• Introduction to the Series
• Pretest
• Introduction
• Objectives
• A. Spiritual Foundation
• Pillar 1: Everything is the Lord's.
• Pillar 2: We have not earned all we enjoy.
• Pillar 3: Blessings and righteousness.
• Pillar 4: We should share freely.
• B. Gospel Truths about Wealth
• Wealth can be a blessing or curse.
• Wealth is not a sign of righteousness.
• Money will not bring happiness.
• Wealth is not a qualification for service.
• C. The Four Main Objectives of this Series
• First: Set personal goals!
• Second: Develop and live on a budget.
• Third
• First, pay the Lord.
• Second, pay yourself.
• Third, save and invest wisely.
• Fourth: Learn to give.
• Conclusions
• Review of Objectives
• Chapter Glossary
• Posttest

Personal Finance: A Gospel Perspective

Section 1: Introduction: A Gospel Perspective on Wealth

Introduction to the Series

The purpose of this Personal Finance: A Gospel Perspective Series is to provide instruction about Personal Financial Management for LDS Church members and others around the world. This is accomplished through a series of lessons delivered over Internet and by other means. The lessons are designed to help you:

1. Understand the purpose of wealth in your life and the counsel of our church leaders regarding wealth.

2. Set personal financial goals that will aid you in your progress toward financial and spiritual self-reliance.

3. Recognize where you stand in regards to your past and current financial situation, and learn about basic tools to solve current problems and prepare for later life.

4. Learn key areas of financial responsibility and the necessity of constant vigilance in financial matters.

Three major advantages of developing the material at the Marriott School of Brigham Young University are:

1. There are no copyright restrictions for distribution.

2. There is nothing to sell, so we can avoid biases that prevail in other personal finance information and training materials.

3. The materials are presented in the context of modern revelation, and have higher goals than simply traditional wealth maximization.

The material was originally developed for an undergraduate student audience. It became very clear that the need for Personal Finance training extends well beyond BYU students. In a recent survey by RoperASW and Bankrate.com, American respondents received a "D" based on how well they applied 12 steps considered basic to American's financial well being. In addition, we are all aware of Utah's dubious reputation as the state with the highest bankruptcies in the U.S. The English speaking LDS population is an important audience.

In addition, Marriott School centers and others outside the university have expressed interest in adapting the material for people with more basic Personal Finance needs. Partnering with these groups can help reach even wider audiences, such as members and non-members in less developed nations.

We have put together this set of critical, pertinent, relevant, and unbiased (as much as possible) information and are making it available to the world through the Internet. We will start first by compiling this information from faculty and students inside the Marriott School. We will then receive comment from outside reviewers from the NAC, the center Advisory Boards, and the Management Society. Eventually we will then seek endorsement from BYU administration. We hope that you will take the time to not just read a single section, but many sections as well. Please feel free to comment on the sections, what we can do better, what sections need to be strengthened, that we can make this a truly useful and worthwhile series.