The Financial Crossroads

By Jim Stovall

We make decisions every day that greatly affect how we live now and into the future. We are at a unique time and place in the economy in which there will be decisions made, individually and collectively, that will have an impact for generations to come.

The Financial Crossroads is the title of my latest book that I coauthored with Tim Maurer (www.TheFinancialCrossroads.com). Tim Maurer is a financial planner with all the credentials and expertise you would expect from such an individual, but that is not why I agreed to write a book with Tim. I agreed to coauthor a book with Tim Maurer because he understands the relationship between money and life.

He hosts a talk show in the Baltimore/Washington, DC area and makes guest appearances on many national media outlets. I believe Tim’s expertise is in viewing money as a tool necessary to live your life instead of viewing your life as a resource to make money.

The subtitle of the book is The Intersection of Money and Life. When we divided up the project of writing The Financial Crossroads, we decided Tim would write the Timely Applications, and I would write the Timeless Truths. Both are necessary if you are going to succeed with money.

Few people have ever thought about how money relates to how they live their life or how they would like to live beyond financial considerations. Even if people had considered these elements, it is rare to find anyone who knows how to get from here to there.

As we view the economy today, we are at the proverbial crossroads as a nation and as a society. We are going to have to determine whether or not we are going to continue mortgaging our children and grandchildren’s future to pay for things we cannot afford today. As important as this societal crossroads may be, a much more critical issue is how you and your family are going to strategize and organize your money and your life.

In The Financial Crossroads, we do not tell you what to do with your money other than how to make it fit into the life you want to live. Financial decisions are predominantly personal decisions. It’s much like ordering from an extensive restaurant menu. There are no right or wrong decisions, but if you don’t decide what you want, it is impossible for you to reach your goal.

The decisions you need to make are much simpler than you probably assume them to be. Once you have decided where you want to go, you will find getting there to be a matter of applying some orderly step-by-step strategies. There are no right or wrong answers, but you cannot simply continue to avoid the questions.

As you go through your day today, determine to make your money work for you as hard as you work for your money, and decide where you want to go beyond the financial crossroads.

Today’s the day!

Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082, or by e-mail at Jim@JimStovall.com.