• Alma 11:24…Some people love money more than God.
  • Jacob 2: 18-19…Desire for $ for right reasons
  • Jacob 2: 13-16…How M. causes pride, and the consequences of it.
  • Luke 12: 29-31…Don’t worry about food or $.  Look 1st to the Kingdom of God and the rest will be added
  • “…Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life, as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” Booker T. Washington
  • ” This life is not so much a time for getting and accumulating as it is a time for giving and becoming.” Elder Lance B. Wickman, Ensign, May 2008, 105
  • “My worry-thoughts about money were simply a sign. The sign said it’s time for me to expand my capacity to revel in the joy of having created abundance and love. To my knowledge, that combination is something new in my family lineage. It’s new territory, and I’m learning to live in it. To do that, I need to overcome thousands of years of programming that adversity is a constant requirement of existence. We need to savor our success, first for seconds at a time, then for minutes that grow into months.” The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level (Gay Hendricks) Page 75
  • “If I make a split between money and spirituality, as I did for part of my life, I cannot harness the most awesome power we have, our spiritual essence. If we can heal that split and realize that money is simply spiritual energy in motion, we can put the power of spirit to work for us in creating wealth with ease and flow.” The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level (Gay Hendricks)- Highlight on Page 203
  • “Short-term debt, like credit cards, can be accessories to a financially dishonest life—something you really can’t afford. Most short-term debt finances a lifestyle, rather than the purchase of genuine assets that hold their value over time. Once charges are made to a credit card, for example, what do you have to show for them? You might have more clothes, furniture, gifts, electronics, or dinners out—which is all great stuff to buy if you can truly afford it. But it’s likely that you spent money on something you really didn’t need in the first place, and now that money is gone.” Money Girl’s Smart Moves to Deal with Your Debt (Laura D. Adams) Kindle Location 125-29
  • “That is not to say that we dismiss the products or process of traditional estate planning outright; on the contrary, investments, trusts, and other financial and legal instruments are, and always will be, the vehicle for the transmission of the things a family owns. But money is just a tool, as likely to separate families as it is to unify them. Your financial net worth is a statistic, not a legacy. To appreciate that fact is to understand that your family cannot be defined in terms of the things that you own; real estate valuations, spreadsheets, trust documents, and bank account balances describe a condition, not a family. You and your children, your grandchildren, and generations of your family yet unborn can only be defined by the values, the traditions, the faith, and the ethics which have shaped your unique family history for many years.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 7
  • “The Heritage Process helps people put their family before their fortune as they plan. In doing so, the chances that the family can thrive in its relationships and still prosper materially for generations are greatly enhanced. Families who go through the Process come to a better understanding of their relationship to wealth, and with one another. They learn to communicate more clearly and more honestly about things like money, philanthropy, as well as about their shared goals and objectives. They learn- by doing, not just by talking- how to make the money a tool to achieve the most important goals of all-family unity and individual achievement. They listen to stories about the hardships and triumphs that brought the family to where it is today, and they talk openly and from the heart about deeply important matters, like the sustaining quality of faith.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 8
  • “Around the room, the advisors to affluent families exchange knowing glances. They’ve seen the eighteen-year-old get a million dollars cash, no strings attached, under the terms of granddad’s will. Followed immediately by the hot car, the cocaine, the parties, and finally rehab, jail, or even suicide. They’ve seen marriages break up, friendships devastated, and family members alienated from each other. They’ve watched the companies that grandparents and parents sweated and sacrificed for decades to build go under, as heirs eager to squeeze more cash from the estate broke them up, sold them at bargain prices, or lost them through mismanagement.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 26
  • “Adam Smith summed it up over two hundred years ago in this landmark book The Wealth of Nations, “Riches, in spite of the most violent regulations of law to prevent their dissipation, very seldom remain long in the same family.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 27
  • “My life was never destined to be happy. Inherited wealth is a big handicap to happiness. It is as certain death to ambition as cocaine is to morality” (said by William K. Vanderbilt, beneficiary of millions). Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 39
  • “The one recurring problem among people who have inherited money out of the blue is that most of them end up struggling to come to grips with the effects of ‘sudden wealth’. That’s because who we were the day before the inheritance was received, or lottery winnings paid out, is who we are the day after. We have the same strengths, the same flaws, the same habits. Character is not improved by the sudden receipt of money. It is revealed by it.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 44 -45
