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Ron and Judy Blue…A Wealth of Experience
Starting a discussion of family finances is one of the hardest things that face a married couple. Ron and Judy Blue recently shared with us how they have managed to address this
topic, and noted that it wasn't necessarily easier since Ron is an investment counselor. They did find it relatively easy to agree on goals and values, but the details of how to achieve the
goals were more difficult to deal with because of their differing views of money. Money means little to Judy and she is reluctant to spend it, whereas to Ron it is a measure of his success.
The main thing that they discovered was that, in order to move forward, they both had to be committed to communicate and listen and not shut down emotionally or give up.
The greatest
help to them both was a planning weekend in which they made use of some very helpful tools, but mostly they. made a commitment to communicate. Their experiences using the planning weekend are
discussed in their new book, Money Talks and So Can We. Ron said that they each had to learn to understand the other person so that they could recognize the tension points and work through
them. Judy pointed out that the value of using the planning weekend questionnaire is that there is a third party asking the questions, taking away the apprehension and defensiveness.
The starting point seems to be having a Biblical viewpoint of money. If you see yourself as a steward, then you can judge each issue correctly. If God owns it all, how would He want His
resources handled? In developing a giving philosophy, Ron keeps going back to Matthew 6:19, "for where your treasure is there will your heart be also." It is a willful choice of
where to place the treasure, and then the heart will follow, instead of the other way around. It is an obedience issue, sometimes stepping into the unknown in faith, but the heart DOES
follow.
The Blues are still working through the issues of passing wealth to their children - how much, in what form, and when. Ron feels that the amount given each doesn't have to be
equal, but should be based on the ability to handle money responsibly. Judy has a hard time not being equal, but they agree that their children are becoming very responsible. They have found
that, having done their planning and drawn their finish line, their marriage has been strengthened. They are now in agreement on the major things and have to only revisit the issues from time
to time to work out short-term goals.
Valuable Resource
Whatever your viewpoint or experience
A new book, Don't Just Give It Away, How to Make the Most of Your Charitable Giving, by Renata J. Rafferty is a "must-read." Written, not by a donor with an axe to
grind, but by someone whose work has been within nonprofit organizations, she asks readers, "does it seem that $143 billion (the amount Americans gave last year) of 'social progress' was
achieved through the activities of the charitable sector? How much of that $143 billion did you and your family contribute, and do you believe it was used as wisely as it could have
been?"
Rafferty contends that while, in her more than 20 years in the charitable arena, she has "witnessed the integrity and industry of the men and women...who commit their
lives - professionally or as volunteers - to make this world a better place for all of us," she has also seen "waste and poor financial management that substantially eroded the
value" of contributions.
"Like a leaking faucet that accumulates in wasted gallons," writes Rafferty, "minor misuses of each of our charitable investments add up.
In fact, they amount to huge amounts of donated money annually that could have - and should have - been applied to programs and services for the community ... but weren't. And that's why we
don't see $143 billion worth of progress from our contributions."
Every once in a while a book comes along which, though written with down-to-earth clarity and simplicity,
carries within its covers a clarion call to reverse the flow of power and unsettle the status quo in an entire facet of society. This is that book.
Don't Just Give It Away teaches donors to conduct their giving "as thoughtfully and insightfully - and personally - as (they) approach...financial investing." She walks the reader through the process of defining philanthropic goals, finding a charity that fits those goals, performing due diligence on that charity and tracking what the charity does with the gift after it's been given.
This is not a how-to book. Rafferty makes it clear she is not instructing donors on "how" to structure a gift - that's what attorneys and other advisors are for, she says -
but on how to ensure that giving is done with maximum impact. Granted, you cannot always see the impact of giving to Christian and mission organizations, but the principles of due diligence
apply anywhere.
Based on a review in The American Philanthropy Review by Stephen C. Nill, Editor, as seen on the internet
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