What Does The Bible Say About Saving And Investing?

The bible actually has quite a bit to say about investing for
the future, but I just want to loo at one !ain e"a!#le and
then give a few verses as well$ %et&s tae a loo at the
'(arable of the Talents) to see what *od has to say about
investing+
14For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who
called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.
15To one he gave ve talents, to another, two, and to
another, one, each according to his own ability! and he went
on his journey. 1"#mmediately the one who had received
the fve talents went and traded with them, and
gained fve more talents. 1$#n the same manner the
one who had received the two talents gained two
more.
1%&ut he who received the one talent went away, and
dug a hole in the ground and hid his masters money.
1'(ow a)ter a long time the master o) those slaves came
and settled accounts with them. *+The one who had
received the ve talents came up and brought ve more
talents, saying, ,-aster, you entrusted ve talents to me.
See, I have gained fve more talents.. *1/is master
said to him, ,Well done, good and faithful slave You
were faithful with a few things, I will put you in
charge of many things; enter into the joy of your
master..
**0lso the one who had received the two talents came up
and said, ,Master, you entrusted two talents to me
See, I have gained two more talents.. *1/is master
said to him, ,Well done, good and faithful slave You
were faithful with a few things, I will put you in
charge of many things; enter into the joy of your
master.. *40nd the one also who had received the one
talent came up and said, ,-aster, # knew you to be a hard
man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where
you scattered no seed. *5.0nd I was afraid, and went
away and hid your talent in the ground See, you have
what is yours..
*"&ut his master answered and said to him, ,2ou wicked,
la3y slave, you knew that # reap where # did not sow and
gather where # scattered no seed. *$.Then you ought to
have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival # would
have received my money back with interest. *%.There)ore
take away the talent )rom him, and give it to the one who
has the ten talents..
*'For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will
have an abundance! but )rom the one who does not have,
even what he does have shall be taken away. 1+Throw out
the worthless slave into the outer darkness! in that place
there will be weeping and gnashing o) teeth. , Matthew
25:14-30
I believe this to be the clearest #icture of investing what *od
has given us in order to bear fruit for -is ingdo!$ The fact
that .esus actually uses !oney to illustrate this #oint, should
be a clear indication that *od has no #roble! with /hristians
who tae the !oney that *od has given us res#onsibility
over, and wisely invests it0 In fact, he e"#ects it0
To be clear, this #assage goes way beyond !oney and #oints
to whatever talents and s#iritual gifts we have$ The #oint is
that *od e"#ects us to use what -e gives us, and it is
therefore a sin to bury the! in the ground and fail to use it$
Because of our econo!ic syste!, !oney is the thing that we
use in order to sustain us$ In ti!es of sur#lus, we are to give
abundantly and invest and save for the future, so that in
ti!es of lac, we will have #rovision stored u# for us0
This was true in 1gy#t when *od led .ose#h to #lan to save
234 of the harvest for 5 years in #re#aration of the
devastating fa!ine 6Genesis 41:33-367$ We can also see it
in the rebue of the la8y !an in Proverbs 6:6-11+
" 4o to the ant, 5 sluggard, 5bserve her ways and be wise,
$ 6hich, having no chie), o7cer or ruler, % 8repares her )ood
in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest. '
/ow long will you lie down, 5 sluggard9 6hen will you arise
)rom your sleep9 1+ :0 little sleep, a little slumber, 0 little
)olding o) the hands to rest;< 11 2our poverty will come in
like a vagabond, and your need like an armed man.
-ere are a few !ore verses about saving and #lanning 9
investing for the future+
(roverbs :3+; < -e who gathers in su!!er is a son who acts
wisely, but he who slee#s in harvest is a son who acts
sha!efully$
(roverbs 2:+; < The #lans of the diligent lead surely to
advantage, but everyone who is hasty co!es surely to
#overty$
(roverbs 2=+25 < (re#are your wor outside and !ae it
ready for yourself in the >eld? Afterwards, then, build your
house$
%ue :=+2@AB3 < Cor which one of you, when he has laid a
foundation and is not able to >nish, all who observe it begin
to ridicule hi!, saying, DThis !an began to build and was not
able to >nish$&
: /hronicles 22+; < David said, 'Ey son Solo!on is young
and ine"#erienced, and the house that is to be built for the
%ord shall be e"ceedingly !agni>cent, fa!ous and glorious
throughout all lands$ Therefore now I will !ae #re#aration
for it$) So David !ade a!#le #re#arations before his death$
As you can see, *od has a lot to say about #lanning and
investing for the future$
Biblical Investing Princiles: ! "i#eless $eso%rce
