## Do you have a financial advisor, or are you taking advice from your favorite social media platform?

Ads on social media, such as Facebook, don’t appear at random. Armies of skilled software engineers spend long hours targeting your deepest needs, wants and fears with products. Not only does this advertising encourage impulse spending, leading to more debt; the products it pushes are often at best useless and at worst, harmful to your financial health.

Personal finance blogger Anthony Isola recently [lamented](https://tonyisola.com/2022/07/dont-let-facebook-ruin-your-retirement-plan/) the state of social media advertising and its ill effect on society. Isola makes the case that there’s a type of psychological warfare going on in social media … but only one side is aware of it. Social media software engineers are using sophisticated algorithms to collect, analyze and exploit your buying weaknesses.

## You can measure their success by the hundreds of billions of dollars in advertising revenue (and the sale of your personal information) raked in by the founders of Facebook, Google, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

The key to this success, says Isola, is getting you to stare at your computer or smartphone screen as long as possible. He calls this “stealing your attention.” Getting you to scroll to, see, and click on an ad results in more dollars for the social media oligarchs.

Ad designers have many choices for how ads can be crafted and targeted at unsuspecting consumers. These might include faith, love, friendship and patriotism, but apparently, that’s not where the real money is, except in “niche” markets. The biggest returns, it seems, come from darker emotions.

Social media ad designers soon realized that fear and anger pay better. The reason for this is something known as “Negativity Bias.” Researchers discovered that we’re likely to stare longer at something if it’s destructive or harmful. Youtube videos of cute kittens might cater to a niche crowd, but far more people will camp on a video showing a car crash or a bridge collapsing and therefore the ads that accompany it.

New York University conducted a study that found tweets containing moral outrage greatly increase re-tweeting and Facebook posts containing themes of social unrest double the number of likes and shares. Gloom and doom *pays*.

What does it have to do with your finances and particularly your retirement plan? The author noted the frequency of social media ads warning of economic armageddon just around the corner, suggesting you must buy this book or that video series to learn how to survive.

The cost of those products isn’t the real problem—  it’s the often bogus financial advice they hand out. They may lead people to cash out their retirement portfolios, buy too much in gold and other precious metals (only 5% of your portfolio is recommended) or engage in any number of risky investment schemes. The author contends that Facebook has become the financial advisor to far too many people.

## How do you avoid becoming one of them? Proverbs 15:22 tells us, *“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”* However, it’s key to choose the *__right__* financial advisor.

Kingdom Advisors co-founder Ron Blue says you want someone who’s been trained and has committed to being a person of character, someone with a biblical worldview. That person must serve you with financial advice so you can confidently navigate financial decisions as a faithful steward and not react in panic when you see a disturbing ad on Facebook.

Having a godly, Christian financial advisor, such as those earning the designation Certified Kingdom Advisor® has three blessings. It provides:

- Accountability from a third party
- Security and familiarity for a surviving spouse
- The objectivity of a third party to bring wisdom into troubling situations

As a financial planner, Ron Blue successfully advised clients for decades, but even he has used the services of a financial planner for years. You can’t make a stronger argument than that!

__Instead of falling victim to some financial scheme on Facebook, just click [Find a CKA](https://www.moneywise.org/find) and set your fears aside.__

You can also __[listen](https://www.moneywise.org/search?q=Is%20Facebook%20Your%20Financial%20Advisor?&videos=true&articles=true&podcasts=true&posts=true&groups=true&events=true&support=true)__ to the related podcast on this topic.

Biblical Wisdom For Your Financial Journey

MoneyWise

Articles

Do you have a financial advisor, or are you taking advice from your favorite social media platform?

Is Facebook Your Financial Advisor?

At some point in our Christian walk, many of us come to a fork in the spiritual road where the Lord makes us aware that we’ve been asking Him to join us in what *we* are doing, rather than us joining Him in what *He* is doing.

That’s often the uncomfortable bottom-line of the choice we have as Christians when making decisions. It’s easy to take all the available information, set our course, then ask God to join us in what we’ve decided. It’s much harder to surrender a decision to God, ask for His direction, then wait for an answer.

(No, I don’t always hear clear direction, even when I ask, wait, and seek. Be encouraged — the Lord often grants us the freedom to choose among our available options. Moving forward in a case like that is quite different from not asking, waiting, and seeking first!)

The problem with setting our own course without listening first for God’s direction is that even seemingly great ideas don’t always line up with God’s plan. Surrendering completely to God often leads to surprising outcomes.

