Godly Financial Counsel  Biblically Based Financial Management

Selecting financial counsel

"A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel" (Proverbs 1:5).

A commonly asked question is, "How can I find good Christian counsel?" But perhaps even more fundamental would be the question, "How can I tell when I find good Christian counsel?"

There are many guidelines in God’s Word for seeking and selecting good counsel. The purpose of counsel is to aid us in making our decisions, not to actually make them for us. Too often we want someone to tell us what to do. When you allow someone else to tell you what to do, with rare exception you’re going to get bad advice.

Principles for selecting counselors
Principle #1: Christian Counsel
Select your counselors on the basis of a common value system. For the Christian, this means to choose those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers" (Psalm 1:1). In no way does this imply that non-Christians can’t give good advice. Some of them give better advice than many Christians. But the standards by which decisions are made in our society today are quite often incompatible with God’s standards.

Principle #2: Multiple Counselors
"Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed" (Proverbs 15:22). No one can be expert enough in all areas of finance for anyone to depend on his or her counsel exclusively. The areas of taxes, securities, stocks, bonds, and real estate are so complex today that only with a variety of good counselors can you really get good advice.

Principle #3: Weigh All Counsel
"The naive believes everything, but the prudent man considers his steps" (Proverbs 14:15). Even the best counsel in the world (including Christian) lacks an essential ingredient necessary to make your decision: God’s plan for your life. Anything that robs us of God’s peace is contrary to God’s plan for us.

How to weigh counsel
Even a bad advisor is right occasionally and usually will be recommended on the basis of an isolated correct guess. How do you weed out the "guessers" from the counselors?

1. Test Their Counsel. When I’m evaluating someone’s counsel in an area with which I am unfamiliar, I will pick a subject about which we should both be knowledgeable and test that person. If I find the answers to be fundamentally wrong in an area I do understand, then I avoid counsel in areas I don’t understand.
   
2. Track Record. Proverbs 21:5 says, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage." A good test of a counselor’s expertise is past performance. Any time you choose to invest time and money with someone who has less than a five-year verifiable track record, you should assume that you’re part of the "on-the-job training."
   
3. References. Few people ask for multiple references from a financial counselor, and even fewer verify those references. Proverbs 21:29 says, "A wicked man shows a bold face." Most so-called advisors count on a good front in hopes to satisfy clients. Check their references thoroughly.
   

Learning to be responsible stewards of the finances that God has entrusted to us is a difficult challenge for many Christians. You however don't need to be alone struggling with financial decisions. The Bible encourages us to seek wisdom and counsel. One challenge is to find someone with similar values as you. Working with a competent Christian financial advisor to help you with Christian investing can be very advantageous when trying to maximize investment performance. 

Jim Elder and his wife Janet are Christian Investment Advisors where we apply Biblically-based financial planning principles. The Bible has over 2000 verses that deal with money and financial planning and we use them as a guide when working with our clients. Some of those verses deal with topics such as: budgets, debt, financial planning, savings, investing, tithing and much more. To become a better steward it is important to follow the financial wisdom in the Bible.

ElderAdo Financial is a faith based Christian Financial Planning firm that blends our faith along with traditional financial planning standards. We manage investment accounts with Christian values in mind for our client's accounts. In order to be effective stewards for our clients we avoid investments such as abortion, pornography, alcohol, tobacco, gambling and stem-cell research.

We are also a fee-only financial planning firm that offers full-service investment advice without being influenced by sales commissions. As financial planners that believes in Christ Jesus, we feel the fee-only method is the best approach to offering the most ethical advice for our Christian clients since we give advice and don't sell financial products.

A Christian Financial Planner will help give you wisdom to manage your money with Biblically based investment advice. If working with a Christian Financial Planner appeals to you, we encourage you to consider our firm for your financial services needs.

Why should a Christian investor hire a Christian Financial Planner? The main reason is because the investor and advisor are both Christians, they share similar values. The advisor understands Biblical principles such as tithing, budgeting, saving for the future, investing and giving to the needy. After the initial interview process of numerous financial related questions, the financial advisor can identify areas of improvement for the client.

If you would like more information about working with a fee only Christian Financial Planner, please click here or read through our www.PrestigeAdvisors.com website further to learn more about us and how we operate.

ElderAdo Financial is a faith based Christian Financial Planning firm that blends our faith along with traditional financial planning standards. We manage investment accounts with Christian values in mind for our client's accounts. In order to be effective stewards for our clients we avoid investments such as abortion, pornography, alcohol and tobacco.

We are also a fee-only financial planning firm that offers full-service investment advice without being influenced by sales commissions. As financial planners that believes in Christ Jesus, we feel the fee-only method is the best approach to offering the most ethical advice for our Christian clients since we give advice and don't sell financial products.

A Christian Financial Planner will help give you wisdom to manage your money with Biblically based investment advice. If working with a Christian Financial Planner appeals to you, we encourage you to consider our firm for your financial services needs.

Why should a Christian investor hire a Christian Financial Planner? The main reason is because the investor and advisor are both Christians, they share similar values. The advisor understands Biblical principles such as tithing, budgeting, saving for the future, investing and giving to the needy. After the initial interview process of numerous financial related questions, the financial advisor can identify areas of improvement for the client.

If you would like more information about working with a fee only Christian Financial Planner, please click here or read through our www.ElderAdoFinancial.com website further to learn more about us and how we operate.