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Giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s is a Christian Duty

September 28, 2012 By 1 Comment

give to caesarMany verses in the Bible are misquoted, misinterpreted, or taken out of context or their contextual meaning. Some of the worse violations in this regard involve Jesus’ statements concerning money and finances.

Among the most misquoted is “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.”

The quote is taken from a story that occurs in several Gospels, including Mark, specifically 12:13-18, as well as Luke. For clarity’s sake I will use Mark’s version to provide a quick summary.

In the story, Pharisees and Herodians are sent to speak to Jesus. The Pharisees were a traditional, conservative sect within Judaism at the time, and the Herodians most likely some sort of a political entity friendly to the family of Herod Antipater, who was tetrarch of Galilee at the time.

First, they flatter Jesus by calling him a man of integrity and pretending to be authentic and ingenuous about their concern for the law and following God. They then ask him whether they should pay taxes to Caesar or not.

Jesus immediately accuses them of hypocrisy and demands to see a denarius, which was a Roman coin. After they produce one, Jesus asks them whose inscription is on it. When they reply it is Caesar, Jesus answers, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.”

Mark writes “they were amazed at his answer.” In Luke’s Gospel, the men were “astonished by his answer, (and) they became silent.”

A ‘GOTCHA’ QUESTION

It is important to contextualize the situation.

At the time of this story, Jesus had entered Jerusalem for the Passover on a donkey during the triumphant entry, which is now called Palm Sunday. The large welcoming he receives made his enemies jealous, as well as concerned he would attempt to rebel against the Roman government and bring disaster down on them.

To get rid of him, the religious and political enemies of Jesus attempt to trap him in his own words - similar to a modern day political “gotcha!” question.

One important observation to make is the intent of the men who ask the question.

Luke’s account (20:20-26) describes them as spies who hope to catch Jesus in something he said to hand him over to the government.

Thus, the question they asked him was strictly to trap him in a no-win situation.

Had Jesus answered they were not required to pay taxes to Caesar, it would have qualified as preaching rebellion against the Roman government and would have been appropriate grounds to have him arrested by the authorities. In fact, during Jesus’ eventual trial, many of the Jewish chief priests would later falsely claim to Pontius Pilate Jesus had preached this.

On the other hand, had Jesus replied they should pay taxes to Caesar, the spies would have then used his answer to stir up a mob and have him stoned or killed. Roman rule over Palestine was extremely unpopular among many Jews during the time, which is why the region suffered from so many insurrections, rebellions and revolts. Many Jews believed it was wrong to pay taxes to a pagan government and despised many of their own people for working as tax collectors, like St. Matthew, who was a tax collector before Jesus called him. Some Jews also did not consider the Romans their legitimate rulers; thus, for Jesus to say they should pay taxes would, in their mind, giving the Roman rule legitimacy and indirectly condemning Jewish nationalism.

Also, Passover was one of the most important of Jewish religious holidays, which meant the people would already be in a highly religious and patriotic mood, making it easy to manipulate them.

QUESTION ACT OF REVENGE

Additionally, if one reads the previous section before this incident, one will discover the spies were using the exact same trick question Jesus had used against them.

In both Mark and Luke’s gospels, the chief priests and elders of the law challenge Jesus’s authority to teach and preach from the Torah, since he was not a trained rabbi, and demand to know where his authority comes from. Jesus replies he would answer the question if they first answer his: Where had John the Baptist’s authority come from, men or God?

Discussing it amongst themselves, they realize they can’t answer it either way; if they say John’s authority came from God, why hadn’t they accepted his teachings of repentance? If they say his authority came from men, i.e. he made it all up, they fear being stoned by the people, who firmly believed John had been a prophet.

Thus, they aren’t able to give an answer because they lack of the courage to stand by their convictions, a fault they know very well Jesus did not suffer from himself.

So the question of paying taxes to Caesar is an attempt at revenge for humiliating them, knowing he has the bravery to say what he believes regardless of how unpopular it is.

Jesus response showcases both his brilliant wit and his divine knowledge.

In Luke’s Gospel, he immediately confronts them for their deceit, calling them hypocrites, and asks them why they intend to trap him.

Right away, he using showing them he knows their hearts and hasn’t been fooled for an instant. He also points out their hypocrisy because he knows if they were asked the same question, they wouldn’t answer it. This puts them on the defensive.

It is also significant to note whom the spies were; one group, the Pharisees, were generally opposed to the Roman government and disliked paying taxes; the other group, the Herodians, supported or at the very least were open to the Romans and most likely supported the taxation. So no matter what answer he gave, he was guaranteed to offend one of the groups.

