Money reVerse

Take the Challenge: WISE Magazine CSI - Credit Score Increase!

2014-11-02T09:09:00.000-06:00

Money reVerse partners with WISE Magazine for this nationwide challenge.

Raise your FICO credit score in 2015.

Get ready! Get Set! Get More Credible!!

Stay tuned…

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14

Join me at CrossRoads Covenant Church on 11/22/2014 for Men's Impact Weekend!

2014-11-02T08:24:00.000-06:00

While everyone else is simply getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Soldiers of the Cross - Men of CrossRoads Covenant Church in Desoto Texas will also be deliberately hosting a powerful Men's Impact Weekend!

CrossRoads Covenant Church in Desoto Texas is lead by Pastor Josef Rasheed and First Lady Rochelle Rasheed.

I'm honored to join this powerful weekend as the keynote speaker on Saturday November 22, 2014. We will detail and explore the differing financial seasons of our lives.

Throughout the Christian Holy Bible there is evidence of seasons - a period of time that is characterized by a particular activity, event or weather pattern. In these times God's promises and divinely given wisdom is used to guide His people on how to operate, prosper and rejoice. This session introduces the concept of financial seasons based on Holy Spirit inspiration, Christian biblical financial principles and US market financial knowledge and patterns. Attendees of this session will walk away energized and inspired to operate in their daily lives in ways that harmonize with their current financial season.

Each attendee a tool that can be used to organize, plan and manage your household finances. After lunch I'll host a workshop in which I demonstrate how to use this tool to assist everyone to get better organized and begin creating and managing to a spending plan as opposed to looking back to figure out what happened to the money after the fact. Every man will walk away better enabled to manage the funds that the Lord has entrusted to him!

To all husbands, fathers, grandfathers, uncles, nephews, sons and mentors - from far and near - this event is free and open to you!

CrossRoads Covenant Church is located at 647 E. Pleasant Run Road Desoto, TX 75115. The Saturday event will start at 10 AM and end at 1:30 PM.

Ladies, please honor the spirit of this event and pray for and send the men to this event. Make plans to join me at an event that's not planned to be men only. Stay tuned… I'll keep you posted of my schedule!! Let's allow our Christian men to gather, fellowship and grow this weekend in this masculine setting. For more info, please contact Marques Miles at mmiles@crossroadsdesoto.org. Thanks for your compliance!

I'm honored to be a part of this Men's Impact Weekend. Looking forward to it!

Carolyn

Join me at Life Changing Faith on Wednesday November 5th!

2014-11-01T23:58:00.002-05:00

My first partnership with Life Changing Faith Christian Fellowship was just a short time ago. I was honored by being invited to be a speaker for their marriage ministry annual retreat at the Tanglewood Resort in Pottsboro, TX. This event was such a blessing to me! I met many great folks and was encouraged to learn from a few individuals that God's word delivered through me was received as instruction and encouragement to focus on the tangible financial blessings that He is providing to us.

I was totally surprised when Pastor Dono Pelham blessed me with a prophetic word and prayer for the ministry that God has entrusted to me. He also dubbed me as an honorary member and I received an enthusiastic "You're Home" declaration from everyone in attendance. Talk
about an overflow of blessings!

Ok… I'm showing up in the house this Wednesday night. The Life Changing Faith house in Frisco Texas. I'm going to share again!

This time I will confirm what God's word says about being credible and having a good reputation and applying this truth to our financial life. I will make this practical as I provide information on agencies that are actively collecting, storing and selling information about our financial practices to lenders and other businesses. It is common knowledge that the three major credit bureaus focus on this practice. I will share with everyone in attendance 15 additional agencies that are also collecting and storing details about our financial practices. We'll also discuss your rights to this information and I will give everyone detailed information needed to contact each of these agencies to get your entitled copy of each report and request that any inaccurate information is corrected. We all will walk away from this session armed with information to begin protecting and improving our financial credibility. I promise that this will be life changing!

Life Changing Faith is located at 7185 Main Street Frisco, TX 75034. Service begins at 7:00 PM and is free and open to the public. Looking forward to seeing Money reVerse supporters there!

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NKJV

Carolyn

Money reVerse at the Marriage Retreat for Life Changing Faith!

2014-10-03T02:32:00.001-05:00

I've been invited to be a part of the 2014 Marriage Retreat hosted by and for couples of Life Changing Faith Christian Fellowship on Saturday October 4, 2014. What an honor!!

I will join the retreat on Saturday morning to share wisdom and practical steps to help us to identify, embrace and operate effectively in our current financial season. I will be contrasting our climatic and financial seasons while sharing Christian biblical truths and my personal testimonials.

This is a full weekend retreat that will take place at the Tanglewood Resort and Conference Centers in Pottsboro, Texas. I'm excited to visit this resort for the first time. Glad this is in my current season. Road trip!!

This event is not open to the public so I'm asking you to be prayerful for the event and the message that is to be delivered. Thanks for your support in this powerful way!

The Life Changing Faith Christian Fellowship is located in Frisco, Texas and is lead by Senior Pastor Dono Pelham. The marriage ministry is lead by Cedric and Michelle White of Healing Thine Hearts Ministries.

Thanks again for supporting Money reVerse!

Carolyn

Join me at The Potter's House - Dallas on October 9, 2014

2014-10-03T01:52:00.000-05:00

I will be joining the Chosen and Committed Marriage Ministry monthly meeting on Thursday October 9, 2014 at 7:00 PM at The Potter's House in the Dallas Chapel.

Money is a such a vital part of all of our relationships. Having harmony in financial views, plans and individual choices are key to a healthy marriage. In order to prosper financially as outlined in the bible, it is important to operate in your current financial season as you prepare for the next season of financial promotion. In other words be in season financially!!

In this meeting I will be sharing biblical financial wisdom, tactics and strategies for identifying and embracing your current financial season along with practical steps for preparing for financial promotion and elevation.

The marriage ministry at The Potter's House - Dallas is lead by Elder Roger and Lady Yolanda Haley. They have a commitment to help couples thrive in their marriage by providing empowering educational tools to nourish and cherish each other in a healthy marriage relationship. This ministry will not only play a pivotal role in building successful marriages, but it will also impact children, families, the church, the community and ultimately, the world. The Potter's House ministry is lead by Bishop T.D. Jakes and First Lady Serita Jakes.

This meeting is free and open to the public. Elder Roger and Lady Yolanda Haley notes that even though this is a marriage ministry meeting, individuals that are in the premarital stage, single or divorced are also invited to attend. Come one, come all!!

The Potter's house is located at 6777 West Kiest Blvd Dallas, TX 75236. This event will be held in the Chapel.

It is an honor to be invited to be a part of this vibrant ministry group. I'm looking forward to it!

