How to Create Real Wealth is every woman's guide to investing in things money can't buy. It's a practical and spiritual guide that will inspire a new perspective on your view of wealth, while encouraging you to focus on personal and spiritual development. Wealth is a by-product of these. In an easy, conversational style, Shamarion Whitaker shares empowering wisdom that will give you a vision for the things in life that are important, and motivate you to set your sights on things that bring purpose and meaning to life.

How to Create Real Wealth

A Practical and Spiritual Guide for WomenBy Shamarion Whitaker

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Shamarion Whitaker
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4389-6611-3

Contents

Acknowledgments........................................................xiIntroduction...........................................................xiiiChapter 1 Set Investment Goals.......................................19Financial Responsibility...............................................20Financial and Spiritual Net Worth Analysis.............................23A Vision For Your Future...............................................26Chapter 2 Secure Good Advisors.......................................35Your Financial Advisor.................................................35Your Eternal Advisor...................................................42Chapter 3 Diversify Your Investments.................................47Invest in a Healthy Environment........................................48Invest in a Healthy Mind...............................................64Invest in a Healthy Body...............................................66Invest in Self-Esteem..................................................75Invest in a Good Man...................................................77Invest in a Healthy Single Life........................................87Invest in Your Marriage Relationship...................................95Invest in Healthy Family Relationships.................................110Invest in Your Gifts and Talents.......................................117Invest in Becoming a Better You........................................126Chapter 4 Anticipate Volatility......................................143Be Willing to Embrace Change...........................................144Be Willing to Face Challenges..........................................147Chapter 5 Know When to Sell..........................................157Risk Tolerance.........................................................157Letting Go of Unhealthy Marriage Relationships.........................159Letting Go of Unhealthy Family Relationships...........................162Letting Go of Difficult People.........................................164Letting Go of Thoughts and Ideas.......................................167Letting Go of Gifts and Talents........................................168The Selling Process....................................................169Chapter 6 Develop Wisdom in Spending and Lending.....................175Spending Should be Planned.............................................177Spending Should be Smart...............................................178Spending Should Leave Room For Saving..................................181Be a Cautious Lender...................................................185Chapter 7 Make Charitable Contributions..............................189The Principle of Giving and Receiving..................................189My Story...............................................................191Epilogue...............................................................201

Chapter One

Set Investment Goals

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Are you at a place where wealth and prosperity are heavy on your mind? Perhaps you've been laid off from a job you invested years of time and effort in, and perhaps this has caused you to consider your current financial status. Because you failed to invest in saving for a rainy day, you're now wondering how things got to this point. You keep going over and over in your mind all of those hefty paychecks you brought home and all of the times you planned to put money into your savings account, but didn't. Instead, you invested your money in things that now seem frivolous to you, like a new car when you really didn't need it, new furniture you didn't really need, a new pool and deck in the backyard, and now you realize you seldom even go out in the backyard, and not to mention all the other unnecessary purchases you made. You are in emotional turmoil thinking about what you should have done.

Stop beating yourself up. We've all made bad investments in life. Investments we wish we hadn't made, or even investments we should have made but didn't. We all have chapters of our lives we wish we could rewrite, and the good news is, we can rewrite those chapters. However, before you rewrite the pages of your life, change the way you think about money and wealth. If you don't change the way you think, you'll write the same old lines over and over again.

What many do not recognize is, money is simply a tool to be used for the exchange of goods and services that we believe we need to survive. Money is not some type of idol we worship and hold on to. Perhaps you've attached your identity to the amount of money you make. You believe that what you possess, rather than who you are, is a reflection of your level of character. This seems to have become the norm for many. Many have gone far beyond simple purchases that take care of the basic needs of life. They feel that without material possessions, they would be worthless.

Financial Responsibility

As you seek to attract financial wealth, perhaps you should put some things into perspective. Financial wealth is good. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having this. Financial wealth can bring convenience into your life. It can pay the bills and keep you from worrying and stressing over whether or not the lights are going to get turned off. If you are a person who would say, "I don't need financial wealth," you should question your motives. That may be true. You can certainly live without it. But make sure you're not using this as a cover-up for your feelings of unworthiness, or feeling like you're not capable of achieving financial wealth. You can achieve this. But, you can't achieve it by chasing after it. Have you ever given up on looking for something, and as soon as you stopped looking for it and focused on something else, it showed up? That's kind of the way achieving financial wealth works. When you stop looking for it on the outside and turn your focus inward, perhaps then it will show up.

