Investment for Life

DateLine (3/01/06 – Ponce, Puerto Rico)

I get a lot of my news from the internet these days. Being on the road a lot I’m not able to read the local newspapers so I resort to the internet. WYFF.com and WSPA.com both have good web sites that allow me stay in touch from 1000s of miles away and CNN.com and foxnews.com allow me to keep in touch at the national level. As I surfed past CNN.com one of the headlines from the business section caught my attention: “Are you ready to retire? Most aren’t.” Now I’m not old enough to retire but I am old enough to understand that I should be well into the execution of my retirement strategy, so I bit and clicked.

The crux of the article was summarized in one paragraph: “According to research from Fidelity Investments, Baby Boomers only have enough in savings and other income sources to replace 59 percent of their pre-retirement income. Of those with 401(k) accounts, the average account balance is just $80,000, and many typically save just $2,750 a year toward retirement.”

Conventional retirement investment wisdom suggests that one should start early, have a sound strategy, exercise patience and let your money work for you. If the article was on the money (pun intended) then Baby Boomers have not heeded conventional wisdom. A lot of people are headed toward an unhappy sunset. Baby Boomers have been identified as the wealthiest generation of Americans ever. If it’s not in the bank safety tucked away to cushion the blow of age and loss of salary then where is it? One can only deduce that it’s been squandered in “living for the moment.” According to the commercial “You only go around once, so grab for all the gusto you can get.” Somebody has been grabbing a lot of “gusto;” soon we’ll be hearing a collective “uh oh.”

God has an investment strategy. As I lingered on the words that I had just read it dawned on me that it share’s similarities to retirement planning. God’s strategy is start early, invest sacrificially, be patient, and let the Holy Spirit work for you. The currency is different, the stakes are higher, and the returns are better. God’s currency is your life, misstep and you lose it, persevere and your investment will pay dividends forever. In our area He has several local branch offices, they’re called churches. Deposits are welcome anytime, preferably in increments of time. If you don’t have the time – send money.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2