Faith Based Investing

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Life as a Christian is about sacrifice.  Christ showed us the ultimate example of sacrifice on the Cross. Nothing we could ever do would compare but we shouldn’t stop trying to sacrifice to help our families, the less fortunate, and advance His kingdom.  I am so glad for God’s mercy and grace. Are you?

On our personal journeys as we grow deeper in our faith, we often begin to sacrifice our selfish goals and desires to teach lessons to those we love most.  Kind of the same way God teaches us lessons because He loves us.  It brings to light: what are we willing to sacrifice for His glory and what are we willing to do to support and love our families?  Life is about setting a good example and passing wisdom to our children. It’s about steps we take to improve ourselves and grow closer to God.

I love hearing about the good side of the NFL.  In a day and age, where it’s common to hear about NFL players getting arrested, dying, gambling, killing dogs, cheating on their wives, involved in drugs, or other uncompromising situations. (I thought of way too many real life examples there).  Yet it’s very uncommon to hear the feel good stories.

Sacrifice in action

Take Ty Warren, defensive lineman from my team – the New England Patriots. He just announced he will be skipping the first round of his team’s voluntary offseason workouts to go back to Texas A&M in order to finish his degree.  He is giving up a $250,000 bonus in order to do this while sending a strong message to his three children: “education is important!”

“I try to put the kids in the best educational system possible and I think there is something to be said for their father, who has been blessed to play in the NFL and do something he’s loved to do, going back and finishing what he started. In the big picture, I think it’s important for me to do what I’m doing. I can sacrifice that bonus for that.”

Love that commitment and the sacrifice Ty is making for his family.  I don’t know where he stands spiritually, but he sure is sending a great, positive message to his children and children around the world.  Additionally, Ty went on to say no matter how much mony he makes he will always work hard:

“I’ve always been a working person. Ask anyone who knows me, I’ve been working and supporting my two siblings and now my own family since I was 13. No matter how much I have in the bank account, I’ll always work.”

Nothing is more important than God, your family, and your education/personal growth. What have you been willing to sacrifice for God and your family? I’d love to hear your story…

Another Great Article:

Also check out a great article from my friend Dwight Short on “Investors with a Moral Compass Doing Well”

We All Have a Unique Calling

Each of us has a calling. The Lord intends for us to fulfill a specific calling or purpose in His perfect time. You  have been uniquely created and have special physical, mental, and spiritual abilities.  Just like your unique fingerprints, you have unique characters and gift. You have no identical copy.  You have beauty beyond all compare. You have been called  by God for a specific task, and empowered with the necessary skills, aptitudes, and desires to accomplish His will.  Have you been listening and waiting for your next mission?

- Every calling from God is for a specific purpose (Ephesians 2:10)

- Christian or secular work can both be callings

God calls us in unique ways.  Do you think Moses asked for a burning bush experience? God communicates to you and me in completely different ways.  Each of us has a personal unique way, because God wants our experience with Him to be unique.  Have he been calling you to do something?  From a Biblical perspective, callings often come without specific details but require submission.

Once the Lord starts to reveal His will for us, our lives will be spiritually productive.  But what we need to allow the Lord to exercise His will in and through our lives.  Other calling principles are that, a calling can happen at any age, Moses was called at age 80, you may already be in your calling, in a business, but simply need a fresh view.

There are many men and women who are extraordinarily gifted in business, but who want to be involved in meaningful ministry.  Your business can be your ministry.  I speak to people every day finding ways to use their business in divine ways.

If you’re not sure of your calling, be faithful where you are.  If the Lord has not revealed your calling, prepare for you future by developing your character by investing time with Christ.  Bloom who you are, remember if we are faithful with today’s responsibilities, the Lord knows He can trust us with greater responsibilities.  He, who is faithful in a very little thing, is faithful also in much and he who is unrighteous in very little things is also unrighteous in much.  Luke 16-10.

How will you and your business stand out in the crowd?

At www.jayperoni.com,  www.faithbasedinvestor.com, and www.valuesfirstadvisors.com, we have the HUGE challenge of trying to stand out in the crowded financial services space.  How many ads do you see for financial services?  Between the mutual fund industry, big brokerage firms, banking, mortgages, financial planning, and insurance companies with million or even billion dollar advertising budgets, how can the small guy compete?  Right?  Why even try…

How did we respond to this challenge?
My partners and I talk about what we are most passionate about:  money, faith, and investing in companies we believe in!   Our bold, unapologetic message of “get closer to God through your finances and don’t support investments that oppose your values”  is catching steam!