After having chastised them, Jesus then asks them to show him a denarius. When they do, he inquires whose face is on it. When they reply it is Caesar’s, Jesus answers their question: Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.

OMITTING THE SECOND PART OF THE ANSWER

Most people only know the first part of this quote; and even those who know the other half don’t understand what Jesus meant by it.

As I see it, the point Jesus was making is that a denarius bears the image of Caesar. Therefore, if Caesar issues a tax, it should be paid.

In other words, his answer is yes, the Jews should pay taxes to Caesar if required to.

But the other half of the answer is the most insightful. He says to them “Give to God what is God’s.”

When he says this, he is referring to mankind, which bears the image and likeness of God. Therefore, men should give what God demands of them as well. And God made it clear in the Old Testament they were to love him with all their heart, soul, and strength.

This is what makes Jesus’ answer so profound. In addition to saying the Jews should submit to the Roman government, Jesus is telling them that they should be as equally concerned, if not more concerned, about submitting to what God asks of them.

He is essentially putting God’s commandments above Caesar’s decrees and laws while simultaneously telling people to obey Caesar. He is effectively disarming any qualms the Herodians may have about his answer, while making it impossible for the Pharisees to accuse him of putting obedience to Rome above obedience to God. Additionally, he is chastising them for their obsession with money rather than spirituality.

The phrase “Render unto Caesar’s that which is Caesar’s” is often used in a very pro-statism and totalitarian manner. When used, it generally means whatever the government wants of its citizens it owns or is entitled to.

Those who use only the first part of the phrase miss the entire point Jesus made; our focus should not be so much on money and the government as it is on God. This was a direct attack on the Sadducees, Herodians and other chief priests who placed their allegiance to Rome - the government - above God. It was the chief priest who would later say at Jesus’ trial “We have no king but Caesar.”

The underlying message, however, is that Christians should “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” as long as it does not belong to God, and it would be foolish to think there is anything we could “render unto God” which is Caesar’s, i.e the government, because everything is created by God.

For Christians today, this means while we should be concerned about matters such as taxes and money, we shouldn’t become so obsessed with money and taxes to the point where we forget our obedience to God.

photo by tonynetone

Filed Under: Family Finances, Investing Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

How to Claim Money on a Personal Injury

September 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

personal injuryThere are many variables at play in claiming money for personal injury, some are fixed and others keep changing during the recovery process. Let’s examine each one. First, who you are matters. The variables here include your age, occupation, health, whether or not you are retired or stay at home, your family and your career. On the opposing side, the net worth of the defendant matters.

Who you are filing against matters. Is it an individual, corporation or insurance company? Winning cases against corporations or insurance companies can be time consuming and costly. They have experienced legal teams whose sole responsibility is to settle claims for a little as possible, as quickly as possible. If they don’t, they will stall and delay your claim, trying to bring you to your knees to settle on their terms. This is especially true if you cannot work.

Every case is unique. Most defendants will pay for medical bills and may pay as little as possible for pain and suffering. Over 50% of insurance adjusters use a computerized program called Collosus. They pump into their computers, medical expenses, lost wages, severity of the accident and a percentage for pain and suffering. The program considers the extent of injuries such as broken bones, loss of limbs, restriction of movement, radiating pain, depression, headache, dizziness and visual problems. Then they calculate the opposing attorney’s win-loss record at trial, and possible trial venue. What spews out is a settlement number. If you want to go about the process with less risk, go with no win no fee claims from first4lawyers.

You, as Plaintiff, can accept or reject any offer. If your injuries are severe, you should hire a skilled personal injury attorney. He/she will advise you as to whether you should consider settling before arbitration or trial. He/she will also advise you concerning how much your counter offer should be. Anyone who has negotiated previously will know that both sides have an agenda. The plaintiff wants the most money possible. The defendant wants to settle for as little as possible. Let’s take an example. The defendant’s insurance company is offering a settlement of $100,000. You, as plaintiff, want $300,000. In the heat of the moment, you want to split the difference and settle for $200,000. Wrong. The only way to win is to counter offer with the smallest possible amount, say $296,000. Always use an odd number. The opposing side will always wonder why you chose that number. They will also know of your determination for getting the most money. At this point do not❠make another offer. Let the defendant make the next offer. This back and forth process may take several months. Don’t rush it. Any anxiety sensed from you will harden the opposition. When the gap between you and the defendant has narrowed to the point where you feel there is little more to give, you can decide to accept of reject the final offer.

If you need some legal guidance, you may want to check out legal zoom reviews for more info on how to protect yourself.

Remember that you have the option of going to arbitration or trial, but keep in mind that the defendant’s final offer will be used in these negotiations.