B
The idea of Biblical investing often brings u# an array of
!i"ed e!otions and !isunderstandings in /hristians and
nonA/hristians, alie$ -owever, these !isunderstandings
usually ste! fro! a !isunderstanding of the intention of
such invest!ents$ Investing, in the biblical sense, is not
about hoarding !oney for the sole #ur#ose of watching it
grow$ Investing is about being good caretaers of the
blessings that we have been given in order to further *od&s
wor in the world$
The Bible has nu!erous e"a!#les of those who have both
#ros#ered and lived lives that are #leasing to *od through
the #ro#er !anage!ent and use of their riches$ But not only
are there anecdotal e"a!#les throughout Scri#ture, there
are also s#eci>c tidbits of wisdo! and advice, !ostly fro!
Fing Solo!on, to hel# /hristians invest wisely and !aintain
an ethical and s#iritual standard that follows the core beliefs
of /hristianity$
Gow you !ight be wondering what the Bible could #ossibly
say about !odern invest!ent theories, and that is a great
question$ Hf course Scri#ture does not directly relate to the
stoc !aret or the 'tech bubble,) but the funda!ental
#rinci#les of being #ro#er stewards of what *od has given us
have not changed$
We can learn a great deal about the (IIG/I(%1S of investing
Biblically by closely e"a!ining the wisdo! of Fing Solo!on,
who was nown a!ongst his #eers as an individual for who!
anything he touched #ros#ered$
%et&s brieJy touch on two of Solo!on&s !ost wellAnown
#rinci#les of investing$
1&'cclesiastes 5:10( )*e who loves #one+ will not be
satis,ed with #one+(-
This #rinci#le is e!#hasi8ed throughout Scri#ture and is a
funda!ental tenant of investing ethically$ /hristians do not
invest to a!ass fortunes$ We invest because we want to be
good stewards and we want to grow our resources to better
serve as caretaers of the world$ Go !atter how !uch your
invest!ent grows, it will not satisfy you or !ae you ha##y
by itself$ Fing Solo!on rightly identi>es that !aing !oney
si!#ly for the sae of being rich is a !is#laced !otivation$
2&'cclesiastes 11:2( ).ivide +o%r ortion to seven/ or
even to eight/ 0or +o% do not 1now what #is0ort%ne
#a+ occ%r on the earth(-
This is the !ost frequently referenced advice of Fing
Solo!on and the !eaning for !odern investors is clear$
Diversi>cation is absolutely essential to weathering the u#s
and downs of the !aret$ It greatly reduces the riss that are
often associated with !any invest!ents$ This is es#ecially
i!#ortant in an econo!y that is tentative at best, as is the
current econo!y of the Knited States$ Ie!e!ber, the goal is
long ter! stewardshi#, not overnight wealth$ To that end,
diversi>cation, as suggested by Fing Solo!on is a ti!eless
invest!ent strategy$
Collowing Fing Solo!on&s #rinci#les of investing will both
ensure an ethic focus on *od and hel# with best #ractices$
2tewardshi G%ides 3hristian Investing
What !aes /hristian investing diLerent fro! investing in
general? %ie !any other investors of diLerent faiths < or
none at all < /hristian investors buy stocs, bonds, #recious
!etals and real estate$ But even though these investing
ventures all wor the sa!e way, they&re driven by very
diLerent #ers#ectives$ Knlie their secular counter#arts,
/hristian investors are guided by the understanding that in
all things they are stewards of *od&s wealth, not their own$$
'-ave con>dence in the %ord with all thy heart, and lean not
in thy own #rudence,) Fing Solo!on tells us in (roverbs B+;A
M$ 'In all ways thin on hi!, and he will direct thy ste#s$) Cor
/hristian investors, investing decisions aren&t driven by a
wish to build wealth for wealth&s own sae < but for the glory
of *od$ And that o#ens doors to !any blessings, including
wealth$
God 4wns 5 and $%les 5 !ll
/hristian investors recogni8e that *od owns everything$ As
(sal!s 2=+: #uts it, 'The 1arth is the %ord&s and everything
in it$) That !eans that even though we can s#ea of '!y
!oney,) '!y house,& or '!y car,) that&s only a convention of
s#eech$ All those things, and everything else in our lives as
well, co!e fro! *od$ They&re on loan for our bene>t$
So it is with investing$ When /hristians !ae investing
decisions, it&s not for their own bene>t, but for the best use
of *od&s #ro#erty$ But that&s not all$ Along with owning
everything in the world, *od is also sovereign over it <
#ossessed of su#re!e #ower over everything in his do!ain$
The conce#t of *od&s ownershi# and sovereignty over
everything in the world guides every as#ect of /hristian
investing$ It requires care and eLort, su##orted by #rayer$
And when /hristians recogni8e that they&re investing for
*od, their investing eLorts bear fruit$
2tewardshi G%ides Investing
If you were ased to !ae so!e invest!ents for a friend,
you&d do the best job you could to !ae sure that everything
went well$ So it is for /hristian investors, who recogni8e that
in all things, they act as *od&s stewards on earth, charged
with the best and !ost careful !anage!ent of all that
belongs to *od$
With stewardshi# co!e res#onsibilities and obligations$
Since /hristian investors are charged with this duty, they