We have very busy schedules, people calling and emailing us every single day, requesting appointments and help from us!  The past few months we have seen the impact of touching lives.  God is opening mighty doors so we can help more of His people!
1.  We have seen a huge rise in traffic to www.jayperoni.com and launched our new wealth training program.  We  will be running this program each month to train and equip individuals to grow closer to God and learn the keys to building wealth that will make an eternal difference.

2.  We have seen an increase in subscribers to our investment newsletter at www.faithbasedinvestor.com
Check out a review of our service here from one of our subscribers:
http://www.household-budget-made-easy.com/learn-to-invest-money.html

3. We have seen a HUGE influx of new clients and prospective clients seeking Biblical advice on
financial planning and investment services at www.valuesfirstadvisors.com

So why the success?

Here are five reasons I see:

1) God is blessing us!  By following His will He is opening the flood gates to reach more of His people.
2) We took a risk so big it only could only work if God was involved.
3) Our message is different from all the other competition.  Who else is talking about faith, money, supporting investments in line with morals?
4) The market is looking for what we have to offer but have not been aware that exists
5) We stand out in the crowd.  We have created marketing messages that tell people who we are and what we do. We know exactly who we are, who are ideal client is, and how to reach them.

So I ask you: how are you different?

As an entrepreneur, I see people coming to me for ideas every single day. I hear a whole lot of ideas but very few that inspire me.   If you are just like everyone else, why would anyone want to do business with you?

There are two coffee shops that recently opened in my new town.  One called “Perk Up”.  The coffee is mediocre, they offer Krispy Kreme Donuts, and a “Starbucks-ish” environment. Nothing exciting! No unique spin.  Their brand image is well…bland.  Unless I happen to be near that location and desperately need coffee, I won’t go out of my way to stop in.

“Joey Bag of Donuts”, on the other hand, has a “gangster” theme with a flashback to the “Sopranos”.  They look, feel, and act the part!  They have great coffee, about 50 kinds of ‘specialty donuts ranging from Cocoa Pebbles and cookies n’ cream donuts to your traditional donuts. I would go out of my way to come here.   My kids like an occasional “treat”

Who do you think will survive?  Who do think just created “buzz” – literally (beyond the buzz from their coffee)?

Want business?  Gain wisdom!

For those who are considering starting a business or already run one, if you missed my recent post on 12 characteristics of an ideal business, check them out!   They contain so much wisdom.  I have personally applied these to businesses and seen much success!

Go here to read

Want Business? Need Wisdom!

For those who are considering starting a business, I wanted to share something that has helped me immensely! These 12 characteristics of an ideal business contain so much wisdom!  I have personally applied these to businesses and seen much success!  They are from Richard Russell.  For those who don’t know Russell:  he began publishing Dow Theory Letters in 1958, and he has been writing the Letters ever since (never once having skipped a Letter). Dow Theory Letters is the oldest service continuously written by one person in the business.

Russell gained wide recognition via a series of over 30 Dow Theory and technical articles that he wrote for Barron’s during the late-’50s through the ’90s. Through Barron’s and via word of mouth, he gained a wide following. Russell was the first (in 1960) to recommend gold stocks. He called the top of the 1949-’66 bull market. And almost to the day he called the bottom of the great 1972-’74 bear market, and the beginning of the great bull market which started in December 1974.

12 Characteristics of an Ideal Business

(1) The ideal business sells the world, rather than a single neighborhood or even a single city or state. In other words, it has an unlimited global market (and today this is more important than ever, since world markets have now opened up to an extent unparalleled in my lifetime). By the way, how many times have you seen a retail store that has been doing well for years — then another bigger and better retail store moves nearby, and it’s kaput for the first store.

(2) The ideal business offers a product which enjoys an “inelastic” demand. Inelastic refers to a product that people need or desire — almost regardless of price.

(3) The ideal business sells a product which cannot be easily substituted or copied. This means that the product is an original or at least it’s something that can be copyrighted or patented.

