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You do not have to belong to a religion to have a spiritual connection to God. He created us as spirit beings. It wasn't until the fall of man (Genesis chapter 3) that we began living from our selfish desires. Jesus came to redeem us from that.

It is now through faith in Jesus' sacrifice that we can receive God's promises or understand His ways. When we learn to stop operating from our selfish desires and develop self-control, we can begin to live in the freedom God intended for us. We need to be sure our finances are connected to God through tithing. Connecting every area of our lives to Him brings blessing and protection. 

God gives wisdom freely to those who search for it. Without wisdom, your finances will suffer. With wisdom, your finances will grow.  So, if you don't have what you need financially, get wisdom! God gives it freely (James 1:5). 

A financial budget is an overview of your income and expenses. It is a financial plan for a defined period. Without a budget, you can't create a plan for long-term goals.

I can show you how to create a budget so that it helps you to maximize your income. Just simply reach out. Dave Ramsey also offers a basic budget. A basic budget is better than none. The most important thing is to set a spending budget and stick with it (1 Timothy 3:5).

The emergency fund secures your finances for hard times. This is a fund that you set aside and use only for true emergencies. You begin with a savings account (it usually takes $25 to start one) and add money to it until it reaches $1000. This is the minimum amount you should keep in the account. This account should be separate from your regular savings account.

So many people get caught in a hard time without insurance. Their excuse is that they can't afford it. You can't afford not to have it when hard times hit, like sickness or disease! Get insurance so that during sickness, disaster, or death, you or your family won't incur financial hardship caused by medical bills or funeral costs.

The purpose of insurance is to protect your finances. Without it, you can find yourself in an emergency with no way to get help. I usually suggest affording health insurance over paying off debts because your health is more important. Make it a priority.

Paying off debts may seem impossible but it isn't. List your debts from smallest to largest and pay the smallest one first, despite the interest rate. Ignore interest rates and keep putting all extra money (aside from your emergency fund) toward the smallest debt.

You may not have spending money during this time but keep in mind it's only temporary. Paying off small debts gives you a sense of accomplishment and motivates you to keep moving forward toward debt freedom.

Once your smallest debt is paid, you take the money that you were paying toward that and begin to pay the next smallest debt until it is paid off. Keep paying off the next smallest debt until all debts are paid.

You may have to get a side job if you want to get out of debt quickly. Take it from someone who is almost debt-free (including the house), it is well worth it! FREEDOM is eventually reaped when you sow the right seeds.

Once your debts are paid, you take the amount of money you've been using toward debt and add it to your emergency fund. You do this until you have several month's worth of living expenses covered (with a minimum of $5000). 

This way if you get sick or get laid off from work, you're prepared. You add this to your emergency fund and don't touch it.

Forget that the bank account exists unless you have a true emergency. Once your emergency fund is well established, you then take the money you were using on debts and the emergency fund and build another savings account.

Once you have several thousand in your savings account (depending on your goals), you then begin to invest the maximum amount allowed into retirement funds (401k, an IRA plan, or another form of retirement savings) and save the rest in your savings account.

You continue adding money to your savings until you reach a goal of  $100,000. Once you reach this goal, you're ready to start investing.

The easiest way to invest, especially if you don't know anything about investing, is to put your money in the money market. The going rate at the time I'm writing this post is about 3%.

At this point, you may need a professional financial advisor.

If you make it to this point, you've created a great financial foundation!  Here are some investment options to consider...

-To check how much you have in Social Security retirement benefits, click here. 

-How to open an IRA account.

-Start a business

-Real estate

-529 Plan

-Annuities

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"Come unto me, all {who} labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you REST. 

Take MY yoke upon you, and learn of ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light."  Matthew 11:28

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