Feedback Friday: How Do You Handle Money Requests From Family?

Our MJ theme for February is Love and Money. And we know that these two things don't always mesh well, especially when it comes to family.

We see it all the time, someone hits the jackpot (wins the lottery, signs a professional sports or recording contract, wins American Idol), and before long, family (some they didn't even know they had) are standing in line with a sense of entitlement to their "winnings."

This week American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino was on Oprah discussing her financial woes, and how she almost lost both of her houses, and couldn't even afford to buy a pizza two year ago (this was AFTER winning Idol)because she was taking care of her entire family. She now has a reality TV show on VH1 called Fantasia For Real, and on the show, we see that she is the only adult in her house who works, and when she finally puts her foot down and starts saying no, her brother has a meltdown. (Check out the videos here.)

Our Feedback Friday question is: How do you handle money requests from family?

If You Want to Get Rich, Read, Read, Read

It's been said that if you want to keep something from a Black man, put it in a book. Although I don't know who said it, I do know that in my world, the words Black and ignorance don't mesh together well. So I'm here to set the record straight.

I'm a Black woman and an avid reader of books, magazines, newspapers, and yes, blogs. I read for enjoyment as well as knowledge. Reading is my way of waging war on ignorance. You know, kind of like Tina did when she PUNCHED FEAR IN THE FACE.....POWWWWW!!!! With the Internet, libraries, free seminars and teleseminars from the comfort of my couch, there's no excuse for me to not know how to manage my money. (I'll leave that for the professional athletes.) And there's no excuse for you either.

I've never let my African-American heritage get in the way of my learning. Neither of my parents graduated from high school. As a matter of fact, my dad dropped out of school in the third grade. But, I remember going to work with him and watching him calculate the money he was owed in his head. I was amazed at how he couldn't add or subtract on paper, but he sure knew how to do it in his head. That's why there are no excuses for me.

I grew up around books. I graduated from high school and business school, and I've worked in the financial services industry for more than 25 years. But even with all of that, my knowledge about investments, stocks, bonds or trading only scratches the surface. The industry is always changing, so I've got to keep learning so I can keep earning. That's why I've been renewing magazine subscriptions like crazy on Amazon this month: Smart Money, Black Enterprise (I got an instant $3 off promotion when I ordered this one.), O, The Oprah Magazine. (Can you believe this was only $5 for a one-year subscription?)

At these prices, I knew what my broke family and friends were getting for Christmas. I empowered them with an entire year of reading so they can learn how to get their money straight.

When is the last time you read something finance-related: a book, a magazine, The Wall Street Journal?

Lisa Maria Carroll, is one of the 3 women, along with Kim Crouch and Tina Fortune, who are on the Millionaire Journey. You can follow us on the Journey by joining the Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Millionaire-Journey/165487378056?ref=ts or the Millionaire Journey blog at http://1yearmillionaires.blogspot.com

Is the Bible Keeping You Broke

Does God want us to be poor?

If there's one thing I'm sick and tired of, it's church folks--not to be confused with Christians--using the bible to stay broke. Yes, the bible does teach us that the poor will always be with us, but nowhere did it say that the poor would be me.

This I know, and that is, if you're looking for a reason to get up, you'll find it. And if you're looking for an excuse to stay down, you'll find that too. That's why it's usually the lazy, apathetic folks who quote 1 Timothy 6:10 the loudest, The love of money is the root of all evil. They've found the excuse...errr, scripture, they need to justify not getting up and creating the life they really want.

So, what does the bible really say about money?

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

This verse is so often misquoted that it is ridiculous. The love of money is evil, not money itself. Having $1 million in the bank doesn’t mean that you love it anymore than having $5 in there proves that you don’t.

Who would you say loves money more, Bill Gates because he's a billionaire, or the thug who won't work, but instead carjacks someone for a joy ride or kills someone for $20?

Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

This verse is usually quoted by folks who are on the receiving end of your giving. And for some reason they've never read 2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Oprah is a great humanitarian who gives, gives and gives. And there are some who accuse her of being all about the mighty dollars. But, the more she gives, the more she gets. It's like when we buy a bag of chips. The bag is filled by weight, and you'll notice that when it settles down, there's lots of room left. In Jesus' market, he would fill up the bag, press it down, shake it up to get all of the air out, and then fill it again, so you had a completely filled, running over bag of chips.

God wants to bless us until it overflows.

What are your feelings about money and the bible?

Lisa Maria Carroll