King David’s experience with the temple offers a great illustration. If ever someone could have reasonably assumed his thoughts were being led by God, it would be David in 2 Samuel 7-10. These chapters are the glory years of David’s life. God had shown him incredible favor, established him as king, and given him victory over his enemies.

As David reflected, it bothered him that the Ark of the Covenant was sitting in a tent while he was living in a palace. So David decided to build God a temple. But David had learned (in 2 Samuel 6) that God can be very particular about how He wants things done. So before taking action, he called the prophet Nathan to confirm this plan was indeed God’s will.

At first, this seemed to be such an obviously good idea that Nathan immediately agreed David should proceed. Oops. See, building a temple was something God wanted to happen. The *idea* was right. David’s *motive* was right. The problem was God didn’t want David to be the one to build it.

The reason wasn’t obvious at the time; only later do we learn why God chose someone other than David to build the temple: *“You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood”* ([1 Chronicles 28:3](https://biblia.com/bible/niv/1%20Chron%2028.3)). God corrected Nathan’s assumption, reminding us that His plans don’t always line up with our “common sense.” David was humbly surrendered to do whatever God wanted. So David’s son Solomon was given the honor of building the temple, and God was pleased.

Each of us can apply the lessons of this story to our lives — including in the area of our personal finances. First and foremost, have we really surrendered our finances 100% to God, or are we merely asking Him to join us in what we’re doing? (This requires regular check-ups. Even if we’ve surrendered before, we have a tendency to gradually re-assume control of areas that were once fully given over to the Lord.)

When we’re sure our heart is surrendered to whatever God’s answer may be, the next step is simply to ask Him to show us His will. Here are a few specific areas to ask the Lord about:

- your job or career path;
- retirement plans and amount of saving;
- current and future giving;
- family plans/children/childcare-work decisions;
- lifestyle and other purchase choices.

Could it be the Lord desires something out of the ordinary from you in one (or more) of these areas? Once you’ve prayed and asked Him to reveal His will in a particular area, be diligent to look and listen for His answer! If we come with an open heart, God is faithful to show us areas we need to surrender.

The path to true financial freedom begins with surrender and the realization that God owns it all anyway. We are merely His managers and stewards. Too often we believe the age-old deception that God’s plans and our personal best interests are two separate things. Pride whispers that we really do know best; that giving up our rights costs us something of value. But as we lay down our agenda and surrender to God, we realize that His plans and our best interests are perfectly aligned.

As John Piper says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” *We* get maximum satisfaction in the same place *He* gets maximum glory. The journey to that place begins with our surrender and a willingness to follow His lead.

Since 1990, do-it-yourself Christian investors have relied on SMI for proven strategies and trustworthy guidance.

Sound Mind Investing

Faith and Finance

Many of us come to a fork in the spiritual road where the Lord asks us to join Him in what He is doing.

Financial Surrender

# “I wish my parents would have taught me about money.”
I hear similar words from adults on a regular basis. They consider their past while looking at their current financial situation and wonder how things would be different if they were taught about money at an earlier age.

These comments remind me of the gift my parents gave me, the gift of financial knowledge. Growing up, my parents did not always have significant financial resources, but they stewarded well what they did have. And they taught me how to do the same.

Over time, I’ve realized the financial knowledge my parents provided was rare. This recognition has only burdened me more to help others understand and pursue God’s design for money. And help others to help others do the same.

What did my parents teach me about money?

### __1. Money is not a taboo topic.__

I didn’t realize money was often deemed a taboo topic until I left my parent’s house. Growing up, there were regular conversations about money and financial decisions. I listened to my parents talk about money like they would chores, work, sports, or any other topic. Money conversations were not weird. They were completely normal, just part of life. Of course, these conversations created opportunities for my parents to talk to me about money in a very unforced, unremarkable manner.

### __2. Money is a tool.__

I never heard my parents talk about money as a goal. Money and financial health were always a means to accomplish something bigger. Money was a God-provided tool they were to leverage for His purposes. This lesson still profoundly impacts the way I think about the resources God has entrusted me with.

### __3. You must budget.__

I can clearly remember my parents sitting around the kitchen table, balancing their checkbook and reviewing their budget. Budgeting was an important money management tool for them. And they wanted to make sure it was for me as well. In my later high school years, my dad provided me a budget planner and taught me how to budget. Yes, I was weird. I was the only college student I knew who used a budget. But the practice proved to be invaluable as I graduated college and entered the “real world.”