!ust be #roactive, educated and in control of their investing
eLorts$ That !eans acquiring the nowledge needed to
!ae #rudent decisions that lead to good outco!es$ There&s
no delegating of res#onsibilities$
Doing justice to the charge of stewardshi# in investing
involves having a clear #lan and learning what&s necessary
to get there < and to weed out the inevitable sca!!ers,
sche!ers and get rich quic #ro!ises that cro# u# along the
way$
/hristian investors are clear on the #ur#ose of their investing
decisions < to advance *od&s interests, not their own$ Setting
goals according to *od&s #riorities clari>es goals and the
ste#s needed to achieve the!$ Iecogni8ing your obligation
as *od&s steward in investing leads you to invest for the
highest good$
/hristian investors now that in order to bee good stewards
of *od&s resources, they need to align other as#ects of life
with that #ur#ose$ Eanaging !oney #rudently, getting good
>nancial advice and cleaning u# any >nancial !isste#s are
all ways to be a better steward by getting >nancially >t$
Invest 6or "oda+ 5 and 6or 'ternit+
/hristian investors !ae their decisions with a sense of
urgency as well as ti!elessness$ Because no one nows
what the future holds, it&s i!#ortant to act now, rather than
#ut things oL$ (rocrastination isn&t in the job descri#tion of
*od&s stewards$ That&s eloquently stated in .ohn N+=+ 'As
long as it is day, we !ust do the wor of hi! who sent !e$
Gight is co!ing, when no one can wor$)
Eanaging invest!ents as a steward of *od !eans initiating
action, rather than waiting for so!eone else to tae care of
things, or la8ily #utting decisions oL till to!orrow$ Things
!ay be very diLerent then$
That sense of urgency !eans !aing your decisions fro!
the #ers#ective of 'never #ut oL till to!orrow what you can
do today,) not ju!#ing at #ro!ises of quic riches that
require you to tae action without a chance to thin, or lea#
at a once in a lifeti!e 'o##ortunity) that turns out to be a
sca!$ Being a good steward of *od&s resources calls for
#rudence, not reclessness$ And investing fro! that
#ers#ective hel#s the /hristian investor see through those
e!#ty #ro!ises and iLy #ro#ositions$
Ieali8ing how i!#ortant it is to act #ro!#tly is #art of an
outloo that also includes a very long view indeed$ The
investor who wors hard to be a good steward for *od&s
#ossessions is also looing very far ahead < to eternal life in
heaven$ And that !eans a reconing with *od about the
handling of that earthly stewardshi#$ /hristian investors
!ae decisions today for the glory of *od forever < and that
ee#s investing decisions focused and !orally sound$
What about building wealth < the reason !any #eo#le
e!bar on an investing career in the >rst #lace? Cor the
/hristian investor, wealth is the gift of *od and not an end in
itself$ And with faith that generous sowing !eans generous
rea#ing, the /hristian investor trusts that good decisions
!ade with the guidance of the %ord will yield rewards not
just here on earth but in heaven$
Cor /hristian investors, the tools of investors everywhere
tae on a higher !eaning$ As .ason -art!an says, beco!ing
educated and staying in control of the whole investing
#rocess creates a foundation for building wealth$ And taing
these and other ste#s for investing success as a steward of
*od builds the foundation for #ros#erity now and in the
future
2olo#on7s Path to Proserit+ is 6or Investors "oo
Fing Solo!on, one of the Bible&s bestAnown sages, ruled for
forty years, #lenty of ti!e to a!ass a wealth of wisdo! fro!
e"#erience$ -is sayings collected in the Boo of (roverbs
reveal the qualities that lead to a #ros#erous life$ And those
virtues can for! the foundation of a successful investing life
as well, reJected in .ason -art!an&s reco!!endations for
creating wealth through inco!e #ro#erty$ As Solo!on says,
nowledge, wisdo!, #rudence and justice are the
watchwords for #ros#erity < and #ros#erous investing$
In (roverbs :3+:=, Solo!on tells us, 'Wise !an lay u#
nowledge, but the !outh of the fool is ne"t to confusion$)
Fnowledge is the foundation of wisdo! and #rudence, and it
leads the way in #re#aring for a successful investing career,
too$ %earning about current !aret conditions, researching
s#eci>c #ro#erties and >nding out who has sound advice to
oLer can hel# a new investor to avoid costly !istaes$
/urrent technology !aes it #ossible to view #ro#erties
thousands of !iles away and to tal with >nancial advisors
fro! anywhere in the world in real ti!e, so there&s no reason
not to beco!e nowledgeable about investing$
/o!#aring lenders, rates and conditions is only a clic away,
and you don&t have to be a real estate e"#ert to get the
essential nowledge you need to evaluate the advice you get
fro! those who clai! they are$ And gathering all available
infor!ation about a #ro#erty and its local !aret, rather
than relying on other #eo#les& reco!!endations, can hel# a
new investor avoid costly !istaes$
Wisdo! was the !ost #ri8ed of virtues for Solo!on, and
wisdo! arises fro! using nowledge gained to !ae good
