I’ve attended so many financial seminars in my two decades in the financial services. From the now-defunct PCI Bank’s famed Core Credit Program to American College’s LUTC, APLIC, financial-planning courses, conferences, Registered Financial Planners, etc. Too many, if you ask me.

As a personal-finance coach and educator, I have to keep on nourishing my mind all the time, but honestly, it can get tiring already. Just between us, I sometimes find myself half-asleep in some seminars even after drowning myself with many cups of brewed coffee. When I see the participants in my classes half asleep (some of them actually DO sleep), I can have empathy for them. Tip: If you are conducting financial seminars, make sure you serve strong brewed coffee. Trust me, it helps!

When Dennis Sy, our Victory Christian Fellowship (VCF) Greenhills pastor, announced that VCF will have a “financial” seminar sponsored by Crown Financial Ministries, I was wondering why our church is sponsoring this kind of programs. When my pastor said that the speaker was a former CEO of Apple Canada, it was enough reason for me to sign up. Besides, my elder sister has been telling me about the Crown Financial Programs for some time now, so I suppose I can go to another “financial” seminar.

I also “try” to follow the advice of my pastors so I told my good friend Chinkee Tan (author of Till Debt Do Us Part) that we should attend and see what this seminar is all about.

Times are so uncertain today. Inflation rate is nearing double digits after being so low for many years. Income has not been rising but expenses are going out of hand. The US dollar has started to rise again; gasoline has been going up on a weekly basis (ouch!)—and all other items are surely not far behind.

I just came from the grocery and was trying so hard to squeeze all we need in our weekly budget. Oh, so tough a task!

Corollarily, investment rates have not been so great. It is often said that we should always invest at rates above inflation to realize real growth. When inflation is very high and returns are very low (negative for some), I thought it was time for me to check what this Crown Financial Program is all about. It may have the answers for many of my questions.

Was I glad I followed Dennis Sy (who is so much younger than I am) and attended the program at VCF Fort with my wife Mia. I also saw some old friends who are accomplished financial practitioners. They must have been looking for financial answers like me, or they also have very persuasive pastors like Dennis Sy.

Dave Rae is a wonderful, powerful and effective speaker. From my perspective, he would be one of the best speakers I have ever heard. The seminar was called “God’s Economy” and he was able to make me look at the financial scheme of things with a new perspective.

He talked about many things that reinforced what we practitioners have been advocating: getting out of debt; spending less than what we earn; setting aside money on a regular basis, etc.

In the manual they distributed entitled, Biblical Financial Study, the first page gave a wonderful illustration—a wheel that has these words: avoid debt, seek counsel, practice honesty, give generously, work hard, save consistently, spend wisely and live for eternity. These are words you will always hear from financial planners—well, except for those who give generously and live for eternity (wink, wink!).

Dave Rae talked about business, money management and financial issues. However, there was one thought that caught my attention the most: ownership. We go through life so focused on accumulation. Practically every financial principle you will read is about accumulation of wealth.

A few months ago, I wrote about wealth being important, and that it is what we do with wealth that counts. Well, Dave Rae talked about ideas that made me look at things in a different perspective, particularly on ownership.

God owns everything. Yup, everything, and that includes wealth. While I know that wealth is important and that God wants us to live a victorious life (Jeremiah 29:11), the thought that God owns everything was something I never thought about.

After Dave Rae’s wonderful argument, it does make perfect sense. If He is the giver of life, isn’t He the giver of wealth, as well? If He owns everything, what does that make of us? Stewards. We are merely stewards of His creations. If He owns everything and we have faith in Him, wouldn’t He make sure everything will be just fine? That’s how things work in God’s Economy.

If God’s Economy is perfect, then why are times so uncertain? Well, Dave Rae said God allows difficulties for three reasons:

1) To accomplish His intentions—God has a bigger plan for us, beyond our comprehension and understanding. We only see things from our own perspective and find it difficult to see what’s in store for us. Read Genesis 45:5-8.

2) To develop our character—Dave Rae mentioned something that really caught my attention: Growth is a painful process. The best teacher is experience, and painful experiences either mold us or break us. Read Romans 5:3-4.

3) To discipline His children—if we don’t get the message right and we don’t heed the warnings, we need to learn the hard way. Read Hebrews 12:6.

As stewards of God’s properties, we need to ensure that we will take good care of them. If someone lends you a pen, aren’t you supposed to take care of it while it is in your possession? The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) came into my mind. The Lord wants us to take good care of his properties, grow it and use it according to His will.

Just as in biblical times, there will be times of plenty and times of famine (Genesis 41). As responsible stewards, let us prepare for the uncertainties—we are given times of plenty to prepare for times of hardships.

As a financial practitioner, I have to admit that times are not too great, and the best advice I can give you would be to follow common sense. We need to tighten our belts, control our spending and continue with our savings and investments because times will not always be as certain as today.

Plan well, but don’t worry, that is how things are in God’s Economy.

Let us be responsible stewards because at the end of the day, we will pass this life and move on to our final destination. “Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the use of worldly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?”—Luke 16:11.

I am glad I took out time to listen to Dave Rae and learn about Crown Financial Ministries (http://www.crown.org). I am glad I listened to Dennis Sy. I am glad that Victory Christian Fellowship (http://www.victory.org.ph) really looks after it’s flock. And I am really glad I am beginning to learn about God’s Economy.

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J. Randell Tiongson is a training specialist, personal-finance educator and coach and director of the Registered Financial Planning Institute. He has been engaged in the various facets of the financial-services industry for nearly two decades. He is also the cofounder of www.income-tacts.com with Efren Ll. Cruz, an interactive site dedicated to the financial literacy of every Pinoy. For inquiries, you may send an e-mail to randellt@gmail.com.

SHOULD we go nuclear?

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes raised that possibility on Saturday when he said the government is studying the option, including the opening of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP)—if it is still viable—to boost the country’s energy supply.

When we last looked at the Bureau of Customs (BOC), while we admired its extraordinary successes in running after smugglers through a USAID-funded campaign, we lamented that its prosecutorial powers were severely constrained by a dysfunctional structure the bureau had, over the years, developed under.

I’ve attended so many financial seminars in my two decades in the financial services. From the now-defunct PCI Bank’s famed Core Credit Program to American College’s LUTC, APLIC, financial-planning courses, conferences, Registered Financial Planners, etc. Too many, if you ask me.

The Entrepreneur: A test for the Philippine economy

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I am referring to the not-so-good news that our economic growth—as expressed in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), or simply the total value of goods and services we produce, excluding income from abroad—had slowed down to 5.2 percent in the first three months of 2008, compared with 6.9 percent in the first quarter of 2007.

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Those who are suggesting that the grilling of the officials of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce (JFC) at the Senate on Friday was an “overkill” are more interested in pleasing members of that lobby group and their cohorts, in and out of government, than seriously searching for ways to lower the unconscionable cost of our electric rates, which is now second only to Japan, the world’s second-biggest economy.

Reflections from the Mirror: The Filipino, together forever for peace

Happy Independence Day, Philippines! Long live the nation and the President!

This early, a group of Filipinos belonging to the Left-wing organizations, like Bayan, whose cells operate in the United States, are already finalizing plans for holding rallies and protests against President Arroyo when she visits that country for talks with President Bush. They call it a meeting of a colonial master and a puppet.