This post is brought to you by injuryclaim.co.uk

photo by neeta_lind

Filed Under: Investing

How to Get a Raise When Your Employer Canâ™t Afford to Give You One

September 21, 2012 By 6 Comments

get a pay raiseRaises are tough to get these days, and even when they do come they’re often in the low single digits. While we might be tempted to think that the problem is either that the employer doesn’t value our skills or is just being stingy, the truth is often deeper.

Many employers are holding back raises for economic survival. Often your performance is good or even superior but budget problems leave no room for pay increases of any kind. Health insurance is another issueâ”premiums go up every year and employers often eat the increases to keep harmony in the staff.

If you’re facing this situation, and especially if it’s been happening for several years, you may want to look in other directions to get what we might call a raise equivalentâ.

The way to do this is to look beyond money. If your employer can’t afford to give you a raise, ask for one or more of the following.

Extra vacation time

One week of additional vacation time translates to approximately a 2% raise on an annual basis (1 week divided by 52 weeks). Though your employer will be without your services for the extra week, it isn’t the kind of situation where they’ll be writing an additional check that will come out of the bottom line. You get extra time off, but it costs the company nothing.

Flextime

Though it may not seem apparent at first glance, a flextime arrangement could be worth more to you than extra vacation time or even a pay raise. Here’s whyâ¦

  • It can offer you a more favorable schedule that will cut time off your morning and afternoon commutes; net resultâ”more free time
  • A schedule that gets you out of work earlier in the day could help your cause if you have a second job or side businessâ”though you won’t earn extra money on your job, you could see an increase from your side venture as a result
  • If you have hobbies or charitable work that you do in your off hours, a flexible schedule could be set up that gives you more time for those pursuits

A good friend of mine who is breaking into ministry work has a 6 am to 2:30 pm work schedule on his full time job that gives him more time for training and ministry work. It’s always worth looking into making this happen.

One of the best aspects of flextime is that from an employer standpoint, it’s revenue neutral. You’re working the same number of hours, just at times that work better with your life. If that isn’t a form of compensation, I don’t know what is!

Work from home

Working from home doesn’t work for everyone, but if you’re one for whom it does this could be an excellent raise substitute.

Not only does work from home cut out commutingâ”and the time it takesâ”but it also tends to minimize office politics, gossip sessions and even some meetings. You may find that you’re able to get more work done in less time. If so, you can use the extra time to increase your production, and that may get you a money raise next time around.

Be ready to negotiate too. If you can’t get a full time work from home arrangement, ask for three days a week, or even two. Any days you can get will be a win.

A shorter work week

This one is risky, but if you’re truly getting the job done for your employer, and the reason you don’t get a raise is because of the company’s financial position it could be worth asking for.

There are different ways to work this out. One could be a shorter day, say 7.5 hours rather than eight. Another could be an early departure one day a week. Just make sure your employer values your services enough to consider the arrangement.

Transfer to another department

This is another risky move, but it could also address several other issues. If one of the reasons you don’t get a raise is because your department is under budget pressure, moving to another department could remove the problem.

But perhaps more important is that it will give you a chance to develop a new set of skills that could help you advance in your industry. You’re opting to take the long term view with this move.

Promotion

Many promotions occur without raises so this isn’t even a stretch. Just as you would do in transferring to a different department, a promotionâ”even without extra compensationâ”could offer you an opportunity to raise your position (if in name only) and to learn some new skills.

Though there’d be no immediate financial benefit to the move, it could payoff handsomely in the future.

When money is tight for your employer, flexibility is your best ally. Use it well and get the extra compensation you deserve.

Have raises been an issue on your job? If so, what are you doing to work around it?

photo by refractedmoments

Filed Under: Investing

9 Tips to Graduate College Without the Chains of Debt!

September 19, 2012 By 4 Comments

graduate debt freeWith the costs of college tuition and living expenses skyrocketing, I hear a lot of people, particularly teenagers in high school, talk about whether it is possible to graduate from college without incurring any debt.

The truth is, despite the rising costs recently, it is possible for someone to obtain a degree without burdening themselves with student loans.

I myself was able to pull it off due to a combination of planning, saving, and generous assistance from family and relatives.

In order for it to happen, though, someone has to make it a priority, not merely wishful thinking or an afterthought. Avoiding debt in higher education requires thoughtful consideration and strategic decision-making.

To help out, here are a few things I learned along the way which could be of use to those who either are about to embark on their college journey or have children or younger siblings who have a few more years before they have to worry about it.

