Wealth Advisor

Oh, to be rich!

There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. - 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Do you think giving advice against gaining wealth to someone who is poor would be a good move?

That's exactly what today's reading is all about.  The people the letter is addressed to are not wealthy, but they probably long to be. 

Everyday, people I work with run down to the local store to play their numbers, not because it is a fun thing to do with a few extra dollars, but to try to hit it big.

And if they win, they see it as bonus money, to be spent on some pleasure rather than on necessities.

I don't think they would listen to a message about riches leading to ruin.  They would probably say they would take that risk.

Be content with food and clothing?  Maybe we could add housing to that?

Of course the more we add, the more we need to manage, and the more we have to raise to manage these things.

That's the trap the reading is trying to explain.  The more we accumulate, the more we have to maintain.  Beware what you ask for.

And sometimes you can't sell your stuff if you need to, so you have to give it away or store it.

And that means its value is lost, or worse, you continue to pay for something you no longer value.

I read a report that millennials favor renting over buying, and not just homes, but everything from furniture to clothing.  They don't want the responsibility of storing and saving stuff.

Maybe that makes sense, even though it could be more expensive. 

We will have to see how it plays out, but for now developers are building rental units at an alarming rate, just to meet the demand, and home sales are dropping. 

Maybe the time for downsizing and living lite is now.

Instead of being wealthy in things, we may be able to become wealthy in Godliness?

Time will tell.

More to come...