Join me! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Carolyn

Money reVerse is on Facebook!!

2014-09-08T21:53:00.000-05:00

Money reVerse is on facebook.

Enough said.

It's www.facebook.com/moneyreverse.

If you like me here can you please go and like me there?

I'm going to have great stuff there…

and I like likes

On facebook…

Ok...See you there!!

On facebook…

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!

Money reVerse is on facebook.

Enough said.

Class offering: 21 Days to Stock Market Investing

2014-09-08T01:30:00.003-05:00

Money reVerse Class Offering

21 Days to Stock Market Investing
Starting Monday October 13, 2014

No prior stock market knowledge required!

Want to jump into stock market investing to ride the market all-time highs? This Stock Market Basics group is for you! This is an interactive classroom group session designed for those that are starting to learn about the financial markets and trading. There will be a 2.5 hour group meeting held weekly for 3 weeks. Sessions will be held on Monday evenings from 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM in Plano, Tx.

Note: Distance Learning /Online participation is not available for this class.

Get these investing questions answered in this session

• What are stocks and why should we invest?

• What are market sectors?

• How do I find and analyze potential stock investments?

• How do I open a brokerage account?

• What is my risk personality?

• Why do markets move the way that they do?

•  What is the best stock market trading strategy for my risk personality?

• What investing principles are given to us in the Christian Holy Bible?

Here’s what you will get…

· Christian Biblical principles on investing and money management.

· Trading and investing knowledge of stocks, ETFs and Mutual Funds.

· Classroom style instruction with personal attention and take-away materials. No tools or subscriptions to purchase!

· Individual Risk Assessment – understand your personal risk tolerance profile!

· Brokerage firm comparison info – select your brokerage with confidence!

· Practical application weekly homework. Put what you learn into action now!

· 60 days post-session coaching via virtual trading in the real market!

· 12 month access to Money reVerse exclusive investing virtual community!

Only $200 per person enrollment cost!

This is what others are saying about the 21 Days to Stock Market Investing Session

"Very excited learning from the Money reVerse 21 Days to Stock Market Investing session. Life changing for me!” P.S. Fort Worth, TX

"Thank you for sowing into our lives over the past three weeks. May the Lord exponentially bless you to do more for the Kingdom. I have just placed my first order for a mutual fund, using the principles you shared with us." C.M. Plano, TX

“The 21 Days to Stock Market Investing group was very empowering and entertaining. Ms. Carolyn makes learning how to trade fun!!” J.B. Dallas, TX

"Your talents and heart continue to bless my household, thank you. As I promote how simply and practically you took us from zero to market capable, I am amazed at how many people don't invest or manage their investments. I thought I was part of a minority. Needless to say, I have several new students for you. Enjoy your season, teacher!" L.C. Carrollton, TX

“Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with us. You made these hard working sessions fun and memorable!!” G.D. Plano, TX

"Well, we did it. Our brains actually learned a lot in your sessions...YIPPEE! We opened and funded our brokerage account today with XYZ firm*. We are off to trading..." B.S - Dallas, TX

* Content adjusted from the original commentary for this publication.

Click here for registration information. Limited spaces per class.

Is this your season for financial elevation???

Carolyn

Enjoyed being a part of the 2014 Wolfe Project School Reunion!!

2014-08-31T14:17:00.000-05:00

It was such a blessing to be a part of the 2014 Wolfe Project School Reunion in Dallas Texas!

The Wolfe Project School was birthed in 1938 in rural Southeast Arkansas as a segregated school that served needs of African American students in the Desha School district. The school and the
community continued to grow and thrive until school was closed in 1967 as a result of integration.

The educators, students and community members have kept the community that was created by this school alive through biennial reunion gatherings. These gatherings have been times of celebration, encouragement and remembrances.

I was invited to be the banquet speaker for the 2014 reunion. This was such an honor! My dad, the late Hayward Williams, Sr attended this school along with one of my sisters. I shared and encouraged everyone to leave the legacy they are purposed to leave.

Takeaway from this session: You are not going to be here forever, but your legacy can be.

The Wolfe Project School has been closed for many years. There is no one employed by the school and the building has been torn down for many years. In spite of that, the 2014 reunion of students, teachers and community members alike is flourishing as strong as a reunion of a class or school that is in full operation. This a noteworthy legacy! Thanks again for inviting me to participate in this fun fun occasion!

Everyone is going to leave a legacy - those things that are said about you and passed down by you when you're no longer here. Are you building yours to make the mark that God has purposed for you to make?

Go and get busy creating your legacy on purpose. No one else can do it for you!!

Carolyn

Financial Authority: Part 1 - No Personal Financial Ignorance

2014-07-16T01:55:00.000-05:00

Operating in the financial place that is outlined for Christians in the Holy Bible will require that we first put to an end all instances of personal financial ignorance.

No disrespect is intended here. Let’s break it down.

Ignorance is having a lack of knowledge or information. Ignorance is in no way related to intellectual capacity as is often implied in our conversations. Ignorance is being unaware, unfamiliar, inexperienced and unenlightened. Ignorance can exist because of isolation, limited exposure or more deliberate measures. For this reason I believe that in today’s overabundance of information, being ignorant is a choice.

Personal financial ignorance can be described as being uninformed of the details of your own personal financial situation. Is that possible? Sadly I must say that it is possible. This is a clear measure of financial immaturity that I’m praying will be resolved for all Money reVerse followers starting with this blogpost!

Let's go to the verses… Know the state of your flock

Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds;

For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,

The lambs will provide your clothing,

And the goats the price of a field;

You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food,

For the food of your household,

And the nourishment of your maidservants.

Proverbs 27:23-27 NKJV

These scriptures, located in the Bible book of Proverbs, served as instruction to those in biblical times to be aware of what’s going on with their flocks and herds. Let me paraphrase these passages:

Having riches at one point in your life does not mean that you will have them forever. If you don’t consistently take care of the money that you have, is it very possible that your future generations will not benefit from it. (As noted throughout the Christian Holy Bible, the family lineage and importance of making plans for future generations is very important.) If you take care of what you have, you can have enough assets to cover your needs and/or be sold for lot of money. Guess what? By being consistent and particular to carefully manage your financial resources, you can take care of everyone in your household along with the hired help that you’ve engaged! All of this if you will be relentless about knowing what’s going on with the money you have today.

In biblical times an individual’s wealth was determined primarily by their cattle inventory. Here’s an example of how one rich man, Job, was described.

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.

Job 1:1-3 NKJV

The modern-day adoption of the instruction of being diligent to know the state of your flock is to be diligent to understand your personal finances. To take this further, to know the state of your finances is to know the details of your personal fiscal matters at a particular point in time.

