# To what should be the extent of our earthly connection



## Anton Bruckner (Jan 28, 2006)

I know we are called to be wise. Last night, I had a financial planner over at my house. (Well in actuality I cannot hire a financial planner, it was a fellow church brethren, who came and give me some insights for free)

He showed me that I need to save $457 per month at 12%, just to send Jared to Harvard in 15 years time. Harvard in 14 years time will be upwards of $200,000 for undergrad. This is just one child, I've always seen myself having a small clan of boys. well 2 boys and a girl, this despite being separated from my current wife. So remarriage or reconciliation are two options I'm seriously pondering, if God gives me the grace to fulfill both.

Secondly retirement. I have to save $391 per month at 12% to get $3100 per month at age 57. If I choose to retire then. This has nothing to do with medical expenses, and if I have a spouse living with me.

A retirement home, if you are not planning on selling your existing one, but giving it to your child or children as an inheritance, would cost around $300,000-$500,000 in about 30 years. So one has to save about $500 per month at 12%. Course I don't have that amount of disposable income to save. Heck, who has an extra $1300 dollars per month to simply put away. Things are hard these days. But those were the moderate estimates of what I have to put away to send my child to Harvard, and retire without having any major decrease in salary.

Now I ask my fellow PB Brethren, how caught up should we be with these earthly things such as college fund, retirement etc. Heck, I don't like hearing stories of the elderly, having to choose between medication or heating fuel for their house. Nor do I find it pretty seeing an 80 yr old working at McDonald's part time to supplement their income.

I'm not saying that working is bad, but at an elderly age, I believe a person should live and be comfortably taken care of by their children and whatever savings they have accrued, with work being something merely vocational and voluntary. (Course I could be wrong). At an old age, a person should be buying candy and icecream for their grandchildren or great granchildren, whilst having the not so favorites, give them sponge baths.

So, what constitutes good planning, from being too earthly minded?


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## BJClark (Jan 28, 2006)

Just a few things to consider....

Why do you think your child 'needs' to go to Harvard? Or is that just your desire for him?

What if your child does not desire to go to Harvard? 

What if God has other plans for him like being a missionary or Preacher Or even a Professional Ball player? 

Are you even taking that into account that God may have different plans for his life? Or are you trying to plan his future for him?


Is it really YOUR responsibility to pay for your children to go to college? Or is it just something you desire to do?

Most certainly we are told the wise man leaves and inheritance for their childrens children (paraphrased). 

Which could be providing financially for our children to go to college so that they may be able to provide for their children. But it could also be providing them the tools to serve and trust God in their life.

[Edited on 1-28-2006 by BJClark]


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## Anton Bruckner (Jan 28, 2006)

good points Bobby. In actuality I do want my child to be a Pastor. I pray for him to be Godly, merciful, Just, compassionate, and that God sanctifies his heart.

But even with my prayers for him to become a Pastor, that does not necessitate that he will go the route of Seminary etc. Some people become MDs, Lawyers, Accountants, all before they become pastors. And I believe God purposefully allows this, so that He can bring about unique perspectives to usage in His service. (as for him being an athlete. I shudder at the thought, but I did have a fantasy of him being a quarterback and winning 8 Superbowls. But that's vanity. Him being a Pastor preaching the word making an impact for all eternity is waaaaaaaaay cool )

That being said, I simply used Harvard as an optimum point. Even if he goes to a state school which costs his about $100,000, the extra $100,000 can be used for graduate work etc. But preparation is good, and if my child goes to college, God willing, I don't want him to be bogged down in debt, like I am.


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## BJClark (Jan 28, 2006)

Slippery,

I desire my son to be a Pastor as well, but my son at 11 years old desires to be a "Professional Skateboarder"  

It's actually something I prayed about before I ever had a son, that God would bless me with a son who would grow up to be a preacher and lead many to Christ.

I let my son know God could use his skateboarding as a way to minister to others. Going out and sharing the Gospel with other skateboarders at various events much like he uses Willie Ames within his career as an actor. (he does the Bibleman series and goes to various churches performing for young children.) And you know what, He does this even now. One of his friends is a Jehovah's Witness, and he came home the other day asking me about their beliefs, so when I shared with him what they believe as opposed to what we believe, he has been praying about how to share this with his friend.

Encourage him to do well in school, and apply for scholarships, which will help offset the cost of college.


Not sure how old your son is now, but there are scholarships out there that children can apply for even while in elementary school.

Join fastweb.com, fill out the information for your son, and see what comes up as far as various scholarships for kids.

here is another search engine for scholarships.

http://www.brokescholar.com/index.cfm?CMP=KNL-S51F92570221


In Junior High and High School, if their grades are A's and B's they can join the Jr. National Honor Society which also offers scholarships. 

My oldest daughter is taking classes that are geared to Early Childhood Education, she checked into before starting high school (she wants to be a teacher) and after taking these courses for 4 years in high school they offer teaching scholarships for those students.

So there really are various options that you can begin to look into now.

Are you signed up with Upromise.com? If not, you may want to check into that as well. When you register various credit cards, or Grocery Store Cards with them they put a small portion of the purchase towards a college fund. And in that you have 15 years to build up the college fund it may be worth looking into.


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## Anton Bruckner (Jan 28, 2006)

Wow. thanks a lot Bobbi. God bless. those links are way cool.


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## Henry from Canada (Jan 28, 2006)

Keon said that someone told him:
"A retirement home, if you are not planning on selling your existing one, but giving it to your child or children as an inheritance, would cost around $300,000-$500,000 in about 30 years."

1) This is speculation. The housing market is very hard to predict. 

2) I have a disability and can not work or build a retirement nest egg. In my case, I just focus on doing my best to properly "steward" what little ability I have. If I am broke at 70, I hope I can have the ability to rest in the fact that I tried my best. I hope you can do the same, Keon.

3) Life is very strange. Strange things happen. You have no idea what strange circumstances God may put into your place to prosper you. 

I know one person who was broke at the age of 38, got a low-paying job at 38, and retired with significant money and a house at 59. How did this happen? It was a combination of 2 small inheritances, a low-rent house and good stewardship.

Who knows what crazy things God has planned for you. Your son could get a real good scholarship. You could get a dream job. You could get a surprise inheritance from somebody you don't even know yet. You could marry a rich women. You could design a cool software package. You could win a lottery. You could start a really successful business. You could win a big lawsuit..........

I suspect God wants you to just focus on doing his will and doing good.

4) When I speak to fellow baby-boomers about their parents, the feeling I get is that once you hit the big 70, the big issues are:
i) health
ii) the relationships that did not work out
iii) how well they raised their kids

Keon, you strike me as a person who is smart and idealistic. You, and many other people on this board, take Christianity very seriously. You seem to really think a lot about how to lead a Godly life.

If all else fails, I hope you can find peace with this, so that no matter what your circumstances at 70 you can rest at night knowing that you gave life a good shot.

I think this type of thinking must of really helped Joseph after he was framed and was sentenced to jail in a foreign land.


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## Henry from Canada (Jan 28, 2006)

Oops, I did not directly answer Keon's question:
So, what constitutes good planning, from being too earthly minded?

My answer:
Just steward your talents reasonably to the best of your ability. The circumstances are largely out of your control.


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## Anton Bruckner (Jan 28, 2006)

excellent advice Henry.


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## BJClark (Jan 29, 2006)

Not a problem. I'm sure you can gain a lot of information there.

and as Henry said, it really is about trusting God to be God even to your son, just as He is with you.





> Wow. thanks a lot Bobbi. God bless. those links are way cool.


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