decisions$ In (roverbs :+;, the !onarch writes, 'A wise !an
shall hear, and shall be wiser, and he that understandeth
shall #ossess govern!ents$) Cor investors, wisdo! co!es
fro! collecting infor!ation, listening to sound advice and
observing trends and !ove!ent in the larger conte"t of the
housing !aret and the econo!y as a whole$ The wise
investor weighs o#tions against available resources and
considers the big #icture of investing goals as well as the
i!!ediate issue of #urchasing an individual #ro#erty$
(rudence, too, is the investor&s friend$ Cor Solo!on,
#rudence and wisdo! go hand in hand to create #ros#erity$ $
'/all for wisdo!, and incline thy heart to #rudence,) says
Solo!on in (roverbs 2+B$ While wisdo! involves acquiring
and weighing nowledge to !ae the best decision,
#rudence relates to looing ahead, envisioning and avoiding
#itfalls as !uch as #ossible$ The wise investor gathers all the
infor!ation #ossible and evaluates the o#tions? the #rudent
one will also consider riss and #otential #roble!s with an
eye to avoiding losses down the line$
'The e"#ectation of the just is joy, ' says the Fing in
(roverbs 23+2@$ But how does justice relate to real estate?
Cor Solo!on, one who is just < who deals fairly with others
and builds a re#utation as an honorable and fair individual <A
rea#s !ore rewards than one who cheats and !aes bad
deals$ In the world of inco!e #ro#erty investing behaving
justly relates to !anaging >nances res#onsibly, dealing
#ro!#tly and honestly with tenant issues, and !aintaining
#ro#erties safely and co!fortably$
1verything old is new again$ And Solo!on&s ancient words
about the #ath to #ros#erity tae on new relevance in the
!odern world of inco!e #ro#erty investing$
2et Investing Goals 2olo#on7s 8a+
The Boo of Fings tells us that Fing Solo!on was one of the
wisest 6and richest7 #eo#le ever to have lived$ That&s why his
ti!eless words fro! the boos of 1cclesiastes and (roverbs
continues to guide the !oney !anage!ent and investing
decisions of thousands even today$ The great Fing&s
reco!!endations can hel# new investors !aster the basics
of investing success+ clarify goals, create #lans and tae
action$
3lari0+ Intentions and Goals
It&s hard to !ove #lans forward without a clear idea about
the end result$ But that&s what la8y investors do < they follow
the trends of the day, chase quic results or turn the whole
#rocess over to >nancial !anagers with their own agendas
and goals$ But Fing Solo!on re!inds us that clear goals
ins#ired by the right guidance is the real #ath to wealth$
'Cear *od and ee# -is co!!and!ents, for this is the whole
duty of !an, ' says 1cclesiastes :3+:2, a verse widely
attributed to Fing Solo!on hi!self$ Those words re!ind us
that a solid foundation for clarifying intentions and setting
goals co!es fro! following the co!!and!ents of *od$
Fee#ing those co!!and!ents in !ind can hel# to eli!inate
avenues that !ay loo good but are actually !orally
questionable or downright dishonest$ And using the
co!!and!ents of *od to !ae investing choices will create
the right conditions for !aing #rogress toward those goals$
3reate a 8or1able Plan
Wisdo! is nowledge, and as Solo!on tells us again and
again in the Boo of (roverbs, it&s far !ore valuable than
gold or other riches$ Wisdo! leads to #rudence < wise
decision !aing based on reason and caution$ Those two
qualities go hand in hand for building wealth and #ros#erity$
'A si!#le !an believes anything, ' Solo!on tells us in
(roverbs :=+:;, ' but a #rudent !an gives thought to his
ste#s$) If your goals are clear < aligned with the
co!!and!ents of *od and intended for the best and
highest outco!es < then it&s ti!e to #lan the ste#s that lead
to those goals$ And while it&s easy to be suced into the
latest get rich quic sche!e, or go s#ringing after every new
trend that co!es along just because it sounds good, the
#rudent investor thins things through and considers how
one ste# leads to the ne"t$
The 'si!#le !an who believes everything, ' as Solo!on
says, is the target of an array of real estate sca!s and
hoa"es, fro! the tearjerer stories #osted on the internet to
the sca!!er #osing as a quali>ed invest!ent counselor$ But
the #rudent investor taes ti!e to evaluate the clai!s and
#ro!ises, and to reject the! if they aren&t in line with the
bigger #lan$
And a ey factor in the growth of wisdo! that leads to
#rudent action is infor!ation$ As .ason -art!an says,
getting educated is the >rst ste#$ The !ore you now, the
!ore control you have over the investing #rocess$ And that&s
the route to real >nancial freedo!$
'Without counsel #ur#oses are disa##ointed, but in the
!ultitude of counselors they are established,) says the Fing
in (roverbs :;+22$ A #art of learning is >nding out what you
don&t now, too, and that&s when a #rudent investor o#ts to
get #rofessional advice$ But thans to getting educated and
infor!ed about your invest!ents, you won&t be the si!#le
one who believes everything, and you&ll be able to weed out
the bad advice fro! the good$
"a1e $ight !ction
'-e who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards
