Stewardship on Steroids

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Contents

Introduction A Letter from Me to You (Read This First!)......................................viiChapter One Why Be a Good Christian Steward When You Can Be a GREAT One?.....................1Chapter Two Stewardship 101: Giving, Money and the Bible.....................................11Chapter Three Fight The Establishment!.......................................................25Chapter Four Turn Your Cash Trickle into a Cash Flood........................................57Chapter Five Harvest Your Equity and Build Wealth............................................113Chapter Six Equity Indexing: A Best-Kept Investment Secret...................................122Chapter Seven FAQ's..........................................................................174Chapter Eight Conclusion: Stewardship on Steroids in a Nutshell..............................203

Chapter One

"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." (Proverbs 24:3-4)

If you're searching for hot stock tips, a get-rich-quick real estate guide or secrets about how to earn millions through multi-level marketing, you might as well put down this book. You won't find any of that sensational hype in the following pages. On the other hand, if you're a good Christian steward looking to increase your cash flow, build wealth and create a stream of tax-free retirement income, you're in luck. In the following chapters, I will offer the foundation of knowledge you need to accomplish all this and more.

But why beat around the bush? Let me put this as bluntly as possible: I wrote this book for good Christian financial stewards who want to become great Christian financial stewards. If that sounds like you, you've come to the right place. If it doesn't, you should probably move on down the shelf.

Understanding Stewardship

You may be thinking, "I'm not sure if I'm a good Christian financial steward or not. I mean, I go to church every Sunday, and I always toss a $10 bill on the collection plate. But does that make me a good steward?" Well, not necessarily. We Christians hear a lot of talk about "stewardship," but many of us aren't crystal clear on the precise definition.

According to the Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, stewardship is defined as "the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care." Of course, the term "stewardship" has a more spiritually profound meaning for Christians. When Christians talk about financial stewardship, the "something" that has been entrusted to our care is money—and in our hearts, we know this money is a gift from God.

What would lead us to believe that God has any interest in how we manage our money? Well, unbeknownst to many, the Bible actually has a lot to say about financial matters. (I'll delve deeper into this theme in Chapter Two: Giving, Money and the Bible). For example, in the Book of Luke, Jesus said, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?" (Luke 16:10-12)

In other words, if we want to be responsible Christians and good financial stewards, it behooves us to spend, invest and manage our money in a way that honors the Lord. As author Lynn A. Miller so eloquently explains it, "Stewardship is the act of organizing your life so that God can spend you." After all, any money we have is not truly ours—we are just the stewards watching over it. In fact, according to the Bible, everything belongs to God:

"The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty." (Haggai 2:8)

"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1)

Look at it this way: when you die, will you take your cash, your house, your investments, your cars, your boat, your jewelry and your clothes with you? Of course not! It's not yours to take. Everything we have belongs to God—He simply loans these possessions to us, entrusting us with their care.

So, if you believe that your money actually belongs to the Lord and you do everything within your power to handle your finances in such a way that God would approve, you are probably a good Christian financial steward. If you earn more than you spend, maintain a healthy credit score and contribute to worthy causes whenever possible, this is the financial planning book for you.

But why settle for being a good Christian financial steward when you can be a great one? I can teach you how to do just that. Throughout this book, I'll serve up the powerful techniques you need to boost your cash flow, build wealth and get on the path to stewardship greatness. The methods I teach aren't your run-of-the-mill stewardship or financial planning principles ... this is Stewardship on Steroids. So, get ready to give your finances a serious workout.

My Calling

By now, you might be asking, "What makes this guy such an expert on financial stewardship?" I guess I could answer that question by saying I've spent the past two decades of my life educating Christian clients about how to manage their money in a way that honors God. As an independent financial services professional, I've coached hundreds of clients over the years, helping good Christian stewards blossom into great ones. But even more importantly, I know this is my calling. It is my purpose in life.

It all started back in 1991. I had just completed four years in the Air Force when I decided to start a career in financial services. From Day One, I was definitely not your conventional financial advisor. I refused to believe The Establishment's lies, and I made it my mission to spread the word by educating and empowering my clients.

Then, on November 23, 2003, I was baptized. The day of my baptism is actually a pretty funny memory for me. Our church had just completed construction on their brand new sanctuary, and I had the honor being the very first person to be baptized there. We attend a good-sized church with about 800 members, so I was little nervous. I had prayed about it a lot and finally decided to get baptized publicly. I figured if Jesus did it publicly, I could get baptized publicly, too.

When I showed up to church that morning, the pastor approached me and said, "Good news and bad news."

"Okay," I answered a little hesitantly. "What's the good news?"

"The good news is we're still going to do this baptism today," he replied.

"Alright," I said. "What's the bad news?"

"The heater in the baptism pool doesn't work."

Let me put this into context: I live in Indiana, and it's pretty darn cold here in November. So, the thought of wading into a frigid baptism pool on this frosty winter morning was enough to send chills down my spine.

When the pastor saw the concerned look on my face, he tried to reassure...