  • “For hundreds of years, estate planning has focused on these financial inheritances almost exclusively. But there is another kind of inheritance that we receive and give, an inheritance that is far more powerful, and ultimately more meaningful, than money. That is an emotional inheritance: one we receive over a lifetime from other family members, friends, teachers, religious leaders, coaches, and other significant people in our lives.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 45
  • “Of course, since we know that most traditional estate plans begin to crumble almost as quickly as they shower assets on the heirs, one might be tempted to call money the time bomb inheritance.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 45
  • “The discovery, articulation, and incorporation of these core values into the framework of your estate planning is what The Heritage Process is all about. The whole concept of wealth is redefined to include not only money and other financial assets, but also the values, virtues, and ethics that make life meaningful, fulfilling, and ultimately successful. In this values-based planning process, money is still important, but only in its function as a resource to help perpetuate the values that will keep the family strong and prosperous for generations.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C.Zeeb, Page
  • ‘affluenza’, defined as a dysfunctional relationship with money, or the improper pursuit of it:
    • Inability to delay gratification
    • Inability to tolerate frustration
    • Low future motivation
    • Low self-esteem
    • Low self-worth
    • Lack of self-confidence
    • Lack of personal identity
    • Social and emotional isolation
    • Feelings of depression, failure, anxiety
    • Unrealistic expectations and lack of accountability
    • False sense of entitlement
    • Inability to form intimate relationships
    • People who receive “sudden” money without any accompanying values often become hoarders. Or, conversely, they may become habitual overspenders, shopping with no concern for their dwindling bank balances. Quite often, they use money as a tool to control others, particularly family members.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 46-47
  • “Controllers can devastate their children’s lives, dangling money like a carrot on a stick to ‘encourage children to go to the right school, get the right job, or marry the right person.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 47
  • “The symptoms and manifestations of this dysfunctional relationship with wealth make up a pretty depressing litany of disorders. The whole idea of affluenza flies in the face of what most people believe their lives would be like if one day, just like Jack Wrum, they came upon the proverbial pot of gold. “If I only had money,” the fantasy begins. “People would like me. I would be respected. I would be free to do whatever I wished, whenever I wished to do it. I could take charge of my life, and I would have a sense of absolute security. Nothing could intimidate me, and I would have power. Real power. Most importantly, I would be happy.” It’s a great fantasy. An enormously seductive fantasy.”Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 47-48
  • “If you want to know how God feels about money, look who He chooses to make rich.” Yiddish Proverb.Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 48
  • “The trendy shops along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills sell the rarest and most expensive baubles imaginable. South Beach plastic surgeons can turn a toad into a prince (or at least a shiny-faced likeness of one). But boutiques don’t sell character, and plastic surgery can’t remove our hidden insecurities with the touch of a scalpel. We are, each of us, the product of a lifetime of experience that no amount of cash falling on our heads from heaven can alter. The sudden receipt of ‘money without meaning’ only magnifies the personal weaknesses with which each of us live, no matter our station in life.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 49
  • “There is no denying that money bestows great power upon those who possess it. But there is a limit to what money can actually provide. Money will buy a luxurious bed, but it cannot guarantee a good night’s sleep. It can buy a magnificent library, but not brains, nor the discipline to educate yourself; gourmet food but not healthy appetite. Money can buy designer clothing and jewelry, but not true beauty. It can purchase a house, but never a home; a state-of-the-art medicine but not health; luxuries but not culture or taste temporary amusements but not lasting happiness; religion but not salvation. Money, in fact, can buy a ticket to just about everywhere but heaven.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 49
  • “In 2005, the Allianz Life Insurance Company surveyed baby boomers and their parents on a wide range of family and finance-related issues. ‘Many people wrongly assume that the most important issue among families is money and wealth transfer- it’s not,’ said Ken Dychtwald, the survey designer. ‘Non-financial items that parents leave behind- like ethics, morals, faith, and religion- are ten times more important to both boomers and their parents than the financial aspects of inheritance. In fact, seventy-seven percent of those surveyed (age forty plus) said the most important inheritance they could receive or pass on would be values and lessons about life.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 76-77
  • “The great forbidden zone of family conversation is nearly always money. ‘There’s a toxicity and secrecy around money in many families,’ says Charles Collier, senior philanthropic advisor at Harvard University and author of Wealth and Families (Harvard University, 2001). ‘As a result, parents fail to provide their kids with any type of financial education- how to invest, say, or how to use a credit card- or to prepare them for the decisions they may have to make about their fortunes. Plus, in many cases, parents are too busy making money and managing their assets to think much about the effect it all will have on the kids.’” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 90
