Fortune

Yesterday I opened my mailbox to find an issue of my favorite magazine: Fortune.
I scanned the cover. Here's what I read:

SPECIAL INVESTOR'S ISSUE

RETIRE RICH

Here's How

Save Smarter: Learn From the Pros

Build the Perfect Portfolio: 12 Great Funds

Find Your Personal Paradise: 5 Exotic Overseas Bargains

Sounded pretty boring. Then then I read it again. Something Pastor Bill said a few weeks ago came to mind.

People are so obsessed with building and maintaining their own little kingdom. We make sure the lawn is cut. Wash the car. Clean the boat. We spend so much time, effort, and money on things we don't really need. And while we're doing all this...here's the kicker...people are going to hell. Instead of building our own kingdom, we should be building God's kingdom. We shouldn't worry so much about THINGS that don't mater and won't last, and focus on PEOPLE'S SOULS, which are eternal.

"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no theif comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:33-34

"I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." Luke 16:9

I do think saving for retirement is important, especially considering the path that Social Security is taking in this country. So it becomes a question of where to draw the line.

My parents are at opposite ends of the financial spectrum. My dad is worried when there's less than $20,000 in his checking account. My mom gets worried when there's less than $200. It will be interesting to see where I end up.