By: Roccy DeFrancesco, JD
Co-Founder
Welcome to our faith based financial and estate planning website. Our goal with the website and the advice we give is simple:
1) We want to educate consumers on the important topics of estate and financial planning because it is impossible to choose the best planning options unless you have a baseline education in the concepts and products used to build a “suitable” plan.
We offer an 11 module financial literacy course that once taken will change forever how you view your financial or estate plan.
2) What is planning with Christian values?
As the author of Bad Advisors: How to Identify Them; How to Avoid Them, I know from my years in the industry that most advisors do NOT give their clients the “best advice.” Some advisors give bad advice because they don’t know any better but many advisors give bad advice because it’s advice that benefits advisors more so than it benefits their client (clients just don’t know any better which is why all consumers need some baseline education).
Our opinion on giving advice with Christian values at its core starts with making sure we are not only capable of providing the best advice to clients, but that we actual do provide the best advice and advice that is ALWAYS in their best interest.
Once consumers are educated, which they can do through our financial literacy course, there will be no doubt in their minds that the advice we provide is in their best interest.
3) We want to help those who are so inclined to incorporate charitable giving into their estate and financial plans.
We’ve found that most people have a huge heart and ultimately when given the opportunity will give to their local church or charitable cause when able.
The key words are “when able.”
When Able to Give
When able is different for everyone. Some people have the discipline and financial ability to give a certain percentage of their income annually to their church (like 5-10%).
Many people do not have the extra income to give liberally on an annual basis as they would like.
Increasing your “when able” abilities
The fact of the matter is that most people do NOT have a proper estate or financial plan.
The bi-product of not having the proper plans in place is a diminished ability to give to money in a charitable manner either annually or at death.
One main culprit when it comes to one’s financial ability to give is the lack of education on various financial topics as well as debt management.
Another culprit is the lack of proper budgeting.
The goal with the advice and mentoring we give to clients it to help them better understand their finance and help them come up with a proper and realistic budget.
Once consumers understand their financial situation, their available options to grow and protect their wealth, and once they have a budget, then they are in the best position to be able to allocate money to weekly, monthly, or annual charitable giving.
“When Able” Bequests
For many, their local church provides support in a number of different ways. Support that lifts them up and helps them get through life with a positive attitude and hope that things will be ok both while living and upon death. This is one of the main reasons people give to churches (the support they receive and so the church can afford to provide that support to others who are in need but can’t afford to give).
But, the fact of the matter is that not everyone can budget to give a certain amount of money to their church or other favorite charity on a consistent basis.
So, how do you give back to a church that has supported you over the years if you can’t afford to do so while living? You so do with charitable giving when you pass.
However, charitable giving when you pass is not limited to those who can’t give what they would like when living. Such planning is for anyone looking to provide additional funds to their church or local charity so they can continue on with their faithful work.
Click here to learn a little about some of the simple charitable giving options available when you pass.
Summary
With good planning and budgeting, charitable giving can be something you can easily incorporate into your life in a way that still allows you to live the life you want to live and give like you want to give.
The key is 1) education and 2) working with advisors who knows what they are doing and will always put your interests ahead of their own.
To learn about our online financial literacy course, click here.
To contact us to have your current situation reviewed and future goals discussed, click here.
If you have any questions, you can contact me or Blair Schadler at:
roccy@faithbasedplanning.net or directly at 269-216-9978.
Blair@faithbasedplanning.net or directly at 949-485-2598