1. Get a job ASAP

I got a job as a sophomore in high school working as a birthday coordinator (yes, that was the actual title) for a local recreational place near my house. I then got another job as a clerk at the local grocery store and worked continuously until the week before I left for my first day of college.

Getting a job as early as possible is important not only because it helps pay towards your college, but it also teaches you skills which you help be successful in college. For example, my senior year I ran on the cross country and track team in addition to my grocery clerk job. This meant I had to be up at around 6 a.m,. , leave home at 7 a.m. in the morning, finish cross country practice at 5:30 p.m. and not get back home until 10 p.m.

To survive, I had to be organized and efficient with my time. I had to learn how to cram in study sessions in between lunch breaks at work or before school and sports practice.

The discipline I had acquired from that really helped me my final quarter of college, when I was working as the news editor for the university student newspaper while also taking 22 credits.

2. Save, save, save

When I first saw money trickle into my bank account, there was a terrible temptation to spend some of it. Occasionally, I did. After all, it seems as though you can afford to spend small amounts, especially when the number rises into the thousands of dollars.

The problem is it’s an illusion. Although your savings may seem like a lot, remember it’s going to pay for several years of college amounting to tens of thousands of dollars. You will need every penny.

After deducting a small amount of your paycheck for tithing and expenses, tuck the rest of it away in a savings account and don’t touch it. It won’t accumulate much interest, but you will be less tempted to spend it there, especially if you love your debit card. I made the mistake of making lots of small orders on Amazon.com, thinking I wasn’t spending much, until I counted up the total spending and realized how much it actually turned out to be.

Don’t let spending creep up on you by avoiding unnecessary purchases.

3. Take as many Advancement Placement classes you can where you have a realistic chance of passing the test

While in high school I took three separate AP classes, all of them social studies-related. And I passed all three tests and got college credit for it.

There was a reason I didn’t bother in math or science; I was terrible at both. Today, there is a strong push, depending on your school district, to take AP classes, and even more pressure to take the test. Don’t listen to anyone except yourself on this. As Dirty Harry said, “a man’s got to know his limitations.” Know yours. Take only the AP classes where you either have the time to study or the material comes easy to you and you won’t have trouble with the test.

I say this because when it comes to college, the test is all that matters. If chances are you won’t pass the test, you risk taking a class where you won’t receive any college credit, and all the hard work and studying will only take away time you could have dedicated to your other classes.

By taking AP classes, and passing the tests, I freed myself up from several requisite courses which, in addition to other decisions, enabled me to graduate two quarters early.

4. Do running start for the last two years of high school

This was one big regret of mine from high school. I never took running start, and looking back if I could have I would have done it in an instant. Aside from some extra costs, it is essentially two free years of college that also count as two years of high school. When you eventually go to the college of your choice, you will have two years already completed, freeing you up to pursue other courses. The downside to this option is that it will separate you socially from the rest of your high school peers, but if you’re participating in a sport of other extra curricular activity this won’t have as much of an impact. And frankly, sparing yourself two years financially of college is worth the juvenile social drama.

5. Be realistic about the colleges you can afford

I do say this with somewhat of a side note: this is for people who are interested mainly in obtaining a degree with incurring debt and don’t have a specific college in mind, or their financial capacity to afford it is the highest priority. If you aspire to attend a prestigious private university or Ivy League school, where the costs are substantially higher, or your career involves an extended education, i.e. doctor, lawyer, master’s degree, it becomes increasingly contingent upon your financial background and the scholarship money/financial assistance you receive if you still want to graduate debt free.

From the get-go, I selected colleges I could afford based on the amount of money I had saved, would make during the summers in-between school, and other financial assistance I received from my family. Depending on your circumstances, i.e. scholarships, financial assistance, family finances, you may have a greater range of colleges to attend than others.

For me, it was mostly confined to in-state public universities, so my options were somewhat limited. The university I ultimately chose, Eastern Washington University, had one of the lowest tuition rates in the state (tuition has spiked since, though). But I was realistic about what I could afford.

If you’re in college

6. Try to work a part time job during the school year

This is easier when you’re attending a college located within a larger city, where more jobs are available, but if you can, try to find some way to make money while you’re at school. Thanks to Craigslist, you can often find part-time or freelance work in your region, or apply for one after the school year starts. You can also apply for jobs at the university you attend. One popular job at my university for students was working in the library. Others tutored or taught music lessons.

This is beneficial because working year round, rather than merely during the summer, will help even if it’s confined to the weekends or a few hours in the afternoon each day. It can be difficult, though, for those with greater academic loads or more rigorous courses.

Additionally, if the job happens to give you career-related work experience, it’s two birds with one stone, so to speak.

