Pursuit of Excellence

https://www.entrepreneur.com/video/273894

• “Whether you’re brand-new to investing or you’re a seasoned pro who simply needs a little refresher, you can learn from this video from Brittney Castro of Financially Wise Women. Here, she shares her top-12 investing do’s and don’ts.” Do your research, do invest for the long term, and do hire help when you need it. Don’t invest blindly, don’t invest for the short term (short term defined as 6 months to 1 year), don’t let your emotions get involved, don’t listen to chicken little, don’t think you can do it all alone. Brittney encourages the viewer to continue his or her education through books, videos, audio, and seeking counsel where appropriate. If you want to be wise walk with wise people, but a crowd of fools suffers much harm.

http://www.thepennyhoarder.com/19-ridiculous-ways-to-make-10000-you-definitely-havent-thought-of-yet/

• I’d ignore the pop up window offer from penny hoarder to get straight into this interesting article. Also as a side note, the $10s in the photo do not represent a true strap of $1000 in $10s. “No matter how you slice it, having $10,000 to spend would be nice. But it’s a lot of money to save!” This article highlights 19 different ways to make $10000. I found it fun to read and here are some of the weird ways to earn cash: start a cricket farm, watch youtube-like videos, drive for uber, and share stories about your kids on Scary Mommy. These were just a few of the writer’s suggestions. This article highlights the truth that the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just. In other words, it’s out there if you have the desire to seek it, the discernment to see it, and the wisdom of the Lord to use it for its true purpose.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-strange-facts-about-billionaires-2016-03-15

• I enjoy watching a show on CNBC called the Filthy Rich Guide to. Basically the show highlights the lifestyle of a billionaire vs everyone else. The truth is they operate differently than most in their actions, but they do certain processes consistently. This article tells of 5 strange facts about billionaires. “This year, the world’s billionaires clocked in an aggregate net worth of $6.48 trillion, according to the Forbes Billionaires list released this month, with the usual suspects topping the list – including Bill Gates ($75 billion), Inditex founder Amancio Ortega ($67 billion) and Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett ($60.8 billion).” Aquarius is the most popular astrological sign of elite billionaires, God is a billionaire (I chuckled at this one), the billionaire school-dropout saga is a myth, billionaires have a lot of children, and two billionaires can’t legally drink in the U.S. Billionaires are people just like you and me, and even a rich man needs the salvation of our Lord, so I encourage you to lift them up in prayer to make God decisions and not just good decisions. The final article highlights an alarming truth. Also, we both know God is more than a billionaire.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wealth-inequality-is-100-times-worse-than-income-inequality-2016-01-19

• Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:7-8 NLT). In this moment, Jesus corrected Judas Iscariot for complaining about the usage of perfume which was worth a year’s wages, and said it could be used to help the poor. The truth is that Judas didn’t care for the poor and often used that money for himself. There’s currently an income gap between the rich and the poor, but this article highlights that there’s something more alarming than an income gap. There is a wealth gap between the rich and even the average person. Wealth is your money making money for you. “Combined net worth of 4 U.S. billionaires almost as much as the total wealth of the bottom 40% of U.S. households. Last year, just 62 people held wealth equivalent to the amount owned by 3.6 billion, about half the world’s population, according to the anti-poverty charity.” The article itself isn’t an indictment against the wealthy, but it highlights where most of the wealth resides, and fortunately there are a few like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett who are looking to bring a better world. But our source of hope should not be on those of this world, rather on the One who was, is and will always be. Finally, here’s a link that allows you to see where you stand among the global rich. Enter your numbers here

Please let me know if you have anything I can agree with you in prayer about, or if you’re in need of a financial checkup.

“But those who want the best for me, Let them have the last word—a glad shout!— and say, over and over and over, “ GOD is great—everything works together for good for his servant.” I’ll tell the world how great and good you are, I’ll shout Hallelujah all day, every day.”

Psalm 35:27-28 MSG