another way is to pick specific stocks but make sure they are diversified (e.g. maybe 1 financial, 1 oil, 1 tech, 1 healthcare, etc.). However, the more specific you get in investing in individual stocks, the more homework you need to do to keep up with each individual company and what may affect the stock price. You should never just buy and hold without continuing to follow the stocks or groups of stocks you hold.  You should visit the performance of your investments and underlying sectors or companies on a regular basis.

Many are well served to consult an investment professional. However, even those who rely on professional investors to help them should do their own homework to understand the recommendations and investments that they are making. You would not just tell a real estate agent to buy a house for you… you go with them, look at the data, look at the specific houses, you get their input but you make the decisions. The same is true for investing.

For those still trying to find out what diversification across sectors of the stock market means, or for those trying to find effective ways to steward their investments, there are many valuable tools to give you information at a quick glance with the opportunity to drill down for more detail. I found one example of a good tool for sector analysis at Fidelity. You can start with a sector overview and drill down for more information within each sector.  I have included a picture below as an example of different sectors of stocks. In the live version, you can click on the “+” and drill down further on their website.

fidelity sectors

I hope these quick thoughts help you stay properly connected to your investment decisions!

Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .