When money management becomes an activity in support of your values and not just the accumulation of assets and material goods, then success becomes something that fulfills the call to discipleship. This is not to say that you should try to live without material goods or that you should never invest once your basic needs are met. Rather it is to say that the biggest challenge most of us face is how to use the things of this world for the purpose for which they were created, provide for our families and ourselves, and share generously with those causes that also support our values.

Different people have different values. They have different things that mean the most to them. The key is to identify that value or set of values that provide meaning and direction to your life and then manage your resources in a way that empowers that value.

For example, you may consider the care and nurturing of your children important. You may hold up “family” as one of your most important values. If that is true, then your money management needs to reflect that. You need to develop ways to manage money so that your family life is enhanced and improved. This will mean spending less on some items that are not as important to you.

What follows is a rather long list of values. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list nor are they in any kind of order. As you think through what you see there and what is most important to you, you will be confronted with some of what you need to think about as you go through this resource. To plan for the education of your children is nothing more than selecting one or more values found in the list and managing accordingly. This resource is designed to help you identify and honor your values and be successful in your financial life when it comes time to living by those values.

For the vast majority of people, wealth is created by their own hard work and initiative. This is a dramatic shift from earlier times, when wealth was taken more often than created. We have become a society of wealth creators. We “make money” and then go about managing to make even more. Our activity and success do not necessarily mean that someone else has to do badly. In fact, a free market economy does a better job of creating wealth for all than any other economic system.

Some values to consider:

Security	Freedom	Happiness	Review this list and add some of your own. Select those which you consider important. Choose five that you consider the most important.
Fun	Excitement	Power
Marriage	Friends	Making a difference
Independence	Growth	Creativity
Fulfillment	Confidence	Balance
Health	Service	Education
Work	Recreation	The Arts
Honesty	Ministry	Spirituality
Peace of mind	Family	Learning
Adventure	Love	Home
Sharing	Generosity

This is something you will need to do every two to three years because as you go through life, your values will change. They are influenced by changes in your life, the lives of those closest to you, and the situations in your family, career, and community. If partners and families can agree on the most important values they wish to uphold and plan around, a lot of the conflicts that might emerge simply won’t.