To know the state of our financial matters we should be able to speak intelligently as we answer at a minimum the following 7 questions about ourselves:

- How much money am I expecting to earn this year? How is this compared to what I expected to earn last year? How am I tracking to this goal at this point in time?

- How does my monthly income compare to my monthly expenditures? Am I living in deficit or surplus? (When income and expenditures are equal we are living “on the money”. This rarely happens but it is possible...)

- How am I handling the monthly deficit or surplus identified in question #2?

- How much debt do I have? How does this compare to my income (debt to income ratio = debt / income). How does this debt to income ratio compare to my debt to income ratio this time last year?

- How much savings do I have? How does this compare to my savings this time last year?

- What is the value of my personal assets (real estate, automobiles, stocks, stock derivatives, bonds, mutual funds, investments, collectibles, business valuation if sole proprietor or partnership)

- What is my financial credibility rating (credit score)? How does this compare to my credibility this time last year?

Answers to these questions will give you the state and condition of your current personal finances. We’re not addressing future plans, goals and aspirations at this point. Current state only in this first step. To take this a bit further, every 6 months I prepare a statement of my financial condition that I could deliver as an elevator speech. But I don’t share it as a speech and never discuss this on an elevator. This is for me. Likewise your personal financial condition is for you...

How do you get to knowing the state of your flocks? A major key to achieving the financial headship that is outlined for us in the Christian Holy Bible is to consistently track and manage your weekly and monthly income and expenditures. From that consistent tracking, a summary of key data points will get you the data that is needed.

The scripture didn’t instruct us to know that state of our flocks and herds only when they are doing well. If it's yours, you should know it’s condition - even if it isn’t good right now. This is the foundational step for getting our finances aligned to Christian biblical scripture.

We're going somewhere but we've got to get our ticket here!! If things have been rough for you recently, it will take courage to sit down and do this. You have what it takes! Just by completing this step things are already getting better!!

Can you commit to getting a detailed understanding of your financial condition within the next 14 days or sooner? I'm doing it. Join me!

Carolyn

Click here to see the previous post in this series!

Financial Authority Series Introduction: Are you a Christian? Take your rightful financial place!

2014-07-06T22:57:00.000-05:00

For those of us that have truly accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, we individually asked for this acceptance and made a commitment to make lifestyle changes to live as a Christian is instructed to do in the Holy Bible.

Sustaining the level of financial positioning as the bible instructs us to do requires that we operate with financial purpose. How do we do this? The answer starts with the word NO.

No personal financial ignorance.
No living beyond our means.
No empty savings accounts.
No debt or payday loans.
No FICO credit scores below 700.
No slack in giving to the poor.
No slack in giving to build God’s kingdom.
No questionable plans for retirement.
No individuals without plans to be carried out in the time of our inevitable demise.

For those of you that know me well, I know that you are simply shocked that I'm using the word no. I'm a negotiator deep in my heart and for that reason when I hear the word no spoken to me, I usually work to introduce cases for exceptions, later accommodations or just flat out fight the power. In this case we all will need to speak the word no to ourselves. No compromise, no exceptions.

The word no is the most aggressive two letter word in our English vocabulary. It is a statement of forbidding, rejection and notice that something is quite the opposite of what was specified. For the purpose of this series, I won't fight the opposition. I will let the word no stand on it's own merits in this case....

In this series, I'm going to take each of the earlier "NO" statements and detail an actionable plan to tackle each stumbling block. As is customary, I will also detail the biblical scriptures associated with the recommended practices in addition to sharing more of my personal accounts in each of these areas.

Ready to take your rightful place in the area of finances and be who He has called you to be? Ready to claim the financial authority in the earth of which you are entitled? I am! Come and walk it out in your life as you follow this series.

Not a Christian? Want to elevate your financial position? Stay with me. The Christian financial principles that I will outline will work for everyone that will work them.

A "must-listen" for this occasion is a song from a project that I own and love. The song is titled Get Up by Tasha Cobbs. The words and rhythm of this song motivates me to motivate you every time I hear it. Take a listen via the supplied link.

Link to the song is provided by Gospel Innovation. Gospel Innovation is a Global Gospel Media Website/Company that is all about lifting up Jesus Christ and spreading the Gospel in music, dance, websites and visual wallpaper designs on their website. Enjoy the music and much more there. I do!!

Ready to take your rightful financial place? Let's do it! Stay tuned!

Carolyn

Click here for the next post in this series!

Improve your finances in the next 90 days!

2014-06-23T00:31:00.001-05:00

From my own experiences of teaching and leading personal financial management sessions and working with individuals on money matters, I’ve found the following four items to be true:

Managing your personal spending for 30 consecutive days will motivate you to continue the practice and empower you to begin other aggressive actions to take control of your personal financial life.

Your FICO credit score can be improved after only 90 days of a purposefully directed credit repair financial action plan.

All debt can be paid off in 24 months with aggressive debt reduction lifestyle changes.

A 1 hour introduction to investing techniques and strategies will serve as motivation to you to reduce your living expenses and increase savings.

Got 90 days to invest in improving your finances? Here's your to-do list!!

1. Create a spending plan and stick to it for 30 days.

A spending plan is just that - a plan for how you will spend every penny that is entrusted to you for the next 30 days. The plan should be created before the month begins and should be your accountability for all financial income and expenditures.

Got a commercial budgeting software package? Got a spreadsheet? Got a Big Chief tablet and a Fat #2 pencil? How you do this isn't important. Use what you got and get your spending plan started!

If you'd like a free set of Excel worksheets that I've created for this purpose let me know via email and I'll get it to you.

2. Pay your bills on time and reduce your debt load.

The two most prevalent factors that influence your FICO credit score are your payment history and the amount of debt that you owe. If you have a habit of paying your bills late, make the adjustments that are needed to pay those that report to the credit bureaus on time. Pay more than minimums to lower the amount of debt that you owe at a faster pace. No matter what your FICO credit score is, you will see it increase after 90 days by addressing these heavily weighted areas. Making payments on time right now or don't have any debts right now? You're doing great and your FICO score is most likely reflecting this. Move on to the next step.

3. Do some investing in your investment knowledge

Find a low-cost / no-cost class or seminar to introduce or reintroduce you to long-term investment strategies. It is encouraging to learn about a place of financial improvement that you could reach. Take this information and let it be your motivation to prepare you for this advanced financial management path. I've found that as I teach stock market basics groups, individuals that are not financially prepared to invest begin making plans to get there by paying down debt and earmarking funds to begin actively investing. Sit in an investing session and see if this is the case for you also!

Planning to implement one or more of these items in the next 90 days? Let me know and keep me posted on your progress!

Carolyn

Halftime Checkup - 2014 New Year's Financial Resolutions

2014-06-11T01:16:00.000-05:00

Halftime question: How much have you progressed in reaching your New Year's resolutions? Are you still on track?

