What is Smart Debt?

Many people believe that debt, in every form, is bad. The Bible actually talks about debt, and it sometimes talks about debt in a positive way. When you take on debt as a way to eventually make money, in other words start a business, you can actually be creating “smart debt”.

At TRADEway we show our students how to think through their financial journey. Doesn’t it make more sense to invest money into a business that will give you a greater return, then take that increased income and use it to pay off existing debt faster?
Using “smart debt” as a tool to start a business does 3 things for you:
  • It gives you the potential to pay off your debts faster, if you make an investment that leads to an increase in income.
  • You have the ability to create a long-term wealth building solution instead of using what little resources you have to pay debt slowly.
  • It is possible for you to get out of debt, build wealth and focus on developing your skill sets in an area that interests you, rather than spending years of your life working for someone else while making minimal progress in your financial goals.
“Smart debt” is debt that leads to expansion of income. If you want to learn more about Biblical financial principles and how you could potentially build wealth, contact TRADEway today.

Why we don’t like hearing about the Bible and wealth…

Jesus said you cannot serve both God and money. If you are not living by God’s Word, it is easy to allow money to become an idol in your heart. As a Christian, you must first learn to trust Him regarding your finances, then you can learn to serve Him with your finances.

Trust Him With Money
You need to understand how to rely on God regardless of your finances. Study God’s Word, and make sure you are at a point spiritually that you can think about finances without succumbing to fear or anxiety. Trust that He has a plan. When you worry about money, it will take the place of God in your heart. When you are in a place of abundance, the Bible tells you how those resources should be used.
Serve Him With Money
It is important to understand that, although you should not serve money, you can serve God with your money. The Bible never said money has no power or place in the life of a believer. A believer who uses money according to the instructions God gave in His Word can make an impact on many lives.
Wealth is a power that is lesser than God, but is from God, and can be used for God for the benefit of others. When your foundation is on God, and you have a Godly perspective of wealth, money is a very good thing.

Practice Makes Perfect

You’ve probably heard the saying “practice makes perfect”. A more realistic statement would be, “Perfect practice makes perfect”. If you practice something wrong, then you are probably going to do it wrong.

When it comes to trading, what does it mean to practice perfection? It means you do things the right way. Follow the program, think through the trade, and make sure you are executing the trade correctly. This may not even mean you make money. A perfect trade could mean that you stop out to minimize your expenses. Every business has expense. No business makes every perfect business decision. It is important to learn from each decision.
Practicing perfection in trading does not mean you become rich overnight. It doesn’t work that way. It means that you are setting goals and making progress toward those goals. You get better after each trade, and apply what you have learned to the next trade.
If you can train yourself to do things the right way over time, and you’re getting positive results, then those results should increase over time. That should be your goal.

Can You Guess What Industry Makes The Most Money?

When you’re wanting to build wealth and create a legacy, one of the first questions you may have is, “What industry makes the most money?” Underwater basket weaving might sound fun, but it won’t be very profitable.

When asked what industry makes the most money, you might think, “tech”. That sounds like a good answer when you consider how technologically driven our society has become. We think of Apple, IBM, iPads, cellphones and computers, right? Nope, that industry came in fourth.
What about real estate? It worked for Donald Trump. The guy is a billionaire. Actually, real estate is the third most profitable industry.
Are you still wondering which industry makes the most money? By now you’ve probably guessed that investing, or finance, is the industry that makes the most money. Correct! TRADEway offers a variety of educational options to help you learn how to manage your finances and potentially increase your wealth in the stock market.
Now you’re wondering what industry came in second, aren’t you? That would be fashion. So, basically, stock trading is way cooler than being fashionable. Luckily, you can trade stocks in your pajamas, so there is no need to even be fashionable. Now is the time to put on your stretchy pants and build your legacy!

Keys to Transformation: Community

We were meant to live in relationship with others. We were meant to be part of a community.