the clouds will not rea#,) Solo!on observes in 1cclesiastes
::+=$ *oal setting and #lanning don&t !ean !uch if you
don&t tae action$ If you&ve clari>ed your goals and
develo#ed a #lan with awareness and all the infor!ation you
can >nd, then it&s ti!e to !ove forward$
Success in inco!e #ro#erty investing, as in so !any other
situations, can get stalled by feeling overwhel!ed by what
you don&t now, what you still need to learn, and a fear of
the future$ It&s far too easy to ee# learning without ever
feeling ready to #ut #lans into action$
But as Solo!on warns, waiting for just the right ti!e,
watching conditions evolve, leads to nothing tangible$ The
#rudent investor acts on the best infor!ation and advice
available right now, acce#ting that the future is uncertain
but trusting that the best #re#aration will yield the best
outco!e$
'/ast your bread u#on the waters,) the Fing tells us in those
fa!ous lines fro! 1cclesiastes ::+:, 'for you will >nd it after
!any days$) Acce#ting that the future is uncertain, but
trusting that your investing bread will not be lost, is a ey to
!oving forward$
So!e investing avenues are risier than others$ But real
estate, in the for! of rental inco!e #ro#erty, is a stable
invest!ent that never goes out of style$ (eo#le always need
a #lace to live, and unless there&s a landslide or !assive
Jood, land doesn&t go anywhere$ (rudent investors who want
to !ini!i8e ris and !a"i!i8e returns loo to the land < and
the structures on it < for long ter! investing success$ And
thousands of years later, the ti!eless words of Fing Solo!on
about setting goals and tang action lay a solid foundation
for buiding wealth fro! inco!e #ro#erty
9ing 2olo#on7s 5 :irt%es 0or Investors
Across the !illennia, Fing Solo!on&s words of wisdo! about
living a godly life still s#ea to us, with truths that guide
!oney !anage!ent to this day$ Throughout his boo of
(roverbs, the Fing has !uch to say about what
characteristics can hel# an investor < and anyone O !ae
sound >nancial decisions$ And, interestingly enough, they&re
echoed by .ason -art!an&s advice for successful investing
as well$
8isdo#
Wisdo! is the bedroc of a #ros#erous life$ 'If wisdo! enter
into thy heart, and nowledge #lease thy soul, counsel shall
ee# thee ad #rudence shall #reserve thee,) he says in
(roverbs 2+:3A::P Cor Solo!on, wisdo! includes a
willingness to learn and the ability to recogni8e wiced and
!isguided #aths$ In investing, too, being infor!ed and able
to se#arate the legiti!ate fro! the sca! can lead to
success$
Pr%dence
As the #revious quote #oints out, #rudence < the ability to
!ae decisions with caution and foresightOgoes hand in
hand with wisdo!, #reventing risy decisions and
forestalling #roble!s fro! ill considered or illAadvised
investing advice$ The #rudent investor is wiling to tae riss
but also considers alternatives and loos forward, in order to
s#ot #otential #itfalls$
8illingness to 2ee1 3o%nsel
As .ason -art!an #oints out, s!art investors also recogni8e
what they don&t now, and tae the a##ro#riate ste#s to get
the advice and infor!ation they need$ Cor Solo!on, too, the
wise !an 'shall understand a #arable, and the
inter#retation, the words of the wise, and their !ysterious
sayings$) 6(roverbs :+M7$
;%stice and '<%it+
'%et not !ercy and truth leave thee, 'says the Fing in
(roverbs B+B$ '(ut the! about thy nec, and write the! in
the tables of thy heart$) And fair dealing is w ey to
Solo!on&s investing #rinci#les$ AS the ongoing !ortgage
fraud scandals have created victi!s of foreclosure abuses
and tainted the re#utations of !ajor lenders, !ercy, truth
and justice beco!e #articularly relevant$
3ontrol
It&s i!#ortant to be #roactive and tae control of investing
decisions rather than #utting everything in the hands of
>nancial !anagers '*o to the ant, o sluggard,) says
Solo!on in (roverbs M+M$ 'And consider her ways and learn
wisdo!, which although she hath no guide, nor !aster, nor
ca#tain, #rovideth her !eat for herself in the su!!er$) %ie
the ant who taes the initiative to gather food, the investor
needs to !ae investing decisions based on nowledge and
wisdo!$
In today&s investing world of sca!s, fraud and confusing
advice, Solo!on&s ageless wisdo! < re#resented today by
.ason -art!an&s reco!!endations or s!art investing O can
hel# investors steer a #ath toward success
5 8ords o0 Investing 8isdo# 6ro# 9ing 2olo#on
Cor Fing Solo!on, wisdo! was !ore #recious than riches
and the ey to living a #ros#erous life beloved by *od$ In
today&s >nancial world, the wise Fing&s advice still rings true,
oLering guidance for investing s!art in a constantly
changing !aret$
Beco#e in0or#ed abo%t investing(
'Blessed is the !an that >ndeth wisdo!, and is rich in
#rudence,) says the Fing in Q(roverbs B+:B$ That&s a #oint
echoed by .ason -art!an in his :3 /o!!and!ents for
Investors, too < beco!ing wise about the world of investing
leads to better decisions and the ability to weed out bad
advice and s#ot sca!s$
-eed the advice o0 <%ali,ed ro0essionals(
Hne as#ect of wisdo! is hu!ility, according to the Fing <
