Faith Based Investing

Recently I met with an older couple who lived solely on social security, a small pension, and a few stock dividends. They didn’t make much money but they lived with such a level of contentment that was amazing to me. Here is a family that has virtually nothing from a worldly perspective yet they have it all when they look at their life. With the Lord, they are totally and completely content with everything.

What is also amazing to me is the high number of people who lack contentment. They complain about their spouse, their weight, their job, their family, and their friends. Then they go out get a new job, a new car, a new home, a new spouse, new friends, or new whatever hoping that this version of “new ” will satisfy them.

Discontentment leads no place worth going! Greed and impulse buying cause debts to skyrocket. You then become owned by the mortgage companies, the banks, credit card and loan companies. Debt allows the enemy to make you a slave: you work harder, work longer hours, spend less time with your family, and you are prevented from doing what God calls you to do.

We truly live in the most abundant and blessed nation in the world, yet few experience financial freedom because they allow discontentment to trap them into a life of bondage. How many people truly seem happy? How many do you hear complaining every day? One look at the poverty stricken nations or even within our communities and you will see you are truly blessed. A man once complained about not having shoes until he met a man with no feet. The grass will never be green on the other side until…you become content with that which you already have! The greatest opportunities often come when you’re not looking for the next best thing.

True Intentions
Tonight I reveal my true intentions – why I do what I do, why I have so much passion, how I found my true calling and purpose. How I discovered the magic formula: Purpose + Passion = Performance. This is me exposed, unplugged to the core of my heart – A heart fully exposed for the world to see. I don’t tell my story enough but felt led to share…

Heaven is a six letter word unlike no other word other than Christ. Jesus is a name unlike no other name. No such name has caused so much controversy, such strong emotions, and such sweet joy! He is the son of God, the Son of Man- the redeemer, the forgiver – the giver of eternal life. He is why I do what I do!

As I sit here on a plane thousands of feet above ground on the way home, I ponder the great sacrifice Christ made for me so that I could share eternity in heaven with Him. Another night, yet tonight is different. I ponder more important things. Things that really matter most: Christ, my faith, my family, my friends, and the thousands and potentially millions of folks I seek to help.

My journey of faith has come to a crossroad – the world’s way versus God’s way and it’s not even close. Too many times I chose the world’s way – made millions of dollars yet was no happier. Saw my bank account increase yet my faith account was running on empty. Tonight is different as I begin the largest leap of faith in my 34 years here on earth.

The Beginning
My journey began as what seemed like a mistake – a teenage pregnancy. Mom was 17 and dad was 19. Teenagers in the 70s with a tough choice to make. Though Mom did not know Christ she knew deep within her soul, abortion was wrong. Praise God she chose life! I started my life Pro-life!

The Conversion
I came to Christ at the age of 13. The son of divorced parents who both remarried and started new families, I grew up feeling like I did not belong. After moving down the street from a prison minister Lennie Spitale I quickly became friends with his son Mike. I started attending Church at the Spitales and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.

The Career Path
Why the financial services industry? Growing up I saw one of the hardest working guys I knew – my Grandfather work 2 even 3 jobs at a time to put food on the table for his wife and seven kids. He worked his entire lifetime; built up a sizable nest egg, then watched inflation, taxes, and eventually the nursing home gobble up his life savings. This, my friends, drove me to help people not make these same mistakes…

The Purpose
I immediately went to college and double majored in Marketing and Finance. I loved working and often would work 30-35 hours a week in addition to going to college full-time and taking extra courses. I love to learn. I did three unpaid, not for college credit internships in the financial services industry while in college just because I wanted experience.

I went to work after college and immediately dived into the investing world. Took a whole semester off then went and got my masters in financial planning. Working 60 hours a week and taking 5 courses a year in a master’s program was challenging but one of the best things I have ever done – besides marrying my high school sweetheart!

Eight years into my career as a financial advisor and my world was literally turned upside down. It came from what seemed like a simple phone call. I had a good client who I knew shared the same Christian faith and she called me late one day with a question I will never forget: “Jay, can I expect God to bless me if I’m investing in things that oppose His word?” Here was a Christian woman asking me if investing in companies involved in the abortion and pornography industries was ok. Wow! Here I was paid to provide investment advice to high-net worth investors and I was stumped. I never thought about the moral responsibility that comes with investing for my own portfolio never mind that of my clients.

The Passion
I would like to say finding the answer was easy for me. It was anything but easy. I literally spent over two years of my life reading, studying, interviewing clients, talking to other professionals trying to understand the moral implications of investing in companies that opposed my faith. I found hundreds of investors who not only had strong faith but also were extremely wealthy. How did they do it? I wrote about the twelve essential habits of faith-based wealth in my first book The Faith-Based Millionaire. It was because of this journey I went on that God lead me to publish my first book.