(4) The ideal business has minimal labor requirements (the fewer personnel, the better). Today’s example of this is the much-talked about “virtual corporation.” The virtual corporation may consist of an office with three executives, where literally all manufacturing and services are farmed out to other companies.

(5) The ideal business enjoys low overhead. It does not need an expensive location; it does not need large amounts of electricity, advertising, legal advice, high-priced employees, large inventory, etc.

(6) The ideal business does not require big cash outlays or major investments in equipment. In other words, it does not tie up your capital (incidentally, one of the major reasons for new-business failure is under-capitalization).

(7) The ideal business enjoys cash billings. In other words, it does not tie up your capital with lengthy or complex credit terms.

(8) The ideal business is relatively free of all kinds of government and industry regulations and strictures (and if you’re now in your own business, you most definitely know what I mean with this one).

(9) The ideal business is portable or easily moveable. This means that you can take your business (and yourself) anywhere you want — Nevada, Florida, Texas, Washington, S. Dakota (none have state income taxes) or hey, maybe even Monte Carlo or Switzerland or the south of France.

(10) Here’s a crucial one that’s often overlooked; the ideal business satisfies your intellectual (and often emotional) needs. There’s nothing like being fascinated with what you’re doing. When that happens, you’re not working, you’re having fun.

(11) The ideal business leaves you with free time. In other words, it doesn’t require your labor and attention 12, 16 or 18 hours a day (my lawyer wife, who leaves the house at 6:30 AM and comes home at 6:30 PM and often later, has been well aware of this one).

(12) Super-important: the ideal business is one in which your income is not limited by your personal output (lawyers and doctors have this problem). No, in the ideal business you can sell 10,000 customers as easily as you sell one (publishing is an example).

Use these 12 characteristics to see if you are operating an ideal business or about to start one!  How did you do?

A God of Opportunities: Turning the Negative into the Positive

Too many people paint God into a corner.  God please answer my prayer this way… Yet God has other plans in mind.  We serve a God who delivers mercy, grace, and unlimited opportunities.  Yet so many of us succumb to doubt, worry, and fear.

You may think, I cannot succeed financially; there are too many obstacles. You may not be able to succeed on your own, but with God by your side, anything is possible. He can make things happen that seem impossible. He can open doors that you never thought could be opened. Do you have faith that the Creator of life can supernaturally turn your financial life around? He can make a way for you even when the odds are stacked against you and there appears to be no way. Don’t see God as a small-sized God but rather a God who can help you ac­complish anything.

Do you know people who are always negative? Even if something good happens to them, they still find something to complain about. You know the type: poor me, nothing good ever happens to me, this is just my luck, etc. It is hard to be blessed when you cannot recognize a blessing when it comes. Turn your negative thoughts into positive re­sponses. Things can always be worse. With God by your side, you can get through whatever you face.

Rock Bottom

Ron was at rock bottom, in his late forties and about to lose every­thing: his family, his business, and his millions. The 1980s real-estate market downturn left Ron with highly leveraged real estate and wiped out his net worth in an instant. A “paper millionaire” no longer, he now owed more than his properties were worth. To top it off, he was three months behind on his personal residence mortgage payments and about to lose that as well. Here Ron was, bankrupt, a failing marriage, and considering ending his life. It was painful for him to wake up each day. This went on for months, then years. He hung in there, and his family stuck around despite his behavior.

Finally, a friend leveled with Ron. “I know you have been down in the dumps and keep focusing on the life you lost, but think about the living you still have left to do. God loves you and can still use you for His good. Focus on the good in your life and forget the bad.” His friend then challenged him, “Ron, don’t you think God wants you to do more than you are doing? Don’t you think He has better things in store for you? You need to stop being so negative!”

Ron took the advice to heart and began waking each day with a new mind-set. He concentrated on the good things in his life and worked hard to turn things around. He leaned on God and fought his way out of depression into a life full of hope, promise, and a brighter future. He concentrated on restoring his broken relationships, building back his finances, and honoring God with his attitude.

When Ron turned to God, he found joy, a fresh vision, and a new sense of purpose. Life is a precious gift—every second, each breath, and the start of every new day. You may never get another opportu­nity to do the things that matter most. You may be so busy that life can pass you by. When you realize what’s important, and create a plan to make it happen, you will reap the greatest rewards. Having a plan is important, but you also need to have a personal connection—some­thing that will keep you motivated. There needs to be fuel to light a fire under you.

