Investing Articles by Gary Silverman

Investing Part 17 ~ A Last Word

You may not have noticed, but over the last four months I’ve been taking you through a series of lessons on investing. If you missed any, they are all available on my website. Today, I have one final word on the subject (final for these coaching sessions—I’ll open my mouth again next week.)

Investments in and of themselves serve no purpose. Investments are just part of what should be an overall plan to get you where you want to go. Investing should be done only after careful thought and planning. And planning always starts with goals. After all, you need to know where you are going in order to know how to get there.

But where do these life goals come from? Professed atheist Bertrand Russell stated a very important truth: “Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.”

For you who believe in God, start your financial journey there. If not, then you will have to determine your own path in life. Either way, a message of Proverbs is a good place to begin, “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.” (Proverbs 11:28)

Even better is a longer passage from the New Testament. Whether you are a believer or not, I think you’ll see the wisdom in it:

But godliness is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.(1 Timothy 6:6-9)

This next part of the same passage may be of less significance to those who are not Christians; however, I believe the message is important to all:

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness.(1 Timothy 6:10-11)

All of these passages point to the fact that money itself is not a goal. It is not the prize you should seek. To some it is a gift, and to all it is a tool. My goal in writing these columns is to help you be the best steward of the money that you have.

“It is not the man who has little, but he who desires more, that is poor.” - Seneca the younger (3BC-65AD)

No matter the foundation of your life and financial goals, I am eager to continue helping you on your journey. I hope that this introduction of the investment process will serve you well as you manage your own investments.

As I see it, my readers trust me to help them learn to save and grow their money in order to educate their children, allow them to retire in comfort, and leave a legacy.

This isn’t just about money; it’s about dreams, lifestyle, and family. 

This article was published under the title "Your future is about more than just money"

in the WichitaFalls Times Record Newson April 25, 2010.

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