One penny inspiration
[Investment and Financial Management and Confidence] 1
Translated by Wu Guiying
That day, I was driving out to go to church, and suddenly I caught a glimpse of a lonely penny lying on the ground. I decided to stop the car, bend down, and pick it up. This reminds me of the past when I often picked up a penny when I was a child. I always wrote on my "cash flow chart": On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, how many were picked up, how many were spent, and how many were donated. Come up with a few. I never tire of it.
When I got to church, I had already forgotten about this penny. Today is an invited speaker. He started with the following short story:
A little boy had a chance to talk to God.
The little boy asked, "God, what do you think a thousand years is like?"
God responded, "Oh, like a second."
Little boy: "What does one million feel like?"
God answered, "Like a penny."
Little boy: "Really! God, can you give me one million yuan?"
God quickly responded, "Of course! ... Please wait a second."
This little story got me thinking, why do I see that copper plate before I go out? Did the Holy Spirit know that the speaker would share this story today and moved me to pick it up? Well, most likely, but why?
Is it because I'm willing to stop what I'm doing and pick it up? Or is it because I always work hard? Or am I interested in managing money? The Holy Spirit was amused by my self-questioning and answering, and He made me realize: These are all good reasons, but this copper plate appeared in front of me because God entrusted me to give it out today and assigned it to today's speaker. This is easy for me, and I have always enjoyed encouraging visionary Christian leaders.
After the service, I introduced myself to the special speaker, handed him a penny and said, "I'm going to give you a million dollars." He listened to my story and we both laughed. We continued to have long conversations about money and confidence and developed a strong friendship. The great thing is, since that day a month ago, I have found a penny almost every day.
So, dear reader, how do you apply this story to your faith and money right now?
1. Enjoy the infinite possibilities of God’s abundance. One of the wonderful things about living under the care of the Holy Spirit is that these stories happen every day. You want to be a part of God's story today.
2. Cherish every penny. Willing to pick up every (even if a little dirty) penny. In other words, there are often jobs that no one wants to do. If the Holy Spirit moves you, do it. On the other hand, if you have five million dollars, remember what a penny looks like? God may be pleased with your diligence and faithfulness, but He still views five million dollars as a nickel.
3. Know what you want to give out and be ready when the opportunity comes. Start by being willing to easily hold on to what you’ve been given. Then go find the penny, listen to what to do, and take the risk of acting on it.
risk a penny
On Ash Wednesday, I went to my mother’s church. This was a very rigorous meeting: I knelt in front of my seat for a long time, sang hymns, stood up, received holy ashes on my forehead, knelt down in front of the altar, and received Holy Communion. After that, I really felt that my sins had been forgiven. When we left the church, the Holy Spirit suddenly reminded me: "Have all my sins been forgiven?" I have prayed the "Lord's Prayer" for many years, often asking the Lord to forgive my sins so that I can forgive others. But I did not include petty transgressions. In this Lent meeting, I realized that God forgives our transgressions, and we should also forgive our own transgressions.
Regarding money and assets, recently, I often hear many people say something like this: "Why didn't I do this? Or why didn't I do that?" "Why didn't I do it if I had known this?" I see people's burdens - they accumulate I made many mistakes that I consciously should not have made.
It is extremely easy to make mistakes when handling money. The fact is that in the world of investing, there is always something every day that could be done better. If you think about it carefully, people do make mistakes every day. To make matters worse, when you watch the news, you are reminded every minute of the opportunities you have lost. It feels doubly wrong lately because the value of many assets fluctuates wildly. In addition, mistakes are more likely to be multiplied if leverage instruments (mortgage, debt, financing) are used when investing. I just recently reminded someone that investing money when they already have credit card debt or a car loan is financing 2.
But just like sin, if you cannot forgive yourself for your transgressions, you may lose more power.
People can learn from mistakes made in the past, the trajectory of history, and human nature, but this does not mean that tomorrow will be the same as it was twenty-five years ago or seventy-five years ago. Many times mistakes disappear on their own because there are so many good things surrounding us. When things get tough, mistakes become more obvious. The freedom to see new opportunities requires freedom from the burden of past decision-making.
One reason for making poor financial decisions is not taking the time to review the decision. Consider designing a decision-making process. In the box to the right are some suggested questions to think about. Next time you have to make a financial decision, take a moment to write down your answers on a notepad.
For many years, in order to make decisions that please God, I have used this process given to me by my spiritual mentors, Pastor Herb and Delores Mirly, to ask and answer:
*A What would God say about this decision?
* B Where will this decision take us?
* C What can we do to achieve our desired goal?
* D Are we satisfied with the current situation?
* E Are we in agreement about this decision?
As long as we no longer dwell on the past, do we dare to risk a penny?
You might ask, "Why is anyone investing in risky assets now?" "Why was anyone putting all their assets at risk last year?" Here's what I think:
1. People own many assets, first by engaging in risky investments. Wealth may be accumulated through risky investments such as careers, stocks, or real estate.
2. No one can predict the future; making logical decisions and statistical predictions is great, but no one knows which types of assets will yield the highest after-tax returns over the next ten years. The recent performance of investment gurus has been confusing. One day they are brilliant and another day they look like fools.
3. Yields on U.S. Treasury bills are already close to zero, which also comes with risks, such as losses due to inflation. In fact, there are no truly risk-free assets.
4. Ecclesiastes 11:2:"Give it to seven, or to eight, for you do not know what evil will come on the earth."3 In the past it could have meant money/cash, food, spices, precious metals, gems, livestock, land, houses and businesses. Currently, assets that can be added are bonds (government/municipal/corporate/international), stocks (US/international), hedge funds, managed futures funds, real estate, art, and collectibles.
5. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 records the disastrous consequences of the servant who did not dare to take any risks. Verses 26 to 30:“The master answered and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, since you know that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered, you must leave my money to the moneychangers until I come. , take back his talent with interest, and give it to him who has ten thousand; for to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Throw this useless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”This passage alone gives us good reasons to consider taking risks.
Notes
1: Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent before Easter, is the Wednesday seven weeks before Easter.
2: Financing, margin, the investor does not purchase the security in full, but only pays a specific percentage of the price (called margin or margin), and the balance is financed by the securities dealer. It is a kind of borrowing behavior. If the stock rises, the investor will make a profit. , otherwise investors need to pay a margin to maintain a certain balance in their investment account.
3: Refers to risk diversification.
Tips on investment and financial management
No investment strategy, such as asset allocation, can guarantee a profit or protect against losses during bad times. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.
Some suggested questions to think about:
1. What is the core problem?
2. What was said in the past?
3. What were my initial thoughts?
4. What does the Bible say in relation to this situation?
5. What inspiration does the Holy Spirit give me?
6. What does my training, experience and knowledge say?
7. What does my advisory team say?
Author profile
Eric Vogen, founder and CEO of Vision Capital & Management, holds a master's degree in business, holds a financial planner (CFP) certificate, and has more than 20 years of practical experience in securities investment.
Translator profile
Wu Guiying is from Taiwan and currently lives in Maryland. Her husband is Professor Wen Yingqian, a well-known economist.