Thinking About New Year’s Resolutions? Learn From These Frightening Stats

I pulled these stats from the book by Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, which I reread over Christmas in preparation for my family’s 2011 budget as well as the upcoming seminar on Personal Finances January 15^th. Randy is quoting from a PBS television program called Affluenza which was addressing the modern-day plague of materialism.

-       The average American shops six hours a week while spending 40 minutes playing with their children

-       By age 20, we have seen one million commercials

-       Recently, more Americans declared bankruptcy than graduated from college

-       In 90 percent of divorce cases, arguments about money play a prominent role

These were similar to some that I found on bankrate.com when doing some research of my own:

-       Average per household debt in the U.S., not counting mortgage debt, is about $14,500 – especially noteworthy because before the 1930s, most middle and working class people had NO major debts. Banks would not lend to them; they rented their homes and if they did own a house, it was paid for as it was being built.

-       Some 40% of American families annually spend more than they earn.

-       About 60% of active credit card accounts are not paid off monthly.

-       Average card debt among people who have at least one card is $9,205 – triple what it was in 1990.

Yet our obsession is not on better personal management (stewardship) of what the Lord has entrusted to us, but on the dissatisfaction with what we have and a desire for more.  We know from scripture that material possessions do not bring true joy and happiness.

“Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15).

For these reasons, we are announcing a new semi-annual seminar that will hopefully instruct you in very practical ways as much as it disrupts your understanding of money.  We desire to provide opportunities throughout the year to equip you towards a better understanding of financial responsibility so that you might be able to more fully serve God.

Click HERE for more info on this upcoming seminar. Our desire with these seminars and breakouts will be to offer you very tangible tools for your financial tool belt and that is why we have assembled some very talented individuals to help lead this.

We have started to update the Financial Coaching webpage that is easily accessible HERE or will always be in the footer of this website. We will be updating this with helpful downloadable tools in the future and it is where you can find information on personal Financial Coaching as well as the upcoming seminar and future Financial Peace University Groups.

I will also be blogging regularly on financial matters that apply to personal finances right here on the Travelblog.  Let’s be a church marked by generosity as we understand more fully all that we have been given in the gospel.

“I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess” – Martin Luther.