being willing to acce#t the advice of those with !ore
e"#erience and nowledge is the >rst ste# toward success$
In (roverbs ;+:2A:B, the foolish !an la!ents, 'why have I
hated instruction, and !y heart consented not to re#roof?
And have not heeded the voices of the! that taught !e, and
have not inclined !y ear to !asters?) *etting < and taing <
good advice fro! quali>ed #rofessionals saves ti!e, !oney
and legal woes$
Mone+ #a+ co#e and go/ b%r 1nowledge gained is
never lost(
'Ieceive !y instruction, and not !oney,) says the Fing in
(roverbs @+:3A::, '/hoose nowledge rather than gold$ Cor
wisdo! is better than all #recious things$) Hf course, the
goal of investing is to build wealth$ But, the Fing tells us,
nowledge is a resource that can weather all the u#s and
inevitable downs of the !aret$
8ise investing is also 0air and honest(
H##ortunities abound for cutting corners, taing advantage
of others and taing #art in sca!s to get a good deal$ But,
says Fing Solo!on, wisdo! is also the #ath of justices and
equity$ 'A wise !an feareth, and declineth fro! evil,) he tells
us in (roverbs :=+:M$ The way of wisdo! leads to longAter!
#ros#erity$
Invest 0or the long ter#/ not 0or <%ic1 ro,ts(
'The learning of a !an is nown by #atience,) says the Fing
in (roverbs :N+::$ And as .ason -art!an says, investing in
inco!e #ro#erty for longAter! gains is a wiser strategy than
#ursuing fast !oney through Ji##ing houses and other
shortAter! ventures$ Wise investing with an eye to the future
leads to longAter! gains$
Fing Solo!on had !uch to say about the value of wisdo!
and its cousin, #rudence$ And for investors in today&s
>nancial world, those ageless words for! the foundation of a
sound investing strategy that stands the test of ti!e
6ive Proverbs 6or Investing 2%ccess
Fing Solo!on&s wisdo! on !oney !atters s#eas through
the ages to !odern day investors using Biblical guidelines
for !aing >nancial decisions$ With observations on
!anaging wealth wisely, !aing #rudent choices and even
diversifying invest!ents, the great Fing&s sayings recorded
in the boos of 1cclesiastes and (roverbs can be inter#reted
in the conte"t of the current investing cli!ate$ -ere are >ve
of the !onarch&s !ost relevant reco!!endations for today&s
investing success+
.iversi0+
In 1cclesiastes ::+2, the Fing says, '*ive #ortions to seven,
yes, to eight or you do not now what disaster !ay co!e
u#on the land$) Diversifying assets over several !arets
oLers so!e #rotection against what disasters !ay co!e,
either u#on the land, or u#on the #ro#erty itself$ Because
!arets are diLerent, investing in as !any as #ossible
#rovides a hedge against natural disasters, econo!ic
downturn and even une"#ected #roble!s with individual
#ro#erties$
!ssess =o%r Invest#ent !bilities *onestl+
'I have seen a grievous evil under the sun,) says Solo!on in
1cclesiastes ;+:BA:=$ 'Wealth hoarded to the har! of its
owner, or wealth lost to so!e !isfortune$) Both
overesti!ating and underesti!ating resources, or taing
riss with e"#ensive consequences in an eLort to get rich
quic can ruin a new investor&s career$ It&s i!#ortant to
e"a!ine your assets, e"#erienced and ability to tae riss
before launching new invest!ent$
Plan Pr%dentl+ and !void *ast+ .ecisions
(rudence is the watchword for !uch of the Fing&s !oney
!anage!ent advice$ 'The #lans of the diligent lead to #ro>t
as surely as haste leads to #overty,) he tells us in (roverbs
2:+;$ Slow steady growth creates longAter! wealth < a ey
reason for the desirability of inco!e #ro#erty as a wealthA
building invest!ent strategy$ -asty decisions, or
invest!ents #ro!ising a quic, high yield, can in fact lead to
#overty < or at least the loss of signi>cant investing funds$
2ee1 the !dvice o0 "r%sted '>erts
Solo!on s#eas frequently of wisdo!, and the need to
re!ain hu!ble and to see instruction fro! wiser counselors
in order to #ros#er+ '-ear counsel, and receive instruction,
that thou !ayst be wise in thy latter end$) 6(roverbs :N+237
Successful investors wor with e"#erts in the >eld, try to
learn all they can, and heed the advice of those with !ore
e"#erience$
!l+ 8isdo# and Pr%dence in Investing .ecisions
'By wisdo! the house shall be built,) says the Fing in
(roverbs 2=+B$ 'And by #rudence it shall be strengthened$) In
!any of Solo!on&s sayings, a house re#resents stability and
#ros#erity, and his advice to a##roach all as#ects of
investing with wisdo! < learning and seeing advice < and
#rudence < weighing choices and avoiding hasty actions <
leads to those sa!e outco!es in the investing #rocess$
Avoiding the te!#tation of quic !oney sche!es and
#lanning for the long ter! are ageAold strategies with s#ecial
relevance today$
Fing Solo!on&s ancient advice to investors echoes .ason
-art!an&s own :3 /o!!and!ents for investors O
reco!!endations for success in today&s !arets that stress
wisdo!, #rudence, hu!ility < and diversi>cation < as eys to
building long ter! invest!ent wealth$
8isdo# and Pr%dence: 9e+s to ?ong "er# 2%ccess
According to Biblical accounts, the =3 year reign of Fing
Solo!on saw un#aralleled #ros#erity for the ingdo! of