The Performance
I am now a crossroads in my life. God is calling me to do mighty things for the kingdom. I seek to change minds, hearts, and wallets for the Kingdom. I am tired of the direction of our country, our government, our society, and Wall Street! Our country was built on faith, hope, and love. Look how far our culture has strayed from the Word of God. Pro-homosexuality, pro-abortion, pro-embryonic stem cell research, glamorizing sex outside of marriage, wrapped up in addictive lifestyles: tobacco, alcohol, and gambling.

Like the fight of William Wilberforce, a movement is building – there are enough people who are tired of the decline in morality. I am committed to bring you tools, resources, and information to help you support, encourage, and fund companies that are adding value to our society and building up the kingdom of God. I want to help you know about companies finding cures for diseases, ones who are feeding and helping the poor, and those who are looking out for the common good of man.

I am also committed to help you have the tools, research, and information to avoid, engage, and fight companies that are deliberately and maliciously promoting values that oppose God’s Word. I will speak up, I will stand against, and I will certainly criticize our government, our leaders, our policies, and companies when they choose policies that harm our nation. We need to get back to our roots. Do you think our forefathers would be happy about the direction of our country?

What can you do about it? Join the faith-based investing community: a group of like-minded individuals who seek to reveal the light in our society and run from the dark. It is all about choices. We purposely choose where we work, where we spend money, where we donate, yet few know where they invest. Money talks! That is why Wall Street has been the tool of choice for radical agendas. You can make a difference and get competitive returns. It is not an either/or scenario. I have dedicated my life to helping others unlock wealth by placing principles before profits.

Thanks for listening,

Jay

Jay Peroni, CFP
Author of The Faith-Based Millionaire

Follow Your Dreams

Everyone has a dream inside. At least once in your lifetime, you will have an opportunity to throw caution to the wind, take a big risk, break free, and follow your dream. You can ignore your dreams and play it safe. It is often easier to anchor your feet on the ground and do all the right things. But the cost of doing so is living a life of “quiet desperation,” wondering if maybe you gave up the only thing that really mattered. Sound familiar? I’ll bet this agonizing dialogue has run through your head sometime in your life: Should I follow my heart now? Or play it safe and build a long-term nest egg in hopes of a comfortable retirement?

I’ve been down this road countless times with clients and prospective clients who are contemplating retirement. This is a decision most people face at some point; some even agonize over it throughout their lives. Unfortunately, most conventional retirement-planning wisdom is likely to be your worst enemy in making these kinds of decisions. The ultimate mirage: Wait until retirement; then you’ll be free. Why wait?

I often question the assumption that you have to wait until retirement to be free. When you place trust in God and His direction, you often ignore traditional wisdom because God is often unpredictable. I challenge America’s constant obsession with retirement and planning for the future. That obsession should never substitute for living your dreams today. Never! Don’t get me wrong. I believe planning is necessary, but there needs to be a balance between living today and preparing for the future. When do you risk all on a spin of the roulette wheel of life? When do you risk your retirement savings now to chase a dream?

To Play It Safe Means Nobody Wins!

It can be a big mistake to sacrifice following your dream in order to “play it safe” and follow the conventional road, building a retirement nest egg and hoping somehow your drudgery today will pay off in a “comfortable” retirement. Where is the balance between conventional financial wisdom and people listening for God’s distinct and unique call in their lives? Having your only emphasis on your retirement “needs” and “staying the course” financially might block you from hearing/heeding the voice of the Lord to do something different in your unique situation.

You may have noticed that God doesn’t always follow the “conventional wisdom” in how He chooses to operate. This balance between focusing on the long-term via the conventional investing wisdom from traditional Wall Street firms and staying flexible to the leading of God in your unique situation can be tough, and it’s something for every faith-based investor to prayerfully keep an eye on. God knows that for many of us, money will be the chief competitor for our affections. Do you trust Him? Will you give up your financial security to see what you can do for Him? I suspect there are some of you reading this right now who may be facing a similar fork in the road. If you are, forget what you’ve read about the need to save for retirement! If God opens the window for you, He may also require you to put your financial security on the line to follow that godly dream you’re harboring.

1. Make it your daily mission to find your true financial purpose. Your priorities may shift over time and you may find new purposes. Always fully understand why you are saving, what you are saving for, and what the end results mean. Have this purpose engrained into your mind and do not lose focus. Always look to ignite the flame.

2. Make new choices daily. Remember that each dollar that comes into your hands is won or lost by the choices you make each day. Choose to be wealthy instead of letting endless dollars slip away.

