A is for Accounting
Knowing where the money's going —
keeping track so it keeps growing.
For the grown-ups
Committed and persistent work pays off; get-rich-quick schemes are ripoffs.King Solomon, Proverbs 28:20
M is forMoney
An alphabet of money, A to Z. Read it together, one letter at a time.
ABCs for Money Masters · Second Edition
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Dear Money Masters,
Through this journey from A to Z,
We learn lots of good things about mastering money!
In Matthew Six: Twenty-One, Jesus shares a clue,
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be too.”
In this verse are wise words, showing us what's true.
Our hearts and treasures, they're a pair, bound with invisible glue.
Now, don't get mixed, it's not a fix, to love the cash we accrue.
We're here to learn, at every turn, what money can really do.
It's more than just to afford whatever's brand new.
It's more than just to score a faster pair of shoes.
It's more than just for a shiny blue canoe.
Money is a tool to be used, should you so choose, to allow God to use you.
Investing, saving, and managing debt,
These are things we should never forget.
B is for Budget
How you plan where the money might land.
Do your best to buy only what you need,
So you don't end up with greedy-greed-greed.
For the grown-ups
Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.Franklin D. Roosevelt
C is for Credit
When you borrow dollars you must repay,
On time and in full is the responsible way.
For the grown-ups
Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs.Zig Ziglar
D is for Debt
What you gotta pay someday.
Keep it low — what you owe.
And only take what you can repay.
For the grown-ups
If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free. If our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.Edmund Burke
E is for Equity
How much you might get when what you've got gets bought.
For the grown-ups
The one who is faithful with little is faithful with much… If then you haven't been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches?Jesus, Luke 16:10–11
F is for Frugality
Spending with thought, to not buy what need not be bought.
It's to spend with great care, to better save & share.
For the grown-ups
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.Albert Einstein
G is for Gross Profit
All the money you've made after expenses are paid.
For the grown-ups
I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.Thomas Jefferson
H is for Hard Skills
Things you learn to help you earn —
invest in yourself to make great returns.
For the grown-ups
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.Thomas Edison
I is for Inflation
Over time dollars can turn into dimes.
Money doesn't rest… it dies or it thrives.
That's why — it's best to invest.
For the grown-ups
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty.King Solomon, Proverbs 3:9–10
J is for Joint Account
For you and me to share some money,
one pot together — sweet as honey.
For the grown-ups
Financial peace isn't the acquisition of stuff. It's learning to live on less than you make, so you can give money back and have money to invest.Dave Ramsey
K is for Keep
Not all that you earn is yours to spend.
Keep some to grow, give some to a friend.
For the grown-ups
If riches increase, set not your heart on them.King David, Psalm 62:10
L is for Liability
Something you owe that you've got to repay,
taking a little bit of value each day.
But not all that you owe is a bad thing, it's true —
sometimes what you owe buys an asset for you!
For the grown-ups
Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich; restrain yourself! Riches disappear in the blink of an eye.King Solomon, Proverbs 23:4
M is for Money
How we pay for what we want every day.
For the grown-ups
It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.Seneca
N is for Net Worth
How you value all you truly own.
Just know though, you are worth more than money.
You are worth more than all the gold.
You are worth more than the highest number of dollars this world could ever hold.
You are worthy, no matter your net worth.
Name three things about you that money could never buy.
For the grown-ups
Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.King Solomon, Proverbs 16:8
O is for Opportunity Cost
It's what you lose when you have to choose.
For the grown-ups
Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, 'I'll never leave you.'Hebrews 13:5
P is for Profit
Money made after costs are paid.
For the grown-ups
It is tempting to try to get rich quickly, but the process of getting rich slowly and steadily via saving and long term investing is tested and reliable.Nimi Akinkugbe
Q is for Quarter
As 25% of the year goes by — that's one slice of four, three months at a time.
It can be wise to take time, out from your race, to make space to reflect on your pace.
For the grown-ups
The secret to wealth is simple: Find a way to do more for others than anyone else does. Become more valuable. Do more. Give more. Be more. Serve more.Tony Robbins
R is for Risk
In every money endeavor,
Where there's no risk, there's no treasure, whatsoever.
This is the chance a choice may lose some dough,
But high risk may have high reward, where wealth can grow grow grow grow.
For the grown-ups
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.Winston Churchill
S is for Savings
Your safety net —
For big dreams and rainy days, you're all set.
For the grown-ups
Never spend your money before you have it.Thomas Jefferson
T is for Taxes
Giving our government a piece of each pie,
helping make our country thrive.
For the grown-ups
Too many people spend money they earned… to buy things they don't want… to impress people that they don't like.Will Rogers
U is for Underwrite
Backing a bet with a safety net.