Without Purpose, Goals Have Little Meaning

Without knowing what is truly important to you, goals have little meaning. Like the dieter who says, “Yeah, I’d like to lose the love han­dles,” as he eats two more doughnuts, chugs two beers, and watches another episode of Jerry Springer. His motivation is at zero. Now add some meaning to your goals and it’s a different ball game all together. Take, for example, a woman who has a burning desire to lose her post-pregnancy pounds and fit back into her pre-pregnancy wardrobe. She wakes at 6:00 a.m. every morning, does sixty minutes of cardio, and has been keeping track of her calories. Who do you think is more likely to stick with a diet: the Doughnut Dude or the Motivated Mama?

A lack of vision sometimes leads to mediocrity. If you don’t have a vision of where you are heading, how will you know when you get there? Do you remember the story of Alice in Wonderland? Here is an excerpt from the childhood classic, which highlights what I’m writing about:

“Cheshire Puss . . . would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where—,” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

“So long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat. “If you only walk long enough.”

Great Things Often Come to Those Who Plan

People who achieve great things often do so because they have a good idea of where they want to be. Think of some of the most suc­cessful people you know. Did they get where they are today because of luck? Or because of hard work and knowing what they wanted and where they wanted to go?

Many people have a dream life that they would love to see come to fruition, but often they sell themselves short. They have preconceived notions that to get what they want in life will be too hard and too much work. Have you ever looked at someone who emulated what you wanted for yourself and thought it could never happen to you? If there were no constraints and you could simply make it happen overnight, you would most likely do what it takes to make it happen.

Your goals must be compelling and motivating enough to get you excited about achieving them. They must be powerful enough that you think about them constantly. This includes trying to live your ideal life: where you work or volunteer, what activities you participate in, what charities you support, and any other personal goals. These goals should be specific and easily defined. They should be tangible so you can feel, touch, see, smell, and hear them. They should excite all of your senses and drive you toward success.

In order to create the vision, you will need to uncover exactly what excites you. This involves a self-assessment. By examining how God designed you, it is easier to look around at all the opportunities that are right in front of you.

On Tuesday, I hosted the “No More Just Surviving, Let’s Start Thriving! 2010 is Your Year!” webinar.   We had several hundred participate via phone and/or internet from all over the world!  We are deeply humbled and were excited to share the amazing discoveries of how 5% of the population thrived in 2009 while 95% barely survived.  We revealed 10 key principles.  If you were there, did you take notes???

For those who were able to attend live: Thank you so much for carving out some time to spend with me, I hope you found it educational and rewarding.   I have extended the $50 discount on the 4 week intensive course.  

You can still go to http://www.jayperoni.com/seminar/sales.html

 Type in PERONI  as the discount code and you will instantly save $50.  

Remember the class starts on March 2nd and will be four weeks of intensive learning followed by a year of practical application – truly life changing.   We only have 15 more slots open. 

For those who missed the live webinar or want to hear the recording:

Please go here to listen:

http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/WRR7sBVQ

Even though you didn’t attend live, you can still save $50 off our 4 week intensive course as well by entering PERONI as the discount code at http://www.jayperoni.com/seminar/sales.html

Only 15 slots are open and the doors will close until the next session!

Slides from Tuesdays Webinar

Thrive 2-16-10

Attached are the slides I presented on Tuesday night (click above).  As always, if I can answer any questions, please let me know.

Thank you for supporting us!

NO GUTS, NO GLORY!

With one onside kick, on one of the most unexpected plays in Super Bowl history, The New Orleans Saints proved winning takes guts…

If you have been following me here or at at JayPeroni.com, you know I’m a die-hard New England Patriots fan. Since my Patriots did not make it to the Big Game on Sunday, I got to see the next best thing: the Indianapolis Colts lose! But even better than that was getting to see the New Orleans Saints claim victory after such hardship the past several years. Between the high crime rates and the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, most of America was rooting for some joy for that city.

Though nothing can take back the pain, loss and devastation from Katrina, but to see so many smiles and such joy on the faces of the many folks in New Orleans was priceless. In one of the most exciting Super Bowl games in the past decade (besides my Patriots’ three Super Bowl wins), yesterday’s victory proved winning takes guts.