Many of us struggle in setting goals and sticking to them until completion. I’m included in this category in some areas of my life. A study conducted by the University of Scranton reveals that only 8% of people that make resolutions or set goals at the first of the year actually reach them. Statistics show that after the second week of January 29% of New Year’s resolutions are prematurely abandoned. I find that I along with many individuals that I speak with clearly have the intentions of sticking to our personal goals but often end up with a story instead of a testimony when we report on our success.

Financial Goals

Financial goals seem to be a part of our New Year's resolutions of many. Commonly seen financial goals include managing personal finances with a spending plan, improving savings balances, maintaining a good credit score and getting out of debt. Achieving these goals will require flesh focused sacrifices. Money that was once spent on last minute sale items, sporting events or an unplanned dining out experiences must now be redirected toward actions that lend themselves to meeting the established financial goals. Taking the actions steps to achieve these goals may appear to become difficult, boring or time consuming - especially if these are actions are outside of your normal ways of operating.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Galations 6:9 KJV

This scripture is speaking to us about our flesh - our physical body and our real world circumstances. When we grow tired of a situation we tend to say “I don’t care anymore”. When we let ourselves grow tired or weary, we’re giving our flesh a loaded gun and our most desired goals and objectives are in the direct line of fire. We begin having casual conversations with the strongest negotiator that we will ever meet - our flesh. At the end of these casual conversations we begin vocalizing self-destructive things like “I’m sick of this”, “I’m tired”, “I’m taking a break on this” and “I’ll get back on track tomorrow”. In the blink of an eye we’ve compromised our goals and our financial breakthrough!

If you've grown weary in your quest to meet your financial goals I'm hear to encourage you to press on. It's not over - just halftime. There's another half to this year and let's regroup!! Here's three tips to help you to maintain your strength as you regain your momentum in meeting those financial goals that you set at the beginning of the year.

1. Define what weary means to you when you set the goal so that you will recognize the symptoms.

but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV

You will be tempted to quit and turn back while on your improvement journey. The temptations will come but they won't be anything that you cannot handle and overcome. Know your weak points in this area and identify these sabotaging conditions and detail what you will do to overcome them. Will you be tempted to stop taking your lunch to work based on the untruth that the little bit that you’re saving isn’t making a difference? Will you seriously consider that you can again spend money earmarked for paying a bill and buy those unbudgeted Girl Scout cookies? These are financial sabotage temptations that you can escape. Detail what you will do in these situations and in advance declare the victory on paper. Write it down so that you can reflect on these action steps as often as needed!

2. Make note of the “Little Victories” along the way. They are reminders that your actions are making a difference and getting you closer to your goal!

The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report make the bones healthy.

Proverbs 15:30 NKJV

Did you manage your spending for 7 days straight? Write it down and celebrate it!

Did you save money this week by cutting your grocery bill? If you did write it down and say so!

Did you pay extra on a debt? If so, write it down!

When you hear the lie that states that what you’re doing is not making a difference, you have real evidence to squash this flesh negotiation tactic!

I once created a monthly newsletter that had a page to focus on these “Little Victories” when leading a debt reduction session. Seeing these items in this newsletter was the highlight of the team meetings. How about sharing these celebrations with your social media friends and followers?

3. Pray that your flesh is weakened as a part of striving to reach your goals.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galations 5:15 KJV

Your flesh is weakened as your Spirit is strengthened. If the flesh has little or no power to persuade you to quit, the battle is over before it begins! If you brush your teeth each morning even though you are sleepy and groggy, your flesh has no power over you in the area of morning dental hygiene. Pray that your spirit overpowers your flesh in those areas that are required for you to reach your financial goals.

Ok… when it comes to those financial New Year's resolutions halftime is over. We've gotten a bit of rest and the pep talk. Get back into the game! Each of us have a great chance of gaining a lot of ground in the area personal financial health!!

Look for another checkup on this subject…

Carolyn

Join me at the 4 "T's" Relationship Summit!!

2014-06-01T15:44:00.000-05:00

I'm honored to serve as a guest speaker at The 4 T's Relationship Summit that is sponsored by Healing Thine Hearts Ministry. The Summit will be held Saturday July 26, 2014 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Richardson Texas.

As the name implies, the focus of the summit is relationships. Whether you are dating, married, dealing with your children or your boss - every successful relationship is built on 4 specific pillars. These 4 pillars are Time, Talk, Truth and Trust. By attending this conference and hearing from the 5 guest speakers you will learn the preventative measures of avoiding continuous failed relationships by taking the step-by-step approach to relationship success.

I'm excited to share insight on our personal financial "seasons". I'll share wisdom on understanding and our personal financial times as well as maintaining healthy relationships despite the differences in the financial timing of those individuals that are the center of our most prominent relationships. As money is always a strong topic of discussion in our marriages, single friendships and in relationships with our children and employers, this insight and steps for practical application can prove to be beneficial to everyone.

Get more information on the 4 T's Relationship Summit and complete your registration on the Healing Thine Hearts Ministry site.

This is going to be great! See you there!

Carolyn

Declare War Against your Debt!

2014-05-12T00:10:00.000-05:00

Declare war against your debt

6 fail-proof battle tactics

The amount of credit extended to individuals within the US continues to increase at an annual rate of 4.34% according to the Federal Reserve Consumer Credit-G.19 release for November 2013.* Credit card or revolving unsecured credit extended to individuals increased by .5% while secured and fixed loans for automobiles, education and personal loans increased by a 6.5% annual rate.*

Having more credit available for use does not have to equate to having more debt. Having credit does not cause debt. Debt is caused by the improper use of credit products. If the amount of your monthly debt is more than 5% of your monthly income you are in debt by my definition. When in debt, funds that should be earmarked for other areas of your everyday living are required to repay creditors for goods or services that you’ve received immediately and promised to pay for over a period of time. This can stunt immediate and future financial growth and promotion for you and your family.

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 1 Corinthians 7:23 NKJV

If you’re in debt you’re financially enslaved to your creditors. This is not a desirable place to be. Rise up and say “I’ve had enough!” Declare war against debt in your life. Here’s how to do it in 6 concise steps.

1. Get mad about it!

Anger in a framework of wisdom provokes corrective action. Being in debt is not an acceptable way of life for Christians. If debt is in the equation of your current financial condition you should get mad about it. You’re not enjoying the freedom of which you’re entitled. Get mad if most of your hard earned paycheck is owed to others before you get it. Get mad if you are not in a position to plan and save. Instruction from the Christian holy bible leads us to not be enslaved to anyone yet your primary reason for earning money is to keep creditors off your back. Mad yet? Then do something about it!