7. Take classes you have to take to graduate, not ones you want to take

Most universities have a list of requisite courses you’re required to take in order to graduate. Some of them give you flexibility as to the course. Others do not. I took lots of literature courses, such as Shakespeare or Western Literature, but they all applied to my general course requirements.

What I’ve found after college, however, is that many classes I took, purely out of my interest on the subject, were a waste. With the Internet, you can not only study the subject just as thoroughly for free on many websites, but you can also check out the required reading for the course, order the books online or from a library, and then study at your leisure. This certainly isn’t the most orthodox manner in which to educate yourself, but it will certainly save you more than a buck.

8. Cut costs any way you can

I know you’re supposed to “have fun” in college, but “having fun” shouldn’t bankrupt you. This is the time to be frugal and not get harangued for it. Shop at thrift stores where you can buy second-hand items for dirt cheap. When you shop for food, buy inexpensive, but healthy products like fruits, vegetables, and pasta. And stay away from the liquor section of the grocery store. Try to avoid things like cash loans. Instead, work additional part time jobs!

Some universities require you to live on campus for the first year which include their meal plans; if you can, avoid it. Generally speaking, their “meal plans” are the equivalent of a coal mining company “truck system.” Since they control where you spend your meal plan dollars, they can set the prices as high as they like.

If you are required to live in the residential halls, get the cheapest meal plan you can and shop for the rest. When purchasing books for classes, there are dozens of ways to either avoid the eye-gauging prices at the university bookstore or paying for them at all. for the first two quarters my freshmen year, I had to buy only two full-priced books; the rest were either borrowed or the earlier edition, which is usually 10-20 percent of the original price.

If you aren’t required to live in the residential halls, be willing to settle for less than you’re accustomed to at home when it comes to your living situation. After living in my (Beta Theta Pi) fraternity house for two and a half years, I moved into a slightly renovated miner’s shack from the Great Depression after finding it on Cragislist. It was 300 square feet. No insulation between the single board walls. The temperature never got above 60 degrees even with the electric baseboard heaters on day and night. When the temperature outside dipped down to near zero degrees, I woke up in the mornings with frost on my side of the walls stuck to my blanket.

Was it a sultan’s palace? Not really. But it was cheap and a monthly lease, which is exactly what I needed. I wouldn’t recommend this for 99 percent of people, but if you can find a cheaper place with less amenities than usual, give it a thought before you turn it down.

9. Pray about your decisions before you make it, and keep praying

This is something I really didn’t do until my last year of college, and I very much regret, but before you make major decisions about what school to attend and what career to go into, the best thing you can do is to pray about it.

As a Christian, your life isn’t just about what you want, but what God wants, and often they are not the same. For example, you may wish to attend a certain college or get a certain degree, but God could have other plans for you. Or, they may be the same. The only way to find out is to pray about it.

I regret not praying over it because after I chose which university to attend I got anxious about whether or not I had made the right choice. I also know people who were dead set on graduating from a certainty university, only to find themselves, due to circumstances mostly beyond their control, end up elsewhere.

But prayer shouldn’t stop there. The desire to remain debt-free is biblical, so there is nothing wrong with asking God for help in that endeavor. Just remember to pray, not wish.

photo by smemon

Filed Under: College Finances, Investing Tagged With: , , ,

E-Commerce Today

September 12, 2012 By 1 Comment

Ecommerce websites have come a long way since it was confined to transactions between large companies. Now, it includes purchases made over the internet and transactions between peers. The proliferation of mobile devices and the burgeoning popularity of social media have only encouraged it, and retailing has been revolutionised. This sector has surely recovered from the 2008/9 recession. Facebook’s recent offering of shares was something of a damp squib, but the sector continues to have extremely strong prospects. Forrester Research reported that, in the United States, e-commerce grew by 12.6 percent to $176bn and was expected to grow another 60 percent to $279bn by 2015.

The number of consumers conducting their shopping online is growing as unemployment and transportation costs rise, internet connection speed improves and e-retailers provide ever more incentives such as free shipping. Tablet computers and smartphones are the most oft-requested items. Books, video, music and games are increasingly moving online. Amazon and eBay are the dominant online retailers while Netflix is firmly-entrenched in the realm of film delivery. Groupon issues coupons for local stores which have a short lifetime and intends to go public. Airline tickets and hotel reservations booked online are growing markedly and more so in China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Korea, with online travel companies such as Expedia, Priceline.com and Orbitz Worldwide the principal beneficiaries.

Online advertising is growing strongly to take advantage of the increased number of people whiling away their hours with the internet. EMarketer forecast that online advertising spending would increase by more than 20 percent. Shares in search engine providers such as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft are seen as a sound investment.