Israel < due, !any believe, to the Fing&s great wisdo! and
judg!ent in the !anage!ent of his real!$ 'Blessed is the
!an who >ndeth wisdo! and is rich in #rudence,) he says in
(roverbs B+B$ And in investing as well as in running a
ingdo!, #rudent #lanning yields #ro>table outco!es$
That&s the !essage in the fourth of .ason -art!an&s :3
/o!!and!ents for Successful Investing+ 'Thou shalt use
#rudent >nancial #lanning techniques$) Though the notion of
#rudence !ay see! a relic of Fing Solo!on&s day, that
co!bination of nowledge and caution creates a solid
fra!ewor for success in real estate investing$
(rudent >nancial #lanning, in real estate as in other areas,
establishes a road !a# for a long journey, not a quic jaunt$
It begins with nowledge < of yourself, your current situation,
and your goals$ Fnowing your own #ersonality creates the
foundation for any ind of #lan$ Where do you fall on the
s#ectru! of instant versus delayed grati>cation? -ow long
are you willing to wait for outco!es?
Another consideration is tolerance of ris and need for
security$ -ow !uch are you willing to ga!ble on the
outco!e of your invest!ent? (lanning your invest!ents also
includes outlining goals for your investing activities < so!e
inco!e to su##le!ent a #ension in retire!ent, freedo! fro!
the woring world, a!assing wealth? These things are
essential for getting the !ost out of woring with a quali>ed
>nancial counselor < another as#ect of '#rudential >nancial
#lanning$)
(rudent #lanning also involves understanding yourself and
your style of dealing with the world in general$ Are you risA
averse or risAtolerant? Do you need instant grati>cation, or
can you acce#t the longAter! co!!it!ent involved in
#ro>ting fro! rental real estate? As .ason -art!an #oints
out, so!e risy invest!ents can yield quic cash but have
no staying #ower for longAter! wealth building$
Invest!ents in rental real estate oLer returns over ti!e, and
stability fro! an asset that everybody needs+ a #lace to live$
Taing .ason -art!an&s #rudent a##roach to investing in
#ro#erty is based on nowledge < of yourself, your goals, and
the available o#tions < co!bined with a long ter! vision and
the hel# of a #rofessional who can hel# you !ae those
goals a reality$ Fing Solo!on&s wealth arose fro! the Fing&s
willingness to e"ercise wisdo! and #rudence$ And for
!odern investors, those conce#ts still hold the ey to longA
ter! investing success
Ma1e ?evel Paths: Prearing 0or Investing 2%ccess
3
If you&re considering getting started in investing, the #rocess
can be daunting$ Cro! understanding investing ter!inology
to weighing o#tions to >nd the best invest!ent strategies for
you, it&s easy to feel confused and overwhel!ed by choices$
Although it&s essential to follow the invest!ent strategies of
an e"#ert in the >eld lie .ason -art!an, you can boost the
success of your investing career by taing a cue fro! the
Biblical Fing Solo!on, whose advice on life and wealth still
ring true today$
Son of Fing David, Solo!on inherited the throne of Israel$
Iecogni8ing his ine"#erience, he #rayed for wisdo! to rule
his ingdo! well$ -is #rayer was answered < the ingdo!
#ros#ered, and the Fing hi!self established a re#utation for
clear thining and wise decisions that re!ains to this day$
-is #rag!atic observations continue to be relevant for life <
and investing < today$
In (roverbs =+2;A2M, Solo!on says, '%et your eyes loo
straight ahead and >" your ga8e directly before you$ Eae
level #aths for your feet and tae only ways that are >r!) <
advice that can hel# cut through the confusion of investing
o#tions$
In investing, as in any new endeavor, looing straight ahead
and >"ing your ga8e directly before you is ey to establishing
goals and strategies$ /onsider your longAter! vision for your
invest!ents$ What do you want to acco!#lish? Who will
bene>t? What ind of return do you need in order to
acco!#lish those goals? While it&s easy to get sidetraced by
so !any o#tions, and so !any voices oLering advice and
suggestions, >"ing the ga8e on the goal can hel# you create
a detailed #lan that gets you fro! the starting #oint to the
outco!e you want$
Hnce you&ve clari>ed your goals, the second #art of
Solo!on&s advice obtains$ Eae level #aths by #re#aring
yourself, learning all you can, and eli!inating obvious wrong
choices$ Iesearch the >eld of investing$ %earn the ter!s$
Cind out all you can about the ind of invest!ents you&re
interested in$ Eae a list of questions and ideas to discuss
with a #rofessional$
After you&ve !ade a #lan and learned all you can, it&s ti!e to
let an e"#ert invest!ent guide show you the ways that are
>r! O directions in investing that are relatively low ris and
have the #otential to yield the results you&re looing for$ With
this in !ind, you can begin building the ind of diverse
#ortfolio that can withstand changes in !arets and the
econo!y as a whole$
As the fa!ed #hiloso#her Fing says, #lanning, #re#aration
and sound advice lead to good outco!es for life$ And,
co!bined with the reco!!endations of .ason -art!an,
they&ll create good outco!es in investing as wel
Investing 2crit%res