2. Get your debt target in sight.

Take an honest look at your current financial situation. Write it down, put it in a spreadsheet or use an online financial management tool. It doesn’t matter how you do it but get it out of your head and in a place where your eyes can see it and you can lend your voice to it. For each debt owed log the creditor name, balance owed, what was purchased, monthly payment amount, interest rate, amount past due and planned payoff date. Get totals for these key items and see them as a wall that separates you from financial freedom. When you can see the wall you can get a tactical plan to scale it.

3. Build your debt defense shelter

You will need a rainy day or emergency fund. In this life there will be unplanned financial interruptions. The car breaks down, two family members gets the flu, you get a speeding ticket, your out-of-state cousin passes away. Expect it. Face it. Fund it. This the purpose of your rainy day or emergency fund. Plan to have at least $1,000 set aside for those life burps that happen. If you’re retired strive to have at least $500 set aside. Use these funds instead of adding to your debt for specifically defined emergency situations. Build and replenish this fund while paying down debt. If saving $1,000 seems impossible right now, try and contribute $20 a week to this fund. Give up something to be able to repurpose this weekly $20 from your everyday living budget. With no financial burp you will have your $1,000 emergency funds within a year!

4. End your relationship with the enemy: Stop Charging!

Take your credit cards from yourself. You’re making the problem worse by continuing to use them. Canceling them could negatively affect your credit score so keep them open but stop using them. You can do this!

5. Plan to pay off all non-mortgage debt in 24 months or less.

Give your freedom from debt a completion date. If the planned payoff date for any debt extends beyond 24 months using your current schedule, a more aggressive payoff strategy is needed. Getting a second job, selling stuff, getting a roommate, canceling vacations and downsizing your daily living are great places to start to find the funds to pay more on these debts.

6. Protect your freedom!

When you become free from debt create a internal sensor that is triggered when it looks like you could be relapsing. Defend your hard earned freedom. Your defense is against your toughest adversary - yourself. Freedom from debt is exhilarating! This is where you belong. Don’t let anyone or anything send you back into bondage.

Carolyn

*Source: Federal Reserve Board “Consumer Credit-G.19 Release for November 2013” Release date January 8, 2014

Should you give to the building of God's kingdom or save money? #FinLit

2014-05-06T01:05:00.000-05:00

The answer is Yes! Do both - Give and Save!

And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’. Acts 20:35 KJV

There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. Proverbs 21:20 KJV

You are reading this correctly. Giving and saving is a single best step that we should take in preparation for expanding our financial territory. This is not an oxymoron - as the biblical scriptures show, we are expected to give and save.

The principle to be gleaned here is that we should purposely take resources that we could use to sustain ourselves and make a conscious effort to give to the building of God’s kingdom, give to the poor and give to take care of family while also setting aside a portion in our house for later. This is stewardship sacrifice.

Here's Christian biblical scripture that reference these financial practices.

Giving to the building of God's kingdom...

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

And pour out for you such blessing

That there will not be room enough to receive it."

Malachi 3:10 NKJV

Giving to the poor...

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

Isaiah 58:7-9 NKJV

Taking care of your family...

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV

There is wisdom in saving...

There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. Proverbs 21:20 KJV

We’re pleasing to the Lord when we put His financial principles into action.

How do you do this? Here’s three practical starting points:

Tithe (giving 10% of your increase) and give offerings to building of God’s Kingdom

Give to the poor through an avenue that touches your heart. This can be though a charity or by helping someone on the street. God knows your heart and counts every act of giving even if the IRS does not.

Save a portion of your increase each month. Save for those unplanned expenses that we know will surface. There’s no such thing as saving too little unless you’re not saving at all! Include this in your spending plan so that you can track it and hold yourself accountable.

Principles for managing financial resources in the Christian Holy Bible are designed for our best interests today, tomorrow and in eternity. I'm asking you, are you giving and saving?

I am!!

Carolyn

Actively manage the financial resources that you have today!

2014-04-21T23:50:00.000-05:00

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:10-12 NKJV

Make it a point to actively use a spending plan for directing and tracking your expenditures each month.

A spending plan is a pre-spending written account of all household expenditures for the month. Creating this plan before the funds are spent introduces self-directed accountability of how, when and where every dollar is that is entrusted to you is spent. Tracking your actual spending against the plan is a crucial step. Lessons that you learn from your spending reality will be used in creating future monthly spending plans.

Don't have a spending plan? In the spirit of Financial Literacy, there are several options available to help you to rectify this and begin managing to a spending plan with very little effort. One of these resources is from the site Money Management International. Take a look at it here: www.moneymanagement.org/Budgeting-Tools/Budget-Calculators/Budget/How-much-am-I-spending.aspx?RCTAG=FLM

Everything belongs to God and we are stewards of His resources. We must consistently pass the test of being a good steward of what we have today before we will be entrusted with more. As the scripture implies, what you’re doing with the money that you have today will be what you would do if you had more. Be a faithful steward and manage every penny that you have today and get ready because more is on the way!

Carolyn

Get your financial documents organized!

2014-04-11T15:54:00.000-05:00

In order to get our finances together we've got to get the related "stuff" together. This is so important but often overlooked. In our quest to improve our financial lives, take a close look at your everyday operational practices. Simple adjustments can make big improvements!

Get control of the paperwork!

There are statements, receipts, and other artifacts that are a part of a healthy personal financial system. These include bank statements, paycheck stubs, W2‘s, purchase receipts, service invoices, bills, discount coupons and insurance declarations and riders. Without taking the time to properly manage these items they can easily end up in various hiding places that can make it challenging to be timely in getting bills paid and completing IRS income tax filings. It never fails that at the end of every year when the holiday decorations go up and family starts to arrive, I go off my routine of dealing with mail and placing these documents in their designated places. If you currently have a system to store and manage these documents, recommit to operate in this system and take this time to get things back in order. Create new files as needed for additional items that you’ve found should be tracked separately. A test that I use is if I can’t tell someone where to locate a document it in less than 3 minutes it needs to have a better more identifiable home.

A simple system that I use for my active paper documents is to store them in semi-opaque plastic food storage containers with lids. I place a visible label inside these containers to note it’s contents and stack these neatly in my home office closet. The containers are inexpensively sold in multipacks in the kitchen storage section at your favorite department store. I have active boxes for several categories including unpaid bills, paid bills, bank statements, insurance docs, flex spending receipts, dependent care, tax documents, investment statements and coupons/gift certificates. At the end of the year I store the full container of docs in gallon size zip-top bags which I label appropriately. Getting your paper records organized does not have to cost a lot of money!

Don't forget the digital assets. Review the financial online archive policies and your personal record retention needs.