Retailers are turning their attention from core systems to customer-facing applications. Ivano Ortis, the research director of IDC Retail Insights, said that spending on infrastructure had fallen from 80 percent of IT spending to 60 percent. The head of IT at Marks & Spencer, Pete Mitchley-Hughes, said his company was concentrating more on its website, which was previously run by Amazon but is now managed in-house to allow for flexibility and independence. He also said that mobile technology was a massive growth area❠for M&S, and keeping up was a tremendous challenge. He added that many organisations were consolidating their systems.

One key area of improvement is top ecommerce software to enable customers to browse products in-store, even in local express shops. Mark Jeffers, Tesco.com’s international development manager, said that instead of large projects, releases were now made on a monthly basis, which he described as a huge shift.

It is clearly apparent that e-commerce is seen as the hottest of areas in venture capital.

Filed Under: Investing, World Finance

Giving is Not Just About Money

September 7, 2012 By 4 Comments

givingAs Christians we often place special importance on giving money, to the Church, to other charities, to those in need who are close to us. But what if you don’t have extra money to give? Or if you’re one of the people who are in need? Should you not give?

The reality is that even if you don’t have money to give, there’s always something that you can offer to others and even to the Church in lieu of money.

Giving time and effort

In Matthew 9:37 Jesus said, âThe harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.❠Even then, while Jesus walked among us in the body, there were far too few who would step forward and give their time and effort for Kingdom work. That verse is as true now as it was then. Many times people give money to the Church in lieu of their time and effort, even though the latter is needed more than money.

All churches and charities need people to give their time and effort, even if they can’t give money. People are needed for the collection and disbursement of funds, for administrative functions and for providing goods and services to beneficiaries and others.

Time and effort isn’t less important than money either. If a church or a charity don’t have volunteers to run the organization, they might have to pay people and that will cost even more money. Your time and efforts matter!

The same is true of the people in need around you. Many of them need help, as in physical help, more than they need money. Anyone who is able bodied can provide time and effort to a person who is elderly, disabled or going through a rough time in life.

Giving material goods

Material goods can also be just as good as money. Donating old furniture or a used car to a church, charity or someone in need may enable people facing trouble to get by in life.

There are times when simply providing a home cooked meal to a struggling family can be the greatest witness of all. It says you care enough to contribute to their well being, and the message that conveys can be stronger than a cash donation. It puts a person behind a gift.

The next time you’re going to replace something in your homeâ”a lawn mower, a fan, a refrigerator or anything that still worksâ”consider donating it to a charity or give it to a person or family in need. That’ll be no less valuable than money.

Giving expertise

Every one of us have skills that we could use to help others. Sometimes you hear of a doctor or dentist who volunteer their services in a poor neighborhood one day a monthâ”we can all do the same thing.

Can you prepare income taxes? Do home repairs? Deal with creditors? Sew clothing? There are people in need who could use your services right now.

Giving compassion

In a world where disconnected people are all too common, sometimes the best gift we can give is compassion. During normal timesâ”what ever they areâ”most of us may be quite content to be separated from others. It’s become something of a cultural norm in a world of electronic entertainment and security systems. But when death, disease or some other crisis hits we suddenly need people. Being available to be a support in a crisis is another way to give, and its even more valuable than money most times.

In the middle of crisis, we all need someone to talk to, someone to offer us support or simply to listen. Most of us, most of the time, never seem to have the time to do this. Being available to someone in need is a real gift, even and often especially if the person is a complete stranger. In fact, what better Christian witness is there than giving the gift of compassion to a stranger?

Giving non-monetarily shouldn’t be a substitute if you DO have money

So far, I’ve discussed giving in lieu of money, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give money if you’re in a position to do soâ”and most of us are.

Giving money might be more about us than it is about the people or organizations we give our gifts to. It’s an indication of the state of our hearts. As believers, we must be willing to let go of what we have, especially money. When we do, we’re making a statement about our own faithâ”not for others to see, but for God. We’re telling Him that we trust Him enough to let go of our money.

Most of us are in a position to give generously, whether it’s time and effort, material goods, expertise, compassionâ”or money. The next time you think you have no money to give, think a little harder about ALL that you have, and you’ll find plenty that you can give.

Have you ever failed to give because of a lack of money?

photo by krislitman

Filed Under: Investing

Financial Solutions to Take your Business Onto the Next Level

September 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The life of a Small and Medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) can be a difficult one. Until you really establish yourself, it can be a constant battle with your finances but you don’t have to do everything on your own and there are ways to help alleviate the cash flow issues so many SMEs face. Many will have provided much of the capital to get things off the ground and not necessarily relied on bank loans and while this may have served you well in getting established, in order to take your business to the next level, it’s time to look at the professional finance tools that are designed specifically to aid SMEs.