Coach Payton of the Saints proved that to beat the overpowering Colts it was going to take stamina, smarts, and a good dose of risk – high stakes, high reward plays. There was no shortage in Super Bowl XLIV. From the risky call to go for it on 4th down inside the Colts 2 yard line to the gutsy onside kick to begin the second half the underdog Saints had one goal in mind: put it all on the line to give that hurting city something to be proud of.

The players knew what was on the line. They knew what it meant and they were willing to do whatever it took to claim victory. It was their way of saying thank you to the fans, their way of realizing how far the city had come in such a short time, and most of all they knew they could play a small part in helping New Orleans to rebuild what it had lost.

WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR?

What about you? What are you playing for? What are you willing to throw it all on the line for? If you are still living, God wants to do something amazing through you. You are not dead for a reason. You still have a purpose and He has a plan for your life. But are you just going through the motions? Are you investing your life into something worthwhile?

When I awake every day, I know it could be my last day here on earth. We have no promise of another day. Yet we take so much for granted. If today were your last day, how differently would you live? What’s holding you back? Just like the Saints put it all on the line last night, played with heart, and took chances, are you doing the same? To get where you want to go in life, anywhere worth going, it will take a whole lot of guts. Are you willing to risk it all for what you believe in?

What about that business you never started, that investment you never made, that person you never told how you really felt?… We only have so many chances to get it right. We can either dream about the life we wished we had or we can take some chances and work toward creating the life of our dreams – the choice really is up to you: No guts, no glory!

The Midas touch

Tom and his brother Greg had the Midas touch! No matter where they invested, success was soon to follow.  Their claim to fame started in the late 80s when they built a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. By manufacturing other company’s drugs they found a way to avoid expensive research costs, yet reap huge profits.  After a merger in 1991, Tom and Greg took all their sweat equity and walked away with nearly $100 million.  I asked Tom about his philosophies and keys to being a successful investor.  Here is what he shared with me:

1. Don’t expect the market or an opportunity to give you a second chance. You have to seize moment and take risks.  Not careless risks, but rather calculated ones that have a high chance for a payoff.

2. Take action on your gut or years of learned experience. Your gut will rarely lead you wrong.

3. Understand the upside (best case scenario) and more importantly the downside (worst case scenario) before investing a dime. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

4. Disregard advice that violates your common sense no matter how eminent the source.

5. Read the annual and semiannual reports. Study before you invest. If anything doesn’t make sense, sell it or don’t buy it.

6. Admit and correct mistakes—sooner rather than later.

7. Keep your own independent counsel of advisors.

8. Be skeptical, not cynical.  Trust your own research.

Now coming from someone who’s been there, done that, made a fortune without sacrificing his principles, I’ll listen.  Here is one class act who claims Jesus as his Savior and let’s his walk do the talking.  He is one of the most generous guys I know!

“Every moment of our lives we are either growing or dying…” – Robert Cooper

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin

We are either growing or dying spiritually.  There is no status quo!  God calls us to a life of commitment to Him.  Our finances reveal our commitments in life.  Where we spend, invest, and give our money reveals our priorities in life.   As we grow in our faith, we should long to have our finances line up with God’s word.  This means that we need to make a commitment to Him to make changes in our lives.  Over the next year we will look at various ways to combine our faith and finances.  Your journey begins today. 

Make a commitment to God that you will seek to learn His ways.

Psalm 37:4-6 sums it up:

 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:     He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Judy came to see me frustrated and upset. She was tired of the long hours, unfulfilling work, and lack of passion for what she did.  As a telephone worker for nearly thirty years she had enough.  She couldn’t take it anymore.  When the company offered her a voluntary early retirement package, she thought it was an answer to prayer.  However her lifestyle of living beyond her means had overtaken any chance of accepting this package.

In order to prepare her for a future package and as a requirement to become a client of mine, I made Judy sign a commitment that she would change her habits and open her mind to learn new strategies to improve her financial situation.  She needed to make changes and commitments in order to have any chance of ever retiring.  The commitment was her first step in the right direction.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  If you do not commit to change, you will not learn and get past your mistakes.  Turn to God today and ask for the strength and discipline to seek change.  Make a commitment today and stick with the plan.

In what areas is change needed?

What are your biggest financial obstacles today?

What are some steps you can take to change your situation?