If you are one who loves money, and you constantly struggle with not having enough, you are spending way too much time focusing on what you don't have. "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless" (Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV). Many newly married couples fall into this trap. They get married with nothing, and as soon as money gets into their hands they make this an opportunity to get material possessions they don't have, and really don't need. They call it a necessary purchase, when it's actually an unnecessary fear-driven purchase. It's fear-driven because they buy out of fear they may not get the opportunity again. They feel they need to get it while they can. These unnecessary material purchases leave them with unpaid bills, car repossessions and evictions. If this is your life, you will forever engage in money chasing, and will never achieve financial wealth. Listen to the wise man, Solomon. "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle" (Proverbs 23:4-5 NIV). If you want to achieve financial wealth, strive to be a better person. Focus on striving for excellence in all areas of your life. Focus on personal development and spiritual maturity. Financial wealth is a by-product of these.

It may be the case that you are not ready for financial wealth. You've heard of people who win the lottery and in a short amount of time, they have nothing left. That's because the environment of their mind was not conducive to financial wealth. They were used to a mindset that was conducive to spending and not saving and planning for their future. It's like trying to put new wine into an old wineskin. "Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved" (Matthew 9:17).

Planning for the future is something God expects you to do. He expects you to have the financial means necessary to help not just yourself, but also others who are in need. "But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God" (I Timothy 5:4). "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver" (II Corinthians 9:7). If your mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, or some other close relative in your family becomes ill, would you be able to contribute any amount of financial support to help them? Is your financial situation such that you could afford to do this? Maybe it's not. Perhaps you're doing the best you can with what you have. Or, perhaps you can be honest with yourself and admit that you would not be able to provide any kind of support because you have not properly managed your money.

Being financially responsible requires the skill of being a good steward over what God has blessed you with. A good steward manages her money wisely and advantageously. She knows the value of giving, as well as saving, and she doesn't treat money as an idol, or something sacred. She practices self-control in spending. If it's not something she needs, she leaves it where it is. If you are engaging in financial irresponsibility, you should question first your commitment to Christ, and your position in Him. In Him, you will find self-control, something that will enable you to exercise financial responsibility. He is your partner in planning your future. He is your advisor. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Financial and Spiritual Net Worth Analysis

Before you can determine your investment goals, you need to do what is called a net worth analysis. A net worth analysis tells you what you are worth financially. It is the amount by which your assets exceed your liabilities. A net worth analysis tells you where you are now, and can help you determine what you need to do to get where you want to be. To do a net worth analysis, total the dollar amounts of everything you own; all of your assets, including bank accounts and any other financial accounts that have cash value. Include your home and any other real estate property you might own. Include the contents of your home; your furniture and other valuables. Include your cars. Then add up every debt you owe; the balance on the mortgage on your home or any other properties, the balance on your vehicles, the balance on your credit cards, and any other debts you have. Take the total of your assets and subtract your total debts or liabilities. The difference will be your net worth. Perhaps this will show that you are a millionaire! Or perhaps you are in the red with a negative net worth. You owe more than you own. Increasing your net worth should be a goal. However, there is an even better goal to stretch for.

What is your spiritual net worth? Have you ever thought about your spiritual net worth? What if God totaled your spiritual assets and subtracted your spiritual liabilities? Would you have spiritual net worth? What if God added up all your good deeds and assigned a value to them, including all the times you forgave someone, the times you gave to someone in need, all the times you were tempted but showed self-control and turned away from sin, the times you took a stand for something that was good and right. And, don't forget all the times you went to church. Then on the other hand, what if God added up all your misdeeds and assigned a value to them, including all the times you gave in to sin and allowed it to come into your life. Include the times you were deceptive and told someone only part of the truth. Don't forget the times you had sex with someone you were not married to. Include the times you stole something that belonged to someone else. Don't forget all the times you gossiped and talked about someone. And please include the times you slept through Sunday morning church services. Take the value of your good deeds and subtract the value of your misdeeds. Suppose God would say, "Only persons with a specified positive spiritual net worth can have eternal life." Aren't you glad it doesn't work like that? It doesn't work like that because you no longer have spiritual debt. Jesus paid it all. On the cross, He took your debt and settled it. "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight-if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven" (Colossians 1:21-23).