Growth is essential for any SME. If you stand still things can stagnate and your competitors can move past you in the market so a business may have to diversify by entering new markets. Finance is key to this growth and there are a number of finance solutions ideal to take your business on to the next level.

Invoice finance

Aldermore invoice finance, for example is ideal to unlock your capital and grow your business. As a small business, it’s likely that you’ll need a constant flow of working capital but often this isn’t accessible as it’s tied up in your outstanding invoices. Furthermore, waiting for and chasing clients to pay cannot only be frustrating but incredibly time consuming.

An invoice finance solution, such as factoring or invoice discounting, releases a percentage of this money immediately, with the rest provided once the invoice is paid in full (less an admin fee). You’re free to use the capital to grow and expand your enterprise, safe in the knowledge that whatever funds you’re using is capital the business already has. When opting for factoring, the responsibility of chasing the payments and the credit control will be the responsibility of the factoring agent; whereas invoice discounting keeps the service confidential from your customers and leaves the chasing of the invoices up to you and the control of your sales ledger is in your hands.

Asset finance

As your business grows, so does your requirement for assets. Whether its vehicles, equipment or machinery, paying out for these assets can be costly and a drain on your much needed capital. Asset finance is a flexible way to pay for the cost of an asset during its economic life and can be broken down into hire purchase and lease finance.

Hire purchase involves paying for a deposit on the item which is then paid for in regular instalments, while lease finance involves an intermediary (such as Aldermore Bank) purchasing the asset and then leasing it to your business with no commitment to purchasing.

Both these distinct financial options offer a viable way for your business to grow and expand without leaving you in financial difficulties and is becoming integral to the life of small businesses.

Filed Under: Investing

Take Our Money!

August 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

broker logoFrom June 18 to September 17, a new promo “Take our Money” was launched by the company North-West Financial Broker. This is the unique campaign that allows partners during 3 months, to get 100% of the profits (2 points) of the Company on the most popular currency pairs: USD / JPY, EUR / USD, GBP / USD, USD / CHF, etc. To be honest, for quite a long time I haven’t seen an affiliate program in the Internet, which gives 100% of the profits to partners.

The essence of the campaign is simple, let’s see an example. Let’s say you have attracted a client to the North-West Financial Broker, and this client decides to open an account for $ 500. Naturally the client starts trading in the market and opens, for example, the position on the currency pair EUR / USD 1.0 lot, thus he pays the spread the Company 2 points for opening a position, that makes 20$. This profit that the Company gets from the customer, they completely, 100% of the amount transfer to you! Thus, after each similar closed position, you immediately earn 20$. And even if the client makes only one deal a day for a month, your earnings in this affiliate program is 22 * 20 = 440$ per month (at 22 trading days) only on one client.

Now imagine, if you can attract 4-5 such customers and in most cases, as the experience shows many customers make 5-10 trades a day. In this case, your earnings will amount to 2000-3000$, and this is a completely different kind of money!

To open an account with an affiliate program is easy enough. For this you need to click the link to the official website of North-West Financial Broker and fill in a simple registration form.

Next in the section “partners”, fill in the application for participation in the affiliate program.

That’s all! After the manager approves your application, you will get your affiliate link and all the marketing materials.
Do not waste your time, register now in an affiliate program of NWFB and take 100% of profits of each attracted client. And if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the support team and will get answers to all your questions.

Filed Under: Investing

You Need to Change How You Think About Stock Investing

August 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

You are 35 years old. You have saved $100,000 over the years and have invested it in the stock market, hoping that it will help you finance your old-age retirement. You are adding $10,000 to your account each year.