With each of our financial partners, we have the option to “go green” and eliminate paper. Many of the statements and receipts that you get today can be delivered to you digitally or available online. If you take advantage of paperless for any financial documents that you are required to keep you will need to ensure that you have a method to reproduce these docs at will. This involves knowing how long you should retain the document and compare this to the online and archive retention policy of your financial partner. If you will need to maintain your health care receipts for 7 years for tax audit reasons but but you can only see your pharmacy receipts for 24 months you will need to develop a plan to mitigate this difference. If you store your digital receipts on your computer how will you recover this data if your computer hard-drive dies or your computer is stolen? Make a list of the length of time you are required to maintain key receipts and statements and include on that list how you’re going to make sure that you’re covered. Fill in the gaps of things that are not stored online for long periods of time by downloading them to your computer and ensuring that you’re backing this data up for safe keeping. I find that this is a must for my post-tax monthly online brokerage statements.

Let this be a call to action. Successful individuals tend to be organized and deliberate in their actions. That's you and me. Let's GO!! (Get Organized)

Do you see a man who excels in his work?

He will stand before kings...

Proverbs 22:29 NKJV

Carolyn

Financial Literacy: Protecting your personal information #finlit

2014-04-09T03:15:00.002-05:00

Protecting your personal information can help reduce your risk of identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), this is best done by employing operational practices that include the following four tactics:

Be selective and informed about those that you choose to share your personal information.
Store and dispose of your personal information securely especially your Social Security number
Ask questions before deciding to share your personal information
Maintain appropriate security on your computers and other electronic devices.

Before we get into a few more details, let's bring more info about the Federal Trade Commission to light.

Federal Trade Commission

The FTC is a bipartisan federal agency with a unique dual mission to protect consumers and promote competition. The FTC protects consumers by stopping unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices in the marketplace. They conduct investigations, sue companies and people that violate the law, develop rules to ensure a vibrant marketplace, and educate consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities

It benefits consumers by keeping prices low and the quality and choice of goods and services high. By enforcing antitrust laws, the FTC helps ensure that our markets are open and free. The FTC will challenge anticompetitive mergers and business practices that could harm consumers by resulting in higher prices, lower quality, fewer choices, or reduced rates of innovation.

Protecting your personal information

Be selective and informed about those that you choose to share your personal information.

Make sure you know who is getting your personal or financial information. Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or know who you’re dealing with.

Store and dispose of your personal information

securely, especially your Social Security number.

Before you dispose of a computer, get rid of all the personal information it stores. Use a wipe utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive.

Before you dispose of a mobile device, check your owner’s manual, the service provider’s website, or the device manufacturer’s website for information on how to delete information permanently, and how to save or transfer information to a new device. Remove the memory or subscriber identity module (SIM) card from a mobile device. Remove the phone book, lists of calls made and received, voicemails, messages sent and received, organizer folders, web search history, and photos.

Shred receipts, credit offers, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks, bank statements, expired charge cards, and similar documents when you don’t need them any longer.

Destroy the labels on prescription bottles before you throw them out.

Ask questions before deciding to share your personal

information.

Before you share information at your workplace, a business, your child's school, or a doctor's office, ask why they need it, how they will safeguard it, and the consequences of not sharing.

Keep a close hold on your Social Security number and ask questions before deciding to share it. Ask if you can use a different kind of identification. If someone asks you to share your SSN or your child’s, ask

why they need it
how it will be used
how they will protect it
what happens if you don’t share the number

The decision to share is yours. A business may not provide you with a service or benefit if you don’t provide your number. Sometimes you will have to share your number. Your employer and financial institutions need your SSN for wage and tax reporting purposes. A business may ask for your SSN so they can check your credit when you apply for a loan, rent an apartment, or sign up for utility service.

Maintain appropriate security on your computers and

other electronic devices.

Use security software.

Don’t open files, click on links, or download programs sent by strangers. Opening a file from someone you don’t know could expose your system to a computer virus or spyware that captures your passwords or other information you type.

Keep financial information on your laptop only when necessary. Don’t use an automatic login feature that saves your user name and password, and always log off when you’re finished.

Read the privacy policies. Yes, they can be long and complex, but they tell you how the site maintains accuracy, access, security, and control of the personal information it collects. If you don't see privacy policies posted, consider doing business elsewhere.

This is a summary of helpful information available to consumers for our awareness and protection. Take a look around at www.ftc.gov.

To read the full FTC article on protecting your personal information, get there from here:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure

Learn more, do more!!

Carolyn

Join me at The 4 "T's" Relationship Summit! #hthevents

2014-04-04T00:33:00.000-05:00

I'm honored to serve as a guest speaker at The 4 T's Relationship Summit that is sponsored by Healing Thine Hearts Ministry. The Summit will be held Saturday May 3rd, 2014 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Richardson Texas.

As the name implies, the focus of the summit is relationships. Whether you are dating, married, dealing with your children or your boss - every successful relationship is built on 4 specific pillars. These 4 pillars are Time, Talk, Truth and Trust. By attending this conference and hearing from the 5 guest speakers you will learn the preventative measures of avoiding continuous failed relationships by taking the step-by-step approach to relationship success.

As is customary, I will bring the topic of finances to the discussions. Think about your key relationships right now… how many of them have finances as a significant component? If you're honest you will note all of them! If the relationships are with your children, spouse, best friend or relative, the concept of money or lack of money plays a role at some point in time in all of our significant relationships. Understanding the money / relationship elements and getting tools to assist you in maintaining successful connections in good and not so good financial times will prove to be beneficial today and in years to come!

Get more information on the 4 T's Relationship Summit and complete your registration on the Healing Thine Hearts Ministry site. They have a number of enrichment events for you to consider.

Thanks for your support. See you there!

Carolyn

April is National Financial Literacy Month!

2014-03-27T19:32:00.000-05:00

"It is not good for the soul to be without knowledge…"

In response to multiple US senators taking a stand to assist in raising public aware ness about the serious consequences associated with a lack of understanding about personal finances, Senate Resolution 316 was passed in March 2004. From that point forward goals and actions geared toward educating individuals on the many areas of personal finances were taken. At that time, key focus areas were to help us as Americans improve our understanding of financial issues such as credit management, savings and home ownership.

We now have a Congressionally chartered Federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission. this commission is made up of more than 20 Federal entities that are coordinating and collaborating to strengthen financial capability and increase access to financial services for all Americans.

I'm energized about the number of resources available to anyone that has a desire to increase their financial understanding. If you're starting at square one and getting committed to managing your personal spending and saving there are resources that can help to instruct, motivate and encourage. Need to get info on retirement planning? There's a wealth of info available to you. If credit management is your focus there is no shortage of info in this area either!

Throughout the month I will share with you information across the multiple areas of financial management. In addition to sharing the tactical advice, I will share the applicable biblical principles along with links to informational sites that are sponsored by the Federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission.

What is your task during National Financial Literacy Month?

