US Finance World

You may have thought that it is not God’s will for you to go through life in lack or in debt. The truth is that this is exactly right! That is not God’s best for His children. Being in bondage to debt or lack will keep you from being able to do God’s will. This is why you must be free from debt or lack through the implementation of biblical money principles. God wants you to be able to obey Him without being overtaken by fear that you will not have enough money.

How do you know if you are in bondage to debt or lack?

•If you cannot give to ministries that are doing God’s work because it will inhibit you from paying your bills.

•If you cannot help those that are in lack because you yourself are in lack.

•If you cannot go where God wants you because you simply cannot afford the travel expenses.

•If you want to give offerings, but you are torn by guilt because you know it is really not in your budget.

If any of these points sound familiar, then you are in bondage to debt or lack.How Do You Pray?

Do you regularly pray that God will give you a financial miracle? Have you often

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Seen on a recent Citibank (C) statement: “Effective April 1, 2010, we reserve the right to require (7) days advance notice before permitting a withdrawal from all checking accounts. While we do not currently exercise this right and have not exercised it in the past, we are required by law to notify you of this change.”

Whoa. Is this an April Fool’s joke? A contingency plan to defend against the idea of what “would happen if thousands of [bank] customers pledge to withdraw their money from the bank on a certain day, unless the bonuses are capped?” A strategem cooked up by Citi’s new shareholders from the hedge fund industry, an industry in which such withdrawal gates are common? An idea backed by Citi’s big shareholder, Uncle Sam, or one of its regulators, Sheila Bair?

I called Citi about it and they said the warning applies only to customers in Texas and that the notification had been mistakenly included on statements nationwide. Whatever the explanation, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in Citi.

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We all know the ads that promise to save you 60%-80% on your debts or to get you debt-free in a few years. When we hear things like that, it takes us back to our childhood when our mothers used to say, “Honey, anything that sounds too good to be true probably is!”

Now that we’re adults, it’s time to deal with reality, and here are the facts:

• Consumer debt has dropped for each of the last 10 months, down 9.3% over the past year to a low of $874 billion. However, it is difficult to say whether the decline is due to responsible consumers paying down their debts or the economy forcing banks to write off debts combined with bankruptcies and loan-workouts.
• Overall credit card debt grew by 315% from 1989 to 2006.
• The average household in the U.S. owes more than $8,000 on credit cards.

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Do you ever wonder how in the world you spend so much on groceries? If so, you are not alone. Each day millions of people just like you are scouring the internet for tips and tricks to lowering the monthly grocery bill. Groceries are astronomical and there is one sure fire way to achieve this that is almost too simple to be true! But it is!

The trick is to NEED LESS. When you grocery shop you are actually being subjected to so many subliminal sales messages and marketing pressures that you spend more actually believing you saved money some how. Buy one get one free, bulk loads of food that are cheaper and sales or coupons, end cap impulse buys and new or special deals are everywhere. They are hard to resist because they are capitalizing on your desire to save money but in the long run you are actually spending more. If you go to the grocery store, armed with a list of items that you actually need and commit to it, you can easily feed a family of 4 for much less than you spend now.

The other thing that costs tons of money is the convenience factor.

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Yesterday’s $9 per share bid from Simon Property Group (SPG), even if it does not materialize, is very good for General Growth Properties’ (GGWPQ.PK) shareholders and for GGP to remain as a standalone independent entity.

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