You read an article in a money magazine in which an expert says that he thinks that market prices will be falling by 50 percent this year and you curse your bad luck. Then you see that the magazine also included an article putting forward the opposite point of view, that market prices will go up by 50 percent this year. That one puts a smile on your face! If prices go up by 50 percent, your portfolio value will shoot up to $150,0000. Wouldn’t that be great?
No.
It would not be great.
It would be terrible.
I have a calculator at my web site that lets us examine the long-term effect of these two possibilities. It’s called The Returns Sequence Reality Checker. If we assume that stocks will continue to perform in the future somewhat as they always have in the past (that is, that we will see a long-term return of something in the neighborhood of 6.5 percent real), we are all a LOT better off if stock prices fall 50 percent next year than we are if they rise 50 percent next year.
$2,106,761. That’s what you will see as a portfolio value when you turn 65 if we see a 50 percent price drop this year and if you continue to make $10,000 contributions in each of the next 30 years.
$1,355,021. That’s what you will see as a portfolio value when you turn 65 if we see a 50 percent price rise this year and if you continue to make $10,000 contributions in each of the next 30 years.
$751,740. That’s the difference between the two numbers.
If we see a 50 percent price drop rather than a 50 percent price rise, you will end up at the end of three decades richer to the tune of nearly $800,000. Yet you are rooting for the price rise! Almost all of us are! What gives?
What gives is that our thinking about how stock investing works is terribly messed up. I believe that it is our messed-up thinking about how stock investing works that caused the economic crisis. I am hoping that we will all soon begin working together to develop smarter and better-informed ways of thinking about how we invest our retirement money.
Most people are shocked to learn that stock-price drops are better than stock-price increases. I ask that you try to take a step back and to understand why it makes perfect sense that this would be the case.
Stocks are something you buy, right? You will be buying stocks regularly for the next 30 years if you are 35 today and plan to retire at age 65, right? Is it generally a good thing if the things you are buying regularly are available for sale at low prices or at high prices?
Low prices are better! Always! No exceptions! We all love low prices!
Except when it comes to buying stocks.
When it comes to buying stocks, our brains go haywire. When it comes to buying stocks, we root for high prices. That get us into a whole big bunch of trouble.
It’s because we all like price increases that stock prices went so insanely high in the late 1990s. And it’s because prices went so insanely high that stocks have delivered poor returns for 13 years now and are still today priced for at least one more price crash. We allowed stock prices to get too high. And we did it because we think of high prices as a good thing rather than a bad thing.
We need to start thinking about stock-price increases as a bad thing. We need to come to appreciate how low prices are just as great when buying stocks as they are when buying all other goods and services.
I believe that what confuses us is that we all own stocks and we assess our chances of being able to retire by looking at the current value of our portfolios. We shouldn’t do that. We should only be concerned with future values. It is being able to buy stocks at low prices that lets us acquire more stocks and thus to be able to retire much sooner and in much more comfort.
When you negotiate with a car salesman, you know that a high price benefits him and that a low price benefits you. That’s the attitude you need to apply to the stock-buying process too. You need to root for low prices, to demand low prices, to refuse to buy stocks when prices get too darn high.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that a price increase of 50 percent will increase your portfolio value by $50,000 next year. That’s chicken feed! A price drop will increase your portfolio value by nearly $800,000 at the end of 30 years!
It’s by buying stocks at low prices that you acquire the wealth needed to achieve financial independence. Reports of falling stock prices are good news to those of us still in the process of financing our retirements. It’s when prices rise that we are being ripped off.
Don’t make the $800,000 mistake. Never again get excited by rising stock prices. You want to buy stocks in the same way you buy everything else. You want to buy stocks on sale!
Rob Bennett argues that the true cause of the current financial crisis was the popularity of Buy-and-Hold investing strategies. His bio is here.
Filed Under: Investing

Managing your Car Expense

August 25, 2012 By 1 Comment

car expenseCar insurance is a major expense that can drain your precious funding for other important aspects in your life. Especially if you have had a few car accidents or have been pulled over for speeding before, this can raise the bill of your car insurance making it more expensive, and sometimes it can even make your vehicle hard to afford. However, despite the expense of car insurance, it is irreplaceable if you suddenly get into a car accident. There are benefits that almost make it a must.

These benefits will depend on the type of car insurance policy that you purchase; however, these are some of the benefits that will come with the purchase of car insurance.

Covered if you are injured in a car accident

If you are injured in a car accident and you do not have medical insurance, then you will be covered up. This is tremendously beneficial when you would otherwise have an expensive bill to pay.

Damage to car in an accident is covered

Damage to a car in an accident can sometimes be expensive. Without the coverage of car insurance, you might find yourself without a vehicle to get to work. This can be devastating and can also cause a lot of stress.

Peace of mind

Simply knowing that you will not be devastated if your car is in an accident is a great feeling. It will provide you with a peace of mind that is priceless. There is nothing like having peace of mind, and car insurance is one of those things that can provide you with it as you drive.

Are you looking for a place to purchase auto insurance? Try looking on the internet! There are auto insurance quote providers who will make finding an insurance rate painless and fast. The best part is that you will find that some of these providers will give you a quote that can potentially save you up to $200.00. In a world where car insurance is pretty expensive, it would be useful to all of us if it were more affordable, and online quotes are one way to make it more affordable.

photo by josephdepalma

Filed Under: Investing