CHRISTIAN FINANCE FOR teens CHRISTIAN FINANCE teens R O F A Simple Guide to Financial Wisdom for Teens and Young Adults CINDY KERSEY New York Christian Finance for Teens A Simple Guide to Financial Wisdom for Teens and Young Adults © 2014 Cindy Kersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from author or publisher (except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages and/or show brief video clips in a review). Disclaimer: The Publisher and the Author make no representations or warranties with re- spect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. 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CONTENTS Introduction ix Chapter 1: Jobs and Careers 1 Introduction 1 Spiritual Gifts 2 Jobs vs. Careers 3 Career Choice 4 Finding a Job 5 Writing a Resume 7 Sample Resume 9 Cover Letters 10 Interviewing 12 Sample Cover Letter 13 Follow Up 15 Job Success 16 Check Your Understanding 16 Reinforcement Assignments 17 v vi | CHRISTIAN FINANCE FOR teens Chapter 2: Debt 20 Introduction 20 Interest 21 Credit Cards 21 Buying a Car 23 Buying a Home 25 Financing College 28 Debt Consolidation 29 Check Your Understanding 30 Reinforcement Assignments 30 Chapter 3: Budgeting 32 Introduction 32 Steps to Creating a Budget 32 A Sample Budget 34 Groceries 35 Check Your Understanding 36 Reinforcement Assignments 36 Project Hardship Budget 37 Chapter 4: Banking 39 Introduction 39 Choosing a Bank 40 Checking Accounts 40 Bank Statements 42 Savings Accounts 47 Check Your Understanding 47 Reinforcement Assignments 48 Contents | vii Chapter 5: Investing 50 Introduction 50 Investing Guidelines 51 Low-Risk Investments 52 Retirement Plans 52 Stocks and Bonds 53 Compound Interest 55 Check Your Understanding 56 Reinforcement Assignments 57 Stock Market Project 57 Chapter 6: Insurance 59 Introduction 59 Car Insurance 60 Homeowner’s Insurance 62 Life Insurance 64 Disability Insurance 64 Health Insurance 65 Check Your Understanding 66 Reinforcement Assignments 67 Chapter 7: Taxes and Wages 69 Introduction 69 Wages and Payroll Taxes 70 Income Taxes 72 Real Estate Taxes 73 Personal Property Taxes 73 Check Your Understanding 74 Reinforcement Assignments 74 viii | CHRISTIAN FINANCE FOR teens Chapter 8: Personal Financial Statements 76 Introduction 76 Assets 77 Liabilities 77 Net Worth 78 Personal Financial Statement Example 78 Check Your Understanding 79 Reinforcement Assignments 79 Conclusion 81 Acknowledgments 83 About the Author 85 INTRODUCTION Why is it important to study finance? The simple truth is that many people learn about finances the hard way. By learning a few basic concepts of finance, you can be ready to make better decisions that affect your money and way of life. But why is it important to study Christian finance? Christians need to understand how important it is to be a good steward of the material items and money God has blessed them with. After all, it belongs to God anyway; we just take care of it for a while. Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about money? One Bible verse that comes to mind is 1 Timothy 6:10. This verse tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil. Many have misinterpreted this to mean that having money is evil. However, it’s the love of money that is evil. We need money and there is nothing wrong with having money. The problem arises when people become greedy and cannot be satisfied with what they have. This leads to all kinds of sin. ix