3. Associate with positive, like-minded individuals. If you have negative influences and negative people in your life, try to minimize your exposure to those people and things. Attitudes are contagious. Being around someone who is negative will bring you down. In order to make new changes, you need a new positive attitude. Find other positive people to encourage and motivate you.

4. Educate yourself daily. Try to learn more about your finances, how investing and financial markets operate, and how to gain advantages in your financial situation. Make it a habit to learn more each day. Even if it is only spending ten minutes a day learning one new concept, begin your quest to learn more. Get good at one concept and then move on to new areas.

5. Practice self-control. Do not let impulses and emotions drive your decisions. Make it a new habit to evaluate major purchases and financial decisions with a more disciplined approach. Analyze how each decision will add or subtract from your wealth. No more guessing. Develop a new process.

6. Hire a team of advisors. I cannot stress enough the value of a good tax planner, legal mind, and financial advisor. There is much power found in good advice. Find individuals who succeed at what they do and pay them well. The money you pay for their expertise should save you a hunk of money in mistakes avoided and add to your wealth through their value-added benefits.

7. Develop the habit of analyzing your expected return on each investment you make. Often the profit potential does not come from the sale of an investment, but rather in the purchase. If you pay too much for something, it will eat away at the profit or tie up your dollars for a longer time period.

8. Don’t try to look wealthy, look to become wealthy. Remember to buy assets and not liabilities. Remember, assets are items that pay income to you. Liabilities, on the other hand, require that you make payments. Minimize payments that are required by you and find ways to get more payments coming to you.

9. Give generously to others. Share your time, money, and assets. Seek to find those with less knowledge, those who are less fortunate, and those who need a helping hand. Educate, liberate, and provide hope to the hopeless. Make it a goal to have a better financial situation so you can help others rise above their current situations.

10. Most important: Always stay true to your principles. Always make sure that principles come before profits. Make it a habit to understand what you own, where your investment dollars are going, what values your money represents, and develop a plan to align your morals, beliefs, and values with your financial plan.

Wealth Should Not Separate You From God

Many people believe that once they acquire a certain level of wealth, they no longer have to worry about money. Once they acquire wealth, the worry of not having enough money is often replaced by the worry of losing what was gained. Both of these worries can be dangerous as they show a lack of faith and an improper attitude toward money. This attitude prevents a lot of people from giving.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (niv). It is a continual challenge to acknowledge God is in control of our lives and to trust Him, not with our wealth, with our future.

God’s Economy

There is a moral obligation to help those less fortunate. God’s economy is quite different from man’s economy. By serving those in need, you are ultimately serving God Himself. If you fail to help those in need, you fail to serve Him. When you truly love others, this means you are caring for others in the same manner in which you would want to be cared for.

When you look around the world–at the wars, natural disasters, illnesses, crimes, or jobs lost–you see people who need help acquiring their most basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. When you help provide care for the physically and emotionally wounded or provide job training and economic empowerment or provide emergency relief after famine, war, disease, and natural disasters, you have the opportunity to show God’s love.

Medical problems and ongoing financial hardships can sometimes create lengthy dependent relationships. It makes sense to attempt to discourage long-term dependence, but this should not be done in a judgmental manner, especially not in such a way as to keep your money to yourself. God has made many people wealthy so they might spread wealth around to those in need. While it stands that you should be careful to not create unnecessary dependencies, do not use this as a reason to not spread the blessings with which God has provided you.

Faith-Based Investing helps you have more so you can give more!

In order to help you further align your faith with your investments, I have created a FREE report. To download the report, simply click below:

special report how to screen your investments.pdf

For more information on faith-based investing, read The Faith-Based Investor

COMING SOON

The Faith-Based Investor Newsletter at www.faithbasedinvestor.com

Additional, in May, I will roll out a new service The Faith-Based Investor Newsletter - helping you select investments that have strong growth potential without compromising your faith, morals, and beliefs.

In my home state of NH within the last month, liberal politicians have:

1) introduced a bill that will allow men to enter ladies bathrooms, changing areas, and locker rooms and ladies to enter men’s bathrooms, changing areas, and lockerooms. This is an extreme effort to create a genderless society and cater to the transgender population (less than 1/2 of 1% of the population).

2) Shot down a bill that would require parental notification before girls 16 and younger have an abortion. Children under 16 can’t vote, buy cigarettes, buy lottery tickets, get their ears pierced, or go into a tanning booth without parental notification yet they can have an abortion?

3) Initiated same sex marriage which will allow public schools within the state to indoctrinate our kids with what a “normal family” should look like and parents will not have a right to opt out of pro-homosexual content. Don’t believe me?

Check out this 6 minute video of a couple from MA where same-sex is already legal:

We either fight the culture and stand for what we believe or
sit and be silent and let the culture walk all over us!

Saying and doing nothing makes you an accomplice!