Dear Friends,

We are in the third week of our wealth transfer Virtual Feedback Loop series. I am wondering how many of you who read this blog and watch the videos feel disconnected from the topic of wealth transfer – perhaps you still consider yourself too “young” for the topic, or perhaps you don’t feel that your estate will amount to enough to worry with all of these questions. I understand those sentiments, but I hope that you are finding truth and direction nonetheless.

I often remark that a person’s checkbook is the best indicator of the health of their spiritual life. Without a doubt, we spend our money out of our true priorities, and our checkbook does not lie about where our heart is. I also often remark that money issues are only ever a symptom of other, deeper issues in a person’s life.

So, while you may not be concerned about the specifics of transferring vast amounts of wealth upon your death, there are significant principles embedded in the wealth transfer process that can help you frame the way you view stewardship as a whole. I would encourage you to plug into these next several videos and listen for principles of stewardship as well as just the specifics of wealth transfer!

Today’s topic is the transfer decision: “to whom should I give my money upon my death?” While this question can be endlessly complicated or fairly simple, depending on your own family situation, it does present three critical principles for any stewardship decision: the treasure principle, the unity principle, and the wisdom principle. So, whether you are Joe Blow buying your sixteen year old a car to drive, or whether you are Bill Gates deciding how to structure your multimillion-dollar foundation, you can pass your decision through these three principles of stewardship.

Sometimes decision making is difficult because we start in the middle of a decision rather than backing up to the beginning. So often, Judy and I find ourselves becoming anxious over the potential fallout from making a certain decision before we even discuss the “ground rules” for that decision to begin with. It would be like trying to fill out a bracket for the NCAA basketball tournament during March Madness without knowing what teams had been selected.

When you begin with the ground rules, or the principles behind a specific decision, you are much more likely to make a healthy decision that really reflects your heart and your priorities. Today, as you consider a “to whom?” choice in your life (whether it’s cars or foundations or your estate as a whole), take the time to step back and ask yourself the underlying questions:

• Does this transfer reflect where I want to put my treasure?
• Is this decision made in unity with my spouse?
• Does the person I’m giving this to have the wisdom to handle the resources I am giving to them?

May God’s peace encourage you as you pursue financial wisdom and depend on His truth!

Blessings,
Ron


Click here for the video transcript