Page 64 - Principles for Discipling Others-Student textbook

Proverbs 13:16 A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t, and even brags about it!

Think about your goals, and what those time horizons might mean for your saving and investing. Saving
for your kids’ education costs, and have a 15-year time horizon? Plan accordingly. Saving for retirement
and have another 30 years? Set your plan according to those longterm timelines, not on what you feel
like spending that day.

5. Diversify Your Investments

Even though the Bible was written more than two thousand years ago, it’s
just as relevant to us today as it was back then. Ecclesiastes 11:2 reminds us
to be intentional about handling money wisely.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 “Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know
what disaster may come upon the land” (NIV)

Now, keep in mind that Solomon, King David’s son and a pretty smart guy, wrote Ecclesiastes. He was
renowned for not only his wisdom, but also for his wealth, too. He ran a fairly big and successful
kingdom, and people traveled from far and wide to ask for his advice on difficult subjects. It’s safe to say
he knew a thing or two about stewarding God’s resources for God’s glory.

Next, ask yourself: What does this verse mean—and how does it apply to us today?

To put it simply, Ecclesiastes 11:2 challenges us to avoid placing all of our eggs in one basket. We all
know what happens if that basket comes crashing down—all of the eggs break and there’s nothing to
eat! It’s much better to reduce the chances of disaster by spreading things around.

Pretty easy to see how this fits into the topics of investing and retirement, right? The last thing you
want to do is start sticking all of your hard-earned money into a single investment. What if it goes bad?
Suddenly all that progress you made is gone—just like that. Talk about discouraging!

Plus, if we’re really honest with ourselves, that just isn’t good stewardship.

Psalm 24:1 (KJV) says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”

That includes our paychecks and our retirement accounts. It isn’t our money; it’s God’s money. And if He
puts us in charge of His resources, we need to make sure we know what we’re doing. Otherwise, we’re
poor managers—and that’s not a good reflection on His kingdom!

That’s what makes diversification so important. Diversification just means spreading your investments
around. Or you can think of it like this: You’re dividing your eggs among a bunch of different baskets
instead of putting them all in one. Diversification, and a hefty dose of patience, keeps you from losing
all your money at one time, should your investment go south! Spreading investments out across a lot of
projects reduces risk, which protects your eggs.

Even though the Bible was written more than two thousand years ago, it’s just as relevant to us today as
it was back then. We all know what it’s like to make plans that, for whatever reason, don’t always work

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