Each of us should plan to get refresh or extend our knowledge in an area of finances each week. This could equate to spending 30 minutes a week reading your Money reVerse blog posts (I'm committing to posting weekly - there I said it!!) and accessing additional information that I will be providing.

To get started, take a look at the Financial Literacy Month site at www.financialliteracymonth.com. I love this site. It is easy to follow as it took the daunting challenge of learning more about financial matters broken down into 30 steps - one for each day of the month. Take a look around and take a pledge to take financial responsibility for yourself and your household.

Happy Financial Literacy Month! More to come!!

"It is not good for the soul to be without knowledge…" Proverbs 19:2 NKJV

Carolyn

Celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

2014-01-20T02:15:00.000-06:00

We recognize and celebrate the life

of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pastor, Activist, Humanitarian, Civil Rights leader

85 years after his birth on January 15, 1929.

46 years after he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

He lead a campaign for civil rights change in America in his 39 years of life.

What are you doing to change the world in these days that you are given?

The 2013 Partial Government Shutdown - Got Questions? Here's some answers!

2013-10-01T13:01:00.002-05:00

According to historical records, the 2013 partial government shutdown is not a first. We've been here before. Our current situation - because the spending approvals are not in place, it is a federal crime to spend government funds as of October 1, 2013, the first day of the US federal government fiscal year.

You need to know more about what's going on. That's a statement - not a question. I'm including a link here to an article that I find extremely helpful in breaking down the situation into digestible fact morsels.

The article is titled "66 Questions and Answers about the Government Shutdown" and is published in one of my favorite papers, the USA Today. The author is Gregory Korte who in my opinion is an outstanding writer and reporter for that paper.

Here's some of the questions that are answered in this article:

- What causes a government shutdown?

- Why is it happening now?

- What is the difference between a shutdown and the debt crisis?

- Will I still get my mail if the government is shutdown?

- Will I be able to get a passport? Food stamps? Visit a national park?

- Will I get my Social Security check? Unemployment Benefits? WIC? What about federally funded school lunch programs?

- Will taxes be collected while the government is shutdown?

- If I'm being audited by the IRS, will this continue?

- How many people will be sent home from work during a government shutdown?

- Will active military personnel get paid?

- Will the President and White House Staff get paid during a shutdown?

This is only 16 of the 66 questions that are answered. Read the USA Today piece "66 Questions and Answers about the Government Shutdown". Fifty more fiscal educational facts available to you.

It costs you something to pay attention. In this case the cost is a little reading time. Well worth the investment in my opinion...

Let me know what you think.

Carolyn

Money reVerse winner of Motorola XOOM tablet announced!

2013-07-08T20:19:00.002-05:00

We Have A Winner!!

Congratulations to Kimberly Stewart of Lewisville Texas. She is the winner of the Money reVerse Motorola XOOM Sweepstakes!

Kimberly was selected via a random drawing of all Money reVerse blog and twitter followers.
As the winner she's receiving a Motorola XOOM Android tablet. It boasts a dual core processor, 2 cameras, HD display and the Android Operating System. Portable as it has a 10.1 inch screen and weighs 1.6 pounds.

All of this because she's a Money reVerse follower. Congratulations to Kim!

Keep on following everyone! More sweepstakes are on the way!

Carolyn

Win a Motorola XOOM Android Wi-Fi Tablet from Money reVerse!!

2013-06-10T19:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, Money reVerse followers! Here is another opportunity to win great gifts!

Win this Motorola XOOM Android tablet. It boasts a dual core processor, 2 cameras, HD display and the Android Operating System. Portable as it has a 10.1 inch screen and weighs 1.6 pounds. Just what you need to keep high end technology with you at all times!!

Winner will be selected on Friday July 5, 2013 via a random drawing from the collection of all Money reVerse followers. Follow by email or via twitter and you're entered. Follow in both places and you're entered twice!

Thanks again for supporting Money reVerse. Blessed to be a blessing!!

Carolyn

Official Rules: Eligible entrants must be US residents age 18 or older on 7/5/2013. No purchase necessary to enter. Winner will be selected by random drawing of eligible participants. Eligible participants are individuals that meet the above listed criteria and subscribe to email electronic updates (follow by email) to Money reVerse website at www.moneyreverse.net or by following twitter updates from @moneyreverse twitter account. Electronic subscription confirmation must be completed for each entrant. Each eligible participant may have a single entry for each email address that follows the Money reVerse website and a single entry for each twitter account that follows @moneyreverse. Odds of winning determined by the number of entries. Winner will receive a Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi 10.1 inch Android tablet after being selected in a random drawing on 7/5/2013. Winner will be notified by the communications method used to enter the sweepstakes and will have 14 days to acknowledge notification of prize winning. Failure to respond to winner notification in 14 days will result in the forfeiting of the prize and an alternate winner being selected. Prize estimated retail value is $301.78. Winner will be required to sign a release and affidavit of eligibility that allows the use of the winner's name and location and/or likeness in a notification/marking campaign sponsored by Money reVerse. This sweepstakes is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Motorola or Twitter, Inc. Money reVerse Carrollton, TX

Part 2 - Stock Market Primer questions answered

2013-05-13T00:36:00.002-05:00

Listen to this blogpost!!

Welcome to the Stock Market Primer follow-up --part 2. Here I will again answer questions about investing in the stock market. The questions are ones that time did not permit me to answer during a recent meeting in which I was invited to be a guest speaker. The small group ministry or life team hosting the meeting was the Strategic Business Relationships and Career Transition group which is lead by Carlyn Davis from Covenant Church in Carrollton Texas.

To recap the meeting goals, at the end of the meeting I wanted the ladies attending to have the following take-aways:

1. Have scripture references that confirm that Christian financial principles encourage investing.

2. Understand stock securities and be able to read a stock quote.

3. Have an understanding of our key US Stock Markets (Dow, NASDAQ and S&P 500) including what they represent and their all time high values.

4. Be able to follow market / investing conversations on financial
TV shows by having knowledge of Bears and Bulls, Insiders, Market Capitalization, Market Sentiment, SEC and a host of other US Stock Market terms and concepts.

With a title like Money reVerse, you know that I must take the opportunity to reintroduce biblical scripture that contains principles that we should apply to our personal money management practices. Here's additional biblical scriptures that encourage investing.

Biblical Scriptures that Encourage Investing

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." Proverbs 21:5 NKJV

The primary reason that we invest is to make money. Period. In managing money and investments take the wisdom of this scripture to heart and be one that makes plans and that is diligent. A diligent person uses care and conscientiousness in everything they do. They think things through, create action plans and they make things happen! The contra action of diligence is to act quickly with little information - and the scripture here states that the plans of those will lead to poverty. As I share with you on investing, I'm keeping the wisdom from this scripture in plain view. I want to encourage and promote diligent approaches not only to investing but in all money management strategies.

