Dearest Rachel –
So last night had me in class again at church. It doesn’t require the same sort of schedule juggling as Grief Share did five years ago (when it was running concurrently against Awana clubs and my responsibilities there), but given that it’s on a Thursday, it does sort of interfere with our usual weekly meal at Meema’s. Granted, this time around, we simply showed up a half-hour earlier than usual, and I was able to leave with plenty of time to get to the Des Plaines campus, but Daniel, in particular, seemed a bit dissatisfied with the arrangement, since it meant he would be driving separately to her house, so he could stay later and leave at his own pace. He’s pushing to reschedule our weekly meals to Tuesday until this class is over and done with, but at least he’s not pushing me to reconsider enrolling in this class.
Although, if he were to do so, I wouldn’t necessarily blame him. In fact, when I first told him about the plan to go through the course, he pulled a face at me and asked “Why?” It’s a fair question, since much of the point of this class focuses on 1.) getting out of debt, which we don’t have; 2.) building up savings for retirement, which I’d done plenty of already, but which was absolutely overshadowed by your parents’ and grandparents’ legacies, and 3.) being able to not only live well, but give well, both of which I’d say we’d been doing since long before you had to leave. Indeed, you were often the one in the family who pushed for us to give more than we had been, so it’s not as if we’ve been doing that much more since your departure, necessarily.
But here’s the thing; while I consider that my profession (and personal practice) has made me fairly responsible for my own purposes, if I’m to teach a modicum of financial literacy to others – by which I mean the kids in Siguatepeque, for the sake of their own futures – I probably should follow the Proverb about “lean[ing] not on [my] own understanding.” There are those who are better teachers than myself, and even if they claim to be teaching from mere ‘common sense,’ it would be wise to determine whether my definition of the term aligns with them. And so, there I was, heading to a class that I knew wasn’t really for me, but still… I might still be able to learn from.
I will say this much for Mr. Ramsey; despite the thick Southern drawl in his delivery, he is not one to preach any sort of prosperity gospel, at least at first glance. While there is an aspect of ensuring that his students eventually make and have enough to give to others to his lessons, what giving he encourages is not intended to spur God to karmically give that much more back to you. Quite the contrary; prosperity, to hear him tell it, comes from your own efforts, both being smart with money, and avoiding being stupid.
I know, that sounds like saying the same thing in opposite ways, and maybe to a certain extent, it is, but this introductory lesson included a quick digest of his own story. He and his wide had both grown up poor, but he’d made millions in real estate during his twenties. Sounds smart, right (and also, puts him in a bracket with where we were, when you let me retire)? But apparently, those millions were backed by a foundation of debt – which, as far as I could tell you, means they weren’t there in the first place, but whatever. In any event, by the time he was in his early thirties, he’d gone from that paper millionaire status to bankrupt, and resolved to claim out of the hole he’d found himself in. Having succeeded in doing so, he then decided to make a career out of showing others how to do the same – which seems to have raked in millions for him since, not that anyone can tread that path, since he’s already built an empire on it. Who needs a copycat, when the original formula is out there?
But again, that doesn’t mean I can’t learn from him and his program. While I’ve been keeping track of my spending for some twenty years now, I’ve never actually put together a budget, let alone tried to stick to one. It’s slightly embarrassing to admit that even now, I spend more than I regularly bring over into checking from the one investment account and consider ‘income.’ Then again, that’s sort of the point of retirement; being able to live off of savings. Still, there’s a sense of ‘how dare I teach others to live within their means when I don’t stay within the means I’ve set for myself,’ I suppose. I don’t really want to appear hypocritical, even if most of the rules don’t apply to me; after all, if Dave could go from being a ‘millionaire’ to bankrupt, what’s stopping that from happening to me?
In any event, while the first class was free, there is an enrollment fee; but if I intend to forward this wisdom on to others, I suppose I’m going to stick with the class, even if I don’t follow its guidelines as strictly as the rest may feel the need to. There’s more to this process than just the ‘baby steps’ they start out touting. Regardless, I’d appreciate your eye on me as I make my way through this, and if you could wish me well, that would be good, too. I expect I’ll still need it.
Letters to Rachel 