  • “Our goal in getting the family talking about money is for them to realize that money is a tool. Just a tool. A powerful tool, to be sure, but, one, like fire, that makes a better servant than master. Stripped of its aura of invincibility and curative powers (the ‘money solves everything’ syndrome), money may be seen for what it is: a resource to help strengthen your family through the values you recognize as your most important assets.” Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 91
  • “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill. Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb, Page 145
  • “My worry-thoughts about money were simply a sign. The sign said it’s time for me to expand my capacity to revel in the joy of having created abundance and love. To my knowledge, that combination is something new in my family lineage. It’s new territory, and I’m learning to live in it. To do that, I need to overcome thousands of years of programming that adversity is a constant requirement of existence. We need to savor our success, first for seconds at a time, then for minutes that grow into months.” The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level (Gay Hendricks) Page 75
  • “Did your family teach you, “There is not enough”? Then I am sure you often feel as though the cupboard is bare, or you find you just get by or are always in debt.” You Can Heal Your Life (Louise Hay) Page 36
  • … And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which, this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most plentifully.13 And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.14 And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.15 O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust!16 O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, O that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it?21 Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.
  • The Story of King Midas
  • “I deserve the best, and I accept the best, now.” If you want the above affirmation to be true for you, then you do not want to believe any of the following statements: Money doesn’t grow on trees. Money is filthy and dirty. Money is evil. I am poor but clean (or good). Rich people are crooks. I don’t want to have money and be stuck up. I will never get a good job. I will never make any money. Money goes out faster than it comes in. I am always in debt. Poor people can never get out from under. My parents were poor, and I will be poor. Artists have to struggle. Only people who cheat have money. Everyone else comes first. Oh, I couldn’t charge that much. I don’t deserve. I’m not good enough to make money. Never tell anyone what I have in the bank. Never lend money. A penny saved is a penny earned. Save for a rainy day. A Depression could come at any moment. I resent others having money. Money only comes from hard work. How many of these beliefs belong to you? Do you really think that believing any of them will bring you prosperity? It is old, limited thinking. Perhaps it was what your family believed about money because family beliefs stay with us unless we consciously release them. Wherever it came from, it must leave your consciousness if you want to prosper.”  You Can Heal Your Life”(Louise Hay) Page 113″
  • “Be sure you are not rejecting prosperity now. If a friend invites you to lunch or dinner, accept with joy and pleasure. Don’t feel you are just “trading” with people. If you get a gift, accept it graciously. If you can’t use the gift, pass it on to someone else. Keep the flow of things moving through you. Just smile and say “Thank you.” In this way you let the Universe know you are ready to receive your good.” You Can Heal Your Life (Louise Hay) Page 115
  • “Love Your Bills It is essential that we stop worrying about money and stop resenting our bills. Many people treat bills as punishments to be avoided if possible. A bill is an acknowledgment of our ability to pay. The creditor assumes you are affluent enough and gives you the service or the product first. I bless with love each and every bill that comes into my home. I bless with love and stamp a small kiss on each and every check I write. If you pay with resentment, money has a hard time coming back to you. If you pay with love and joy, you open the free-flowing channel of abundance. Treat your money as a friend, not as something you wad up and crush into your pocket.”  You Can Heal Your Life (Louise Hay) Page 115
  • “The bills that come in I rejoice over, thanking the companies for trusting me to pay.”  You Can Heal Your Life (Louise Hay) Page 117
  • “Don’t delay your own prosperity by being resentful or jealous that someone else has more than you. Don’t criticize the way they choose to spend their money. It is none of your business. Each person is under the law of his or her own consciousness. Just take care of your own thoughts. Bless another’s good fortune, and know there is plenty for all.”  You Can Heal Your Life (Louise Hay) Page 117
  • “Just having more money is not enough. We want to enjoy the money. Do you allow yourself to have pleasure with money? If not, why not? A portion of everything you take in can go to pure pleasure. Did you have any fun with your money last week? Why not? What old belief is stopping you? Let it go.”  You Can Heal Your Life (Louise Hay) Page 118
  • ““I don’t care how much money you get,” my dad used to tell me. “It’s not worth it if you’re not happy.” That’s the most valuable piece of advice he ever gave me: Do what you want in life. To this day I’ve tried to follow that philosophy.”  American Sniper: Memorial Edition (Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, and Jim DeFelice) Page 8