Once you have determined your net worth, you are ready to establish your investment goals. Investment goals vary from person to person. Individuals may invest for different reasons. You may be investing so you can have money when challenging times come. You may be investing to fund an education for yourself, a child or grandchild. You could be investing to save for a new home in the future, or you could be investing to fund your retirement. All of these are good and valid reasons to invest for financial gains.

As you determine investment goals for your future, it is important to note that what you might have been taught in the past about the process of achieving financial wealth may not be altogether true. Perhaps tradition, television, society or even your parents have instilled in you this love or desire for financial wealth, and you believe this will bring changes to your life. Or perhaps you've been told to just name it and claim it. If you want to make changes in your life, increase your spiritual net worth. It's not your financial net worth analysis that determines your real value. It's your spiritual net worth analysis. The value you place on yourself should be tied to your spiritual, emotional and psychological well-being. Stop believing you're not worthy of love and respect if you don't have financial and material wealth. And, stop chasing money hoping it will bring success and happiness. Know that trying to change what's on the outside cannot be changed without changing what's on the inside. Financial wealth comes through the process of living from the inside out. In this process, you make investments in becoming a better person. You live by the principles of love, forgiveness, fairness, honesty and giving to and serving those in need. As you focus on doing these, God will sit in the driver's seat of your life. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). As you partner with the Lord and His Holy Spirit in determining your future, know that God knows what you need, and when you need it.

A Vision For Your Future

As you determine your investment goals, you will need a vision. Vision is simply a picture in your mind's eye of the future you have imagined for yourself. Vision is of the heart, not of the eyes. It is a mental picture of what you are reaching for. Vision gives purpose and meaning to life. Where there is no vision, you will only relive the past with all of its failures and disappointments.

I can find out a lot about you if I ask you the question, "What is your purpose in life?" What would your answer be? Most people who lack vision cannot tell you why they exist. They cannot explain their purpose in the world. This is a tragedy because the way you see life will determine the direction your life will take. It will shape your life and will determine your destiny. A lack of vision is often the reason you may find yourself stumbling through life; moving from city to city, job to job, boyfriend to boyfriend, husband to husband. Vision will help you to know why you get up in the morning, and why you are pouring your life into the job you do every day. Lack of vision will cause you to start out on a journey you think you want to pursue, but you'll find yourself turning around when you meet with dead ends and detours due to discouragement, disappointment and disillusionment. The college degree you planned to pursue may elude you. The business you've talked about starting may never exist. Your life may never reflect who you truly are because the life you are living is not based on a clear vision for your future.

Perhaps you once had a vision for your future, but your life didn't turn out the way you planned. You need a new vision. This is the case for many women who are living a life that's different from what they expected. Tradition has taught us that on the road women travel they will gain a husband, have children, live in a house with a white picket fence, and live happily ever after. Today more than ever, women are not fitting this mold. Women have broken from tradition, and in some cases, tradition has broken from women. The woman who thought she would be married for a lifetime is now divorced and struggling to adjust to the changes in her life. The stay-at-home mom who had been married for only a few years is now a widow, left behind with two children, a mortgage and a mountain of bills trying to make a new life and fit a new mold. Many are choosing to skip the marriage, go to college, get a job and support themselves. Many who want to marry have had little success in finding a man who meets their list of standards and qualifications. Many women are raising children in a single parent home. Many are finding themselves in a different life than tradition taught us to seek after. Society, in its acceptance of women's abilities to perform in the workplace, has allowed women great gains in the corporate arena. Many women make salaries that surpass their male counterparts, making it easier for them to make the decision to live life without a marriage partner.

The ground has certainly shifted under women. We're standing on different ground than the women of yesterday stood on. And while this shift has occurred, it seems to have gone unnoticed in many cases, even by the church. There is great effort, teaching and emphasis on the husband and wife relationship in the church, and rightfully so. The enemy is pulling out all of his weapons in his attack against the marriage relationship, and in many cases, he's winning. However, a lack of emphasis on the lives of women who are in non-traditional roles, and many because of circumstances not under their control, can cause women to feel as though they don't fit in. Women come in all different sizes and shapes. However, the mold many churches are handing down most often does not fit all women. Single women, whether they're single by choice, widowed, or divorced want to know what the Bible says about the path their lives should take. They want to hear about God's plan for them. This will encourage them to set their sights on God and see the vision He has for their future.

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Excerpted from How to Create Real Wealthby Shamarion Whitaker Copyright © 2009 by Shamarion Whitaker. Excerpted by permission.
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