Let’s Begin

My readers have spoken! Both have asked whether I would post again. I must apologize, but my absence was not without merit. During these last few weeks I’ve accomplished quite a bit:

• I made a few changes to my will. (Remember: You can only change it while you’re alive.)
• We took a family vacation to the beach and returned with the same amount of dependents as we left with. (They’re more than dependents, of course. They’re also cheap labor sources.)
• I pressure-washed my deck and replaced a few ailing boards. Funny how a few steps forward can change your impression of the larger task at hand. Those new boards gave me the “umph” I needed to get the rest of the deck in order. And that, now, has led to a wonderful environment for the entire family. And it all started with that first board.
• Oh, and I also taught a class on financial stewardship to a group of 15 to 17 year olds.

Let’s talk about the class for a moment. Where I live, there are a humpteen million avenues for kids to engage in extra-curricular activities. They can dance, act, swim, hunt, fish, play all sports with a ball, and they can even hunt for shark teeth…and we’re 90 miles from the nearest beach. (Go figure.) But alas, the poor kid longing for a summer class on financial stewardship has nowhere to go. Not until now. CapSouth held a summer class titled Financial Stewardship: Let’s Begin for students interested in establishing a foundation on which to develop skills of financial stewardship.

Here’s a quick overview of what we discussed:

• Income – Your primary source of funding your life goals
• Liabilities – Life costs money (and it won’t be your parents’ responsibility forever)
• Budgeting – Life is expensive and not keeping up with your expenses makes it more so
• Debt – And the difference between quality of life and standard of living
• Saving – Why you should do it – always
• Investing – What it is, how it works, and why you should consider it
• Life Insurance & Social Security – What they are and how they work

All of us could use a little breathing room in our financial lives, no? We’re not making new discoveries here, folks. This information is just good ol’ truth – not opinion – and it works. Those kids had a few hours of instruction over a couple of evenings in the summer, and the application of that information will benefit them and their families for years to come. Nothing against the art of hitting a fast ball, mind you, but that’s a skill with diminishing returns, likely, once you hit the age of 18. On the contrary, understanding the financial consequences of the decisions we make is what legacies are made of.

Being a good financial steward doesn’t happen all at once, of course. One class does not a financial steward make. But it’s a step in the right direction. It’s the first board, one might say, of a solid foundation. Encourage financial stewardship in your family. We can help.

Financial Stewardship: Let’s begin.