  • “Keeping a money diary, identifying “money heroes,” or creating a priority ranking of “belief statements” about money can provide valuable insights. Your understanding of how philanthropy fits into your money values will determine the way you shape your children’s philanthropic values.”  Remmer, “Raising Children with Philanthropic Values“
  • “One of the pitfalls of wealth is that children may live in an isolated world of socioeconomic homogeneity and may not be exposed regularly to the “have not” segment of society. Our culture is replete with subtle and not-so-subtle messages about the “failures of the poor.” Sometimes our American spirit of individual achievement and competition can be understood to mean that everyone gets a fair chance. Parents can debunk these stereotypes and take proactive steps to broaden their children’s horizons. Encourage your child to join after-school activities with diverse groups of kids. Get involved as a family in community service projects. Use travel together as an opportunity to “unshelter” your children.”  Remmer, “Raising Children with Philanthropic Values“
  • “Philanthropy is often defined as an effort to improve society, based on love of humankind. While philanthropy usually includes money, it is most meaningful when it comes from the heart and includes the contribution of time and talents” Remmer, “Raising Children with Philanthropic Values“
  • “Money can express your core values and expand your family members’ pursuit of their life calling. A discussion that articulates your family’s values and vision, while respecting individual differences, can strengthen your family.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 8
  • “The meaning of wealth is fundamentally freedom. It’s freedom from material constraints and the constraints of time. It’s a dialectic between freedom from and freedom to. The freedom to, on the material side, is to be able to purchase what you want, to go where you want, to have what you want in the material realm. Freedom in the temporal realm is often a way of retrieving the past. When things go wrong and you have wealth, you can often correct a mistake or problem. You can shape to some extent the present and the future.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 18
  • “Emotionally, wealth is freedom too. There’s a psychological empowerment, a mixture of confidence that you can have what you want and you have the ability to carry it out. On a psychological level, it enables you to have both great expectations, and the confidence to achieve them.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 18
  • “This gets to a deeper question. Does money corrupt, or [does it] open opportunity? We know the answer. It can do both.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 22
  • “Secrecy surrounding the family’s financial situation often begins between spouses. Many wealth holders don’t tell their spouses how much money they have or how it is invested. An Open and frank discussion is essential if spouses are going to work together on inheritance planning and eventually talk with their children. Sharing financial information with your spouse makes sense because this is the person with whom you are going to discuss sharing the information with your children.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 31
  • “People don’t think about the question of whether a spouse without money ought to have his or her own money so they don’t have to ask for it,” said Dick Watson. “I ask wealth holders-typically husbands-if their spouse has money of their own, and the response is often, ‘No, but she can have whatever she wants.’ I suggest he give his wife a significant amount of money so that she doesn’t have to ask. This is often a transforming experience, changing the power and trust in the relationship for the better.”” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 32
  • “More communication is almost always better. Talking to your children early about the meaning and purpose of your family wealth can also enhance your relationship with your children.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 32
  • “Another challenge in raising children in the context of wealth is how to give them a balanced sense of the role of money in their lives, ensuring that they make the connection between work and reward-that is, the value of money. “If affluent parents do not actively instill within their children a sense of value and respect for money and the effort earning it requires,” asserts Hausner in Children of Paradise, “the result can be a child who not only believes there is an endless supply of capital but one who consequently abuses it.”” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 42
  • “I feel strongly that parents should not give their children a significant financial inheritance during their career-building years, say, ages 22 to 35. I don’t mean that you shouldn’t help them out financially with their needs around health, education, reasonable housing, philanthropy, entrepreneurial activity, and financial education. But in terms of when they are going to receive a large inheritance, it shouldn’t be during those important career-building years. I don’t think they should get it until they’re around 40. They need to make it on their own if they’re going to achieve any kind of competence. Money can derail the work they need to do during those critical years.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 47
  • “That is one joy of having money: you can give your children all the tools that they need to be competent and independent adults.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 52
  • “Grade school, ages 6 to 12
    • Discuss caring for possessions.