In Christian community, we are strengthened by other believers. We are given accountability by other believers. Being part of a community not only holds us accountable for the things we shouldn’t do, but it holds us accountable to become all that we are meant to be.
The Bible says that we should live a life that is worthy of the calling that we have received. A good community calls you to this level and holds you to this standard. They see who you were meant to be, they don’t trip over who you are not, and they call you into the destiny that you were always meant to have.
We are stronger in numbers. The wolf loves the lone sheep, so we stay in the fold, we cover each other, we pray for each other. Being part of a community is a powerful tool.

What only experienced traders understand…

Most new traders come into the stock market thinking the goal is to win. They want to avoid losing at all costs. Experienced traders understand that they will occasionally lose. When it is time to lose, they will do it every time. They learn to lose well.

If you can lose well, which means lose little, and win big, you can come out ahead. In fact, those experienced traders know that they can lose multiple times, and if they do it properly, setting their trades up right, they can actually win less than they lose in terms of trade number and come out ahead in terms of their account. What that means is, losing small is a huge part of winning big. This is something experienced traders know, and this is something that positions them to win big.
At TRADEway we emphasize the importance of losing well. We want to team up with you and get you connected to our experienced traders so that you can become an experienced trader too.

Why the family business is best for women

The Biblical way to do things solves all the modern-day dilemmas. One major modern day dilemma is that women don’t feel like they can have both a career and a family at one time.

The number of women having children in their 40’s has doubled since the 90’s, and that is the only age group with a rising pregnancy rate. More women are choosing to put starting a family on hold in order to establish careers. Women should not feel like they have to sacrifice one or the other. This is why the Biblical family business model is best for women.
Ashton Mitchell, Social Media Brand Manager of TRADEway and daughter-in-law of David Mitchell, describes her experience as a woman and mother in family business.
“Here I am, I’m 26 years old, my husband is 24, we have 2 amazing children, and our careers aren’t on hold, they’re not suffering, they’re actually thriving. The reason for that is because we’re part of a family business.
My boss, and my boss’s boss, are my kids’ aunt and grandfather. Those two people love me and they love my kids. They have a vested interest in making sure my kids have the best care, the best opportunities and learn the family business, because this is their legacy. They’re not just looking at what quality of work I can bring to the table, or how much money I can bring in for the company, yes those things matter, but they’re not really the most important thing. When you’re in business with your family, the whole picture comes together.”
Family life isn’t separated from work. Mothers who are part of a family business do not have to feel like they are raising their children with no connection to what is happening in the workplace.
Women who are part of the family business model have the freedom to choose to be in the background while their children are very young, or take a larger role if they desire. Rather than being made to feel like they must neglect their family to make progress in their career, they are supported, because their coworkers are family.
There is also a sense of empowerment and pride when women know they are raising the future of their family business. Raising children with strong character and a foundation on God becomes part of what will make the business successful for generations to come.
Woman can have both a family and a career at the same time. Establishing a family business gives women choices, freedom and fulfillment.

Teach Kids to Avoid Debt and Invest

How do we teach our kids how to invest and how to avoid debt? For me, this was really important because I used to be in a lot of debt, and I used to be scared to death of investing. If you feel like that, and if you’re wondering, “how can I get help with that?”, come check us out at a TRADEway event. We’ll help you out. But then we still have to transfer that to the kids, right? We want to teach them this skillset. So, how do we do that?

