Today on MoneyLife with Chuck Bentley

My parents own their home. I think they should look into a reverse mortgage, get the money in their lifetime for their home and enjoy their lives to the fullest extent possible. Is this a poor idea or even somehow an ungodly approach?  I just want my parents to enjoy their life as much as they can, travel or whatever. They worked for it and we should each work for ours.  

I think it's best to avoid reverse mortgages. There are better ways to find resources needed. Your parents could sell the house and move into a less expensive rental house. They could manage the money from the sale well to pay the rent. If you think you need a reverse mortgage, get a lot of counsel about it, including your own legal counsel.

We have been closely involved with missions in our church and have led 3 mission teams to a foreign country served by a very godly missionary.  There is always a tremendous blessing from going and completing a project and conducting VBS. Is it biblical to use a portion of your tithe to fund your family's personal mission trip expenses, paid through the church as a member of the team? We want to take our whole family of 4 this year instead of just one of us going but with our consumer debt still sitting at $60,000, I need guidance for funding because I don't want to postpone missions work until we are able to be debt-free other than our mortgage.

No, I don’t think you should use your tithe to fund your mission trip. The spirit of the tithe is that you receive no direct personal benefit for giving to the church. The church should have the freedom to use that money as God leads it. Come up with another way to fund your mission trip. Ask the Lord to provide.

I wanted to know if you thought it was "greedy" for me to leave my current position as a state employee who makes $35,000 in a job I don't enjoy, to take a position as a teacher making $40,000, a position I want and would enjoy.  Once I complete a doctorate, my income will jump to $50,000.  Do you feel it is greedy to intentionally want to make money to provide a better standard of living for my wife and newborn son?
 
Most people would say to go and take care of your family, but you are concerned about the motive, which can only be discerned by bringing this before the Lord. I believe you have two proper motivations to take the new job and increase your income. You’re qualified for the job and have said you’ll enjoy the work. That would be good stewardship of your talents. You’ll also improve your ability to provide for your growing family. Those are excellent motives for increasing your income. I'm glad to hear you have a heart to tithe on any increase. I don’t sense any greed in you. I think you should go for it.

I've been married 12 years and my husband and I have always had separate checking accounts. He pays certain things and I pay for certain things. We both tithe faithful and love the Lord.  Prior to getting married I was single for 6 years with 2 kids. I have never wanted to combined our finances. My husband has always wanted to, but I just couldn't do it.  What do you think about this?  Is it ok to keep things separate? I've struggled with this for years, if its right or wrong really need to know your biblical perspective.

It's best to combine your incomes into a single, joint account. It demonstrates trust and unity and will significantly help your marriage. If you’re better at managing money, ask your husband if you can manage the joint account. It would also be appropriate to set up an account with a small balance that you use for your discretionary spending. Let your husband know it’s a hard decision and you’re trusting the Lord and him to help you through it. I believe it will make a big difference in your marriage.

I am 56 years old and have been teaching career & technology classes in public middle school for the past five years. Before teaching, I worked in information technology for 25 years prior to being laid off in June of 2001. I like teaching kids, but with all the behavior problems in schools not much teaching happens. Teaching in public school has introduced significant chronic stress in the lives of my wife and me. And the time commitment is so extreme that I am missing valuable time to spend with my wife and grown children’s families. I am also taking care of my mom who is currently living in an assisted living home close to where we live. I am seeking some resources or feedback that will help us make a much needed change.

Teaching is a gift and can be a very rewarding career. I can understand your problem with stress. You should probably should stay in the field of education and find other ways to use your gift. One is to become a tutor either by starting your own company or working for a tutoring franchise. You’ll have different stress, and you can’t get away from it completely. The best way to deal with stress is to cast your cares upon the Lord. When you feel pressure, stop and pray. Trust Him to help you through it.

Let me just mention that Crown needs financial partners especially during the summer. This may be the most important summer in the history of the ministry.

The economy is tougher than it’s ever been. We need people who love this program and helping people in this very practical way to give in June, July, and August if possible.

Please consider becoming part of Crown's effort to teach biblical stewardship by making a gift online or by calling 800-722-1976. Thank you!

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In choosing a vocation, Christians must weigh their priorities very carefully. When people are out of God’s priorities, they are out of His will.

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Job Loss

Dealing with lay off is not pleasant, but look at the lay off as an opportunity that can be conquered.

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Making Career Decisions

Most Americans need to unlearn the errors and then learn the truth regarding career decisions.

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Networking

The most effective method of finding a new job is through contacts—the people you already know or those who know the people you already know.

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Other Resources:

• ABCs of Money Package
• Career Direct
• God's Principles for Operating a Business
• Business By the Book
• Crown Mvelopes