    • Structure an allowance: Most experts suggest a modest amount for being part of the family and doing certain basic household chores.
    • Provide jobs for pay.
    • Encourage long-term savings: Consider matching any money they will save for over a year.
    • Set limits around money, for example, not buying everything they want when you go shopping.
    • Introduce philanthropy: Help them to give and take them on-site visits.

     

    Teen years, ages 13 to 18

    • Insist on summer employment; fund their Roth IRA.
    • Guide them through their budget and a 1040 tax return.
    • Advocate smart consumerism: For example, discuss the messages in advertising and the impact of advertising on their purchases.
    • Discuss the intelligent use of credit cards and checking accounts.
    • Explore investments on the Internet.
    • Engage them in philanthropy: Encourage site visits and include them in evaluating gift decisions.

     

    College years, ages 18 and over

    • Work with them on a college spending budget.
    • Insist on summer employment and fund their Roth IRA.
    • Set up adviser-facilitated learning about investments.
    • Provide money for them to manage.
    • Explain the roles of trustee and beneficiary, if trusts are used in your family.
    • Engage them in philanthropy; add them to the board of your philanthropic fund.”

    Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 55-56

  • “Children need to learn early and often that they are responsible for their decisions, including those that involve money, and must live with the consequences.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 56
  • ““Money has profound meaning in our society,” says columnist Esther M. Berger in a Town and Country article. “It has become a metaphor for many things, some positive (freedom and philanthropy, for example) and some decidedly negative (condescension and control).”” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 92
  • “In short, we need to be “awake” to the messages surrounding money that we send to our children and aware of those messages we inherited from our own parents.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 92
  • “Remember, money is important, but not all-important. The best thing you can do for your family is to invest in their human, intellectual, and social capital.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 112
  • “You may be pleased to see that the children are beginning to see that their lives have been very fortunate, that not all kids are so lucky. They may be seeing for the first time that money is not all about having, getting, or spending. Money can also be a way to help others and to take a certain leadership role in the world. They may have experienced what it feels like to be needed in their own right, a giver of care, not just a receiver of care.”  A DONOR-FRIENDLY OVERVIEW OF CHARITABLE TOOLS.  Phil Cubeta, CLU, ChFC, MSFS, CAP, The Sallie B. and William B. Wallace Chair in Philanthropy at The American College.  Page 5
  • Alma 17: 6...Now, these were their journeys: Having taken leave of their father, Mosiah, in the first year of the judges; having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them, and also this was the minds of the people;  7 Nevertheless they departed out of the land of Zarahemla and took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their arrows, and their slings; and this they did that they might provide food for themselves while in the wilderness.  8 And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.