Here’s how I started. First, I let my kids get in debt. Oh, that’s a horrible idea, right? No! It’s actually a really good idea and here’s why. First, I let my kids say, “Hey Daddy, I want this. I want that.” And I said, “Okay, great. You’re going to use your own money.” “What?” “Yeah, use your own money.” So, they’d have to work a little bit and make a little bit of money and that taught them that money was not infinite. They’ve got to figure out how to get more of it.
Next, we went to the store and it was time to make their purchase. When they found out how much it was, they said, “I don’t have enough Daddy.” Well, guess what, I didn’t just give it to them. I made them go back and work for more. It’s terrible; I know. You’re going to feel like a horrible parent. But, it’s going to be awesome for the kids.
Now if that’s just too mean, there is an alternative. Go ahead and loan them a little bit of money, which gets them in debt. Then make them pay you back. It’s a good idea because you can control the consequences for them. It will make that kid think, “I do not like debt.” My kids hate it. I made them get in debt to me once, and they despise it now. My little girl says, “I don’t want debt, Daddy. I’ll save up my own money.” And my reply is, “Good job. Good idea.” So, this gives you a great foundation for preparing them for later in life. They can see that debt can be used to get the things they want, but they’re going to have to work to get that debt paid off.
Next is investing. How do we teach them about this? First, help them set large goals. Help them set goals that are just really way up there so that it will take them a lot of time to reach them. For my little girl, it was gymnastics equipment. She’s into gymnastics, and she wanted those uneven bars that she could swing on. She loves it, so that’s what we were going for. It cost $300. I said, “Maddie Grace, use your money.” “It’s gonna take forever, Daddy.” I said, “Yeah, would you like to learn how to make it go faster?” “How?” “Well, use your money to work for more money.” And she said, “How do I do that?” Now it’s time to teach her stock trading. She’s only nine but she’s already starting to understand it.
So, if you want to teach your kids how to invest, give them those big goals that seem hard to reach and then ask them, “Do you want to reach them faster? If you want to reach your goals faster, you need a way to leverage.” This gives all kinds of opportunities to teach your kids about how to invest.
So, get them into debt and then get them into investing. Just let them experience it with you in control and making sure that they’re safe the whole way. When you do that, you’re a rockstar of a parent.

This will make you want to be perpetually joyful

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice.” This is Philippians 4:4. You’ve heard it before. You’ve probably quoted it, but did you know it can actually help you be perpetually joyful? All you have to do is understand what it means and how it affects you as a Christian.

The Meaning
Paul, in this scripture, is telling us that we should not just be joyful. We should be joyful again, and again, and again, and again. It should be a perpetual joy.
The Context
You might be thinking, “How can I be perpetually joyful?” Skip up a few verses and you’ll find that in the beginning of the chapter, Paul is telling us to stand steadfast in the Lord, and also to have a like mind with the Lord.
The Method
In order to be perpetually joyful, you must first have the strength to do it. Connect with the mind of the Lord. You can find the mind of Christ in scripture. Read your Bible. He’ll give you the strength to become perpetually joyful so that you can again be joyful, always in the Lord.
Are you ready to experience perpetual joy?

How Making Money A Priority Can Strengthen the Christian Family

Making money a priority can strengthen the Christian family.

Proverbs 10:4 “He becometh poor, that dealeth with a slack hand, but, the hand of the diligent maketh rich.”  God blesses those who are willing to work. His people are created for a purpose, and each member of the family should use their gifts to build the family business. When you own your own family business, you don’t stop working at 5pm, but everything you’re doing is benefiting the whole family.
Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it.” The Bible gives guidelines for how money should be used. It should be used to benefit the family and as a tool to help others. Christian business owners should understand the importance of stewardship. If you’re walking with the Lord and being good stewards, God will bless you with more money, and he doesn’t bring sorrow with it. Your children will actually benefit from wealth.
Proverbs 24:3-5, “Through wisdom is a house built, And, by understanding is it established. With knowledge shall thy chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong, yet a man of knowledge increases strength.” Wisdom will bring wealth to the family, but this is a conditional promise. We must gain skill sets and have a desire to learn. Gaining wisdom is what strengthens our family and leads to wealth.
When Christian families strive for business and financial success, each member is able to focus on God’s will for them within the business. They learn to use money as a tool to serve God. It will also strengthen family relationships. When increasing wealth is a priority for Christian families, everyone benefits.