Because the Lord is the owner of everything and we are stewards of His resources, we should also be diligent in seeking Him for guidance in our investment strategies. Here's a scripture from Isaiah that confirms this truth.

"Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.'"

Isaiah 48:17 NKJV

I will continue to seek the Lord's guidance as I make investments and as I daily manage all of the financial resources that He has entrusted to me. Scripture here confirms that He teaches us to profit and leads us by the way we should go. Again, see the management of your personal and business finances in scope to be governed by this scriptural truth. Strive to be a great steward of all things entrusted to you by the Lord. Can you commit to join me and also seek the Lord for guidance in investments and in the daily management of your finances?

Did you notice that instead of good steward I said great steward? Subtle but noticeable difference... More to come on this

Now on to answering the final questions presented by the group attending the Stock Market Primer session!

IPO - Initial Public Offering

Q: Why is it good to get in on a stock investment at IPO time?
A: The biggest draw to buying a stock at the time that it's IPO or Initial Public Offering launches is the possibility that the investment will turn out to be like getting a winning lottery ticket - buy the stock for a low price and cash in within a few days when the stock doubles or triples in price. The expectation is that with all of the focused marketing and the excitement and energy generated around the first offering of the stock, the demand to get in early will drive the stock price high in a short period of time. For anyone that got in at that initial price, that would translate into quick profits. For example, look at the SeaWorld Entertainment IPO (stock symbol SEAS) that took place on Friday April 19th 2013. It was filed with the SEC and officially announced to the public on December 27th 2012. During the 4 months between the time that the IPO was announced and it's launch date there were many news stories and press releases about the company and the stock offering. The initial stock price was proposed and debated by market analysts in the public eye for 4 months. Now, let me tell you what SeaWorld entertainment did on Friday April 19th 2013 - the IPO Launch day. On that day, just before the New York Stock Exchange opening bell, all the traders and TV viewers were energized by a parade of SeaWorld performers, live penguins, otters and other animals marching across the actual NYSE trading floor.

SeaWorld Entertainment stock opened at $27 a share and closed at $33.52 a share on it's first day of trading - a profit of $6.52 a share for those that were able to get in at the $27 price. If you purchased 100 shares on that opening day at that opening price, you banked an additional $652 profit - a 24% return. Not bad at all for a single day of trading against a single stock! Again, it's the possibility of first day of trading profits like this or better than this drives investors to IPOs in large numbers.

(at the time of this writing, I have no open positions in SeaWorld Entertainment stock or derivatives.)

Q: How do you know when a company will IPO?
A: Great question! There are many online sites that detail information on companies that are scheduled to go public. To find some of this information do a google search on IPO Calendar. Personally, my favorite place for digging into the details of scheduled IPOs is on the NASDAQ site. The web address is www.nasdaq.com/markets/ipos.

Q: How can someone that is a small investor participate in an IPO? Can they?
A: I don't have a definition for what could be classified as a "small investor", but I can say that anyone that has the required funds in a brokerage account on IPO day can participate in an IPO. I must make you aware that sometimes the demand for that brand new stock on the market is so great that it will be like you're standing in a long line waiting to make your purchase. In that case you make the stock trade and you keep checking for the purchase confirmation that never seems to come... I've been there a few times!! There are no minimum purchase quantities set on the number of stock shares that must be purchased. Using the SeaWorld Entertainment IPO as an example - anyone could participate in that IPO for as little as $27 - the opening price to purchase one share of the stock. To simply answer the question, yes - a small investor can participate in an IPO. Even if that small investor is you!

Insiders

Q: Can you explain Insider trading?
A: Ahhh... thanks for the question. I'm thankful for the opportunity to correctly explain this term better than I did in the session.

An insider is a company officer or director or any individual that owns more than 10% of the voting shares or voting rights of a company. Technically, insider trading is the buying and selling of any securities by anyone that is considered to be an insider. These are the folks that are invested in the daily operations and strategies of the company and therefore may have access to information about the business activities and plans that are not known to the general public. These are the people that could play a role in making key decisions that could be business impacting like merging with or acquiring another company, expansion the business operations or having products being evaluated for recall actions. Because these individuals have this type of information, they could buy or sell stock based on this knowledge before it is released to the general public and that would be unethical. Again, for our protection the SEC requires that companies make key business information available to the general public through the regulatory reports. For this reason the SEC regulates the stock trading activities of insiders by monitoring for suspicious activity and requiring full disclosure of their trading activities to the general public.

When ever we hear about "insider trading" it is usually associated with SEC investigations surrounding allegations of trading violations. This is the example that I used in the session. While the use of the words insider trading in relation to violations is the correct wording, I wanted to also clarify that the trading of any stocks and other securities by anyone considered to be an insider technically is considered to be insider trading - even with no violations. Great question!

Q: When stock prices drop - could these declines be caused by insiders leaking confidential company information?
A: You know I guess anything is possible. More than likely when a stock drops in price this is not the case. There is just no good reason for an insider to say something negative about something that is theirs to improve to make it more valuable. Think about it like you're selling your car. Would you start spreading around information that could cause your car to be worth less money (for instance, the car has bad smell that can't be removed, engine is not good, unsafe vehicle, desirable by thieves...)? Not likely if you really want to sell your car. Same with an insider. They have a vested interest in the company and if they are a company officer or director they are paid to help to make the organization more profitable thus increasing the value of the stock. Leaking negative company information could cost the individual their job or even have stronger disciplinary actions. To simply answer the question, it is possible but not likely in my opinion.

Q: Do we have access to information on company insiders to get details on their investment activities?
A: The short answer is yes! Thanks to the SEC regulations, full disclosure of company financial information, business operational plans and insider stock purchasing and selling activities is readily available to the general public! Having access to this information takes the mystery out of knowing how the company being operated. Because of this, information about the associated trading activity of the officers of every public company is included in their company profile. This information is easily accessible by anyone that has an interest. Pre-investment company research steps will quickly reveal these details.

Again, to those that attended the Stock Market Primer session, you were a outstanding group! You got it! I can tell from the conversations that we had after the session that day and as I've chatted with several of you since then. You are intelligent and have no problems comprehending new financial concepts and ideas. You can trust yourself to begin the forward motion into a new season of promotion when it comes to all things financial. Profiting through investing is in your near future. Receive it!

Thanks again to Carlyn Davis for inviting me as a speaker for this meeting and I pray financial promotions to all meeting attendees and to all Money reVerse readers.

If you'd like to see more teaching on investing, let me know. My goal is to serve you!

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Carolyn

Money reVerse

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"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

And pour out for you such blessing

That there will not be room enough to receive it."

Malachi 3:10 NKJV