  • 2 Nephi 9:51…  Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
  • “You might realize that buying an expensive car isn’t worth the precious time you have to sacrifice in order to get it.  You might realize that maybe you don’t admire a person’s post on Instagram displaying their new purchases from Gucci. Instead, you think of all of the more meaningful and exciting ways they could have spent their time. You start to value your time more than unnecessary, superficial purchases which depreciate in value. You realize that these “things” do not define people and that your time is worth more than them.  But this isn’t just about buying things that you don’t need. Your life, in its essence, is purely a collection of moments in time. Where you spend your time, you spend your life. War is grounded in the notion of triumph and defeat. It is zero-sum”.– Bruce Jackson
  • “Western society has sold us the idea that material possessions define you. But the truth is that little defines you but you and that these “things” do not lead to long-term contentment, but often to the opposite.  The majority of us, through our work, trade our time for money, which we then use to purchase things. It can feel like you’re just spending paper bills or numbers on a bank statement, but the truth is that whenever you buy things, you are literally spending your time.  You may not realize this, but when you buy things, you are valuing these purchases as much or more than the time it took you to make this money. Time which could possibly have been better spent with your loved ones, enjoying life, helping others, and doing what is important to you. And once you realize this, that money is your time, you start to view money differently.”  It Starts With You: The 3 Great Thoughts That Can Change Your Life By George Sourrys May 23, 2017, https://www.goalcast.com/2017/05/23/it-starts-with-you-the-3-great-thoughts-that-can-change-your-life/
  • “More communication is almost always better. Talking to your children early about the meaning and purpose of your family wealth can also enhance your relationship with your children.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 32
  • “That is one joy of having money: you can give your children all the tools that they need to be competent and independent adults.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 52
  • Jacob 2: 12-21… And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which, this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most plentifully. 13 And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they. 14 And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you. 15 O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust! 16 O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, O that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls! 17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. 18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. 19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted. 20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it? 21 Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.
  • Malachi 3:8-10…If you don’t pay your tithes and offerings, you have robbed God.  You will be cursed.  If you pay your tithes and offerings, He will open the windows of heaven with blessings, so much that there won’t be room to receive it.
  • “A separate study by finance professors Joseph Engelberg and  Christopher Parson of the University of California San Diego shows that historical stock market drops are positively linked to immediate spikes in hospital admissions. The most common mental health maladies reported were anxiety, panic disorder, and depression.” How a Lousy Economy Can Make You Sick, Gil Weinreich
  • “It is important that we keep our thinking straight, my brothers and sisters. Let us ever keep in mind that all material things are but a means to an end, that the end is spiritual, although the Lord is anxious and willing to bless his people temporally. He has so indicated in many of the revelations. He has pointed out, time and time again, that we should pray over our crops, over our livestock, over our households, our homes, and invoke the Lord’s blessings upon our material affairs. And he has promised that he will be there and ready and willing to bless us. The Lord will not do for us what we can and should do for ourselves. But it is his purpose to take care of his Saints. Everything that concerns the economic, social, and spiritual welfare of the human family is and ever will be the concern of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” Manual, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, Chapter 21 Principles of Temporal and Spiritual Warfare
  • April 2, 1996 – Tuesday – Quito Ecuador…”We next went to Marcelo Mosquera’s house.  Let me tell you about him.  He got his right arm blown off to the elbow and 3 fingers and half of his left hand.  He did it working in the Jungle.  His wife left him. He never gets hired because of his physical impairment, so it’s very hard to get a job.  The government pays him 150 mil sucres each month (about 60 bucks a month) as a retirement pay.  This month he has no money at all because after getting it, he was robbed on the way home.  He’s had to go 2 days without food, and today he finally was invited to eat by Elder Howard and another friend.  With all these trials and problems (by the way, he lives in a one room house and basically all of his possessions (gas stove, bed, TV) were all given to him)  he still works soooo hard in the church work.  He sold almost all his possessions last November to go to the Lima, Peru Temple.  He’s the Turubamba Ward Mission Leader and magnifies his calling sooo much.  He reads his scriptures and is active.  He serves others.  He’s an example for me.  The thing was, after telling us his situation, he testified of his love for Christ, cried while doing it, and then went looking for things to give things away to us.  He gave my comp stickers.  Just seeing his situation, he has all the reason to complain and be selfish. But rather he serves others.  He is so awesome.  I’ll be like him.  I left 5 mil sucres on his table.  I hope he can make good use of it.  I left from there repenting of my selfishness, and of the times that I’d whined for material things.  How lost I was.  I’ll pray for him.”  – Clinton Brown Missionary Journal