For the grown-ups
Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant.P.T. Barnum
V is for Value
What something's worth — what someone would spend,
to get whatever it is.
What makes a person valuable?
For the grown-ups
Don't make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off you.Maya Angelou
W is for Wealth
When you have all you need, living financially free,
you can build more, do more, and give more generously.
Know though, wealth is not just money, you see,
there's a lot more that it can be.
You can be wealthy with wisdom, with friends, with family.
You can be wealthy with travels, with love, with memories.
Some call it wealth to simply have great health,
or the ability to read a good book off the shelf.
Wealth is a gift you get when you realize you already have it.
Whichever way you build your wealth, remember it's a gift to be given, not just kept to yourself.
For the grown-ups
He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all.Eleanor Roosevelt
X is for eXchange
Where stocks are bought and sold,
An exciting place, where fortunes can unfold.
For the grown-ups
If it's only money these leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble.Paul of Tarsus, 1 Timothy 6:10–11 (MSG)
Y is for Yield
From our wise investments, it's the cash return we earn.
For the grown-ups
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you.Malachi 3:10
Z is for Zero Balance Budget
Oh what a sight,
All money assigned, nothing left, just right.
For the grown-ups
It is more blessed to give than to receive.Paul of Tarsus, Acts 20:35
3 final little tips
A trio of tricks that a money master knows.
- When you're saving money, you're making money. Save then invest, and watch it as it grows.
- When you have lots of money, it's best not to boast.
- Money isn't everything, not even close… Money matters, yes, yet you matter most.
To my son, Cannon.
Because of your inspiring curiosity and love for learning… It thrills me that you are a money master. May you continue to grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people. May you be massively blessed to continue being a massive blessing.
And to my friends,
Kindly reading this and generously supporting this passion project, the lessons within these pages aim to illuminate the path of financial freedom, celebrating conversations about wealth with a Christ-centered perspective. I hope for this to be a conduit for thoughtful, meaningful dialogue about money, sowing seeds of prudent financial habits that will be a firm foundation years to come.
Solomon encouraged us, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” In the realm of financial literacy, this training becomes all the more crucial.
May this book bless you and your younger ones towards a deeper understanding of money and its proper place. All money is God's money, we just get to make and manage it. On the same coin, all truth is God's truth, we just get to savor and share it.
With warm wishes of abundance,
Bonus glossary
More words for the money master who wants to learn further.
Asset
Something you own that pays its own way, adding a little more value each day. Homes, cars, silver, or gold… it's any treasure that could be sold.
Annualize
To calculate — on a yearly rate.
Brand
How you create fame with your name.
Business
How you create value with a system or a service that fulfills a certain purpose.
Bartering
I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine, no need to put any money on the line.
Capital
All your assets you could choose to use.
Compound Interest
Money making money making money making money…
Comparative Advantage
Doing what you do best — better than the rest.
Cost
What you gotta give — to be able to get.
Deal
An agreement sealed — both sides winning is the ideal.
Dividend
The prize when profits rise!
Diversification
Make and save money in multiple ways to keep it safer on rainy days.
Entrepreneur
The hero who risks it for the biscuit — they create systems or services that fulfill certain purposes.
Finance
Making dollars dance to enhance their advance.
Fiduciary
When you put yourself in someone else's shoes, helping them choose as if they knew as much as you.
Gross Income
All the money you've made before any expenses are paid.
Hedge Fund
Lots of money from lots of people — invested together so returns might be better.
Individual Retirement Account
A smart start, saving money for life's later part!
Income
The money you earn — your total cash return.
Interest
A little extra you pay, for money borrowed, day by day.
Keogh Plan
When you're your own boss, here's a plan you can make — set money aside for your future's sake.
Logo
How you set yourself apart with a work of art.
Mutual Fund
When you buy a little bit of a lot of businesses all in one place — to diversify your investment, just in case.
Mortgage
When you buy a home with some money borrowed, made up of four parts paid back as follows: Taxes, Principal, Interest, and Insurance. These four friends all blend — into one monthly payment that you send.
Payment
The cash you give when it's time to put your money where your mouth is.
Real Estate
Land and all that's attached to it. When the time is right to own your own, get it fast, just do it.
Retire
Blessed to finally rest.
Revenue
Money made from selling goods to all who paid.
Volatility
How fast the value goes up and down, too fast means it may be unsafe, unsound.
Xenocurrency
When you have dollars from a different land in your hand.
Zzz's Theory
When you see zzz's, remember, money never sleeps.
That's the whole book
Send it to someone who would read it with their kids, or pick up a printed copy.