/ast thy bread u#on the waters+ for thou shalt >nd it after
!any days$ *ive a #ortion to seven, and also to eight? for
thou nowest not what evil shall be u#on the earth$
'cclesiastes 11:1-2

Through wisdo! is an house builded? and by understanding
it is established+ And by nowledge shall the cha!bers be
>lled with all #recious and #leasant riches$
Proverbs 24:3-4

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be di!inished+ but he that
gathereth by labour shall increase$
Proverbs 13:11

Tae heed, and beware of covetousness+ for a !anRs life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
#ossesseth$
?%1e 12:15

Iest in the %HID, and wait #atiently for hi!+ fret not
thyself because of hi! who #ros#ereth in his way$
Psal#s 3@:@

%abour not to be rich+ cease fro! thine own wisdo!$ Wilt
thou set thine eyes u#on that which is not? for riches
certainly !ae the!selves wings? they Jy away as an
eagle toward heaven$
Proverbs 23:4-5

There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun,
na!ely, riches e#t for the owners thereof to their hurt$
But those riches #erish by evil travail+ and he begetteth a
son, and there is nothing in his hand$
'cclesiastes 5:13-14

A #rudent !an foreseeth the evil, and hideth hi!self? but
the si!#le #ass on, and are #unished$
Proverbs 2@:12

-e that hath #ity u#on the #oor lendeth unto the %HID?
and that which he hath given will he #ay hi! again$
Proverbs 1A:1@

%ay not u# for yourselves treasures u#on earth, where
!oth and rust doth corru#t, and where thieves brea
through and steal+ But lay u# for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither !oth nor rust doth corru#t, and
where thieves do not brea through nor steal+ Cor where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also$
Matthew 6:1A-21

The (arable of the Talents
Matthew 25:14-30

Then .esus beholding hi! loved hi!, and said unto hi!,
Hne thing thou lacest+ go thy way, sell whatsoever thou
hast, and give to the #oor, and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven+ and co!e, tae u# the cross, and follow !e$
Mar1 10:21

And .esus answered and said, Serily I say unto you, There is
no !an that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or
father, or !other, or wife, or children, or lands, for !y
sae, and the gos#elRs, But he shall receive an hundredfold
now in this ti!e, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and
!others, and children, and lands, with #ersecutions? and in
the world to co!e eternal life$ But !any that are >rst shall
be last? and the last >rst$
Mar1 10:2A-31

Sell that ye have, and give al!s? #rovide yourselves bags
which wa" not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth
not, where no thief a##roacheth, neither !oth corru#teth$
?%1e 12:33

(arable of the Knjust Steward
?%1e 16:1-13

/harge the! that are rich in this world, that they be not
high!inded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living
*od, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy? That they do
good, that they be rich in good wors, ready to distribute,
willing to co!!unicate? %aying u# in store for the!selves a
good foundation against the ti!e to co!e, that they !ay
lay hold on eternal life$
1 "i#oth+ 6:1@-1A