### __4. Invest early.__

I started investing for retirement around 16 or 17-years old. Again, I was weird. But this did not happen because I simply woke up one morning and decided to invest for the future. It was through the teachings and encouragement of my parents that I opened by first Roth IRA. They helped me understand compounding and the power of investing early. So, I did.

### __5. Live generously.__

I can say this without hesitation—my parents are some of the most generous people I know. Not only do they faithfully give to their local church, but they have also financially cared for many individuals. I won’t go into further details because I know they would prefer I don’t. But I can say this—they have taken the blessings God has provided them and blessed many others. Watching this shaped me as a child. It still shapes me today.

Parents, your children will learn about money from somewhere. If you leave it up the world, the teachings are often financial unwise and depart from God’s design for your child. Take full advantage of the opportunity God has given you. Teach your children about money. When your children become adults, they will be grateful for your intentionality.

You were meant for more. Your money was meant for more. You and your money are meant for an exciting, adventurous, and satisfying purpose. You were designed to live and give generously. And deep inside you know this and want this.

Art Rainer

Marriage and Family

“I wish my parents would have taught me about money.”  I hear similar words from adults on a regular basis.

5 Things My Parents Taught Me About Money

Do you have a financial advisor? Or are you taking advice from your favorite social media platform? We’ll talk about that today on MoneyWise.<ul><li>So the other day our team came across <a href="https://tonyisola.com/2022/07/dont-let-facebook-ruin-your-retirement-plan/">a post</a> by personal finance blogger Anthony Isola. He was lamenting the state of social media advertising and its ill effect on society.</li><li>He’ll get no argument here. Advertising encourages impulse spending, leading to ever more debt. What’s more, the products it pushes are often useless or even harmful to your financial health.</li><li>Isola makes the case that there’s a type of psychological warfare going on in social media, but only one side is aware of it. Social media software engineers are using sophisticated algorithms to collect, analyze and exploit your buying weaknesses.</li><li>The key to this success is getting you to stare at your computer or smartphone screen as long as possible. The author calls this “stealing your attention.” Getting you to scroll to, see, and click on an ad results in more dollars for the social media oligarchs.</li><li>Now, just how do they do that? Ad designers had many choices for how ads could be crafted and targeted at unsuspecting consumers.</li><li>These might include faith, love, friendship, and patriotism, but apparently, that’s not where the real money usually is. The biggest returns, it seems, generally come from darker emotions.</li><li>Social media ad designers soon realized that fear and anger pay better. The reason for this is something known as “Negativity Bias.”</li><li>Researchers discovered that, sadly, we’re likely to stare longer at something that’s destructive or harmful. Youtube videos of cute kittens might cater to a niche crowd, but far more people will camp on a video showing a car crash or a bridge collapsing, and therefore the ads that accompany it.</li><li>Here’s another example. New York University conducted a study that found tweets containing moral outrage greatly increase re-tweeting, and Facebook posts containing themes of social unrest double the number of likes and shares.</li><li>Now, obviously, this is disturbing information that we should all be aware of, but what does it have to do with your finances and your retirement plan? Well, remember that “gloom and doom” pays.</li><li>The author noted the frequency of social media ads shouting warnings of economic armageddon just around the corner. You absolutely must buy this book or that video series to find out how to survive.</li><li>The cost of those products isn’t the real problem, it’s the often bogus financial advice they hand out. This may lead people to cash out their retirement portfolios, buy far too much in gold and other precious metals, or any number of risky investment schemes.</li><li>The author contends that Facebook has become the financial advisor of far too many people. </li><li>HOW TO AVOID SOCIAL MEDIA-DRIVEN INVESTING DECISIONS</li><li>One of our favorite verses is Proverbs 15:22. It reads, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers, they succeed.” But it’s key to choose the right financial advisor.</li><li>Kingdom Advisors co-founder Ron Blue says you want someone who’s been trained and has committed to be a person of character, someone with a biblical worldview to serve you with financial advice so you can confidently navigate financial decisions as a faithful steward, and not react in panic when you see a disturbing ad on Facebook.</li><li>Having a godly, Christian financial advisor, such as those earning the designation “Certified Kingdom Advisor,” has three blessings: It provides accountability from a third party. It provides security and familiarity for a surviving spouse, and the objectivity of a third party to bring wisdom into troubling situations.</li><li>As a financial planner, Ron Blue successfully advised clients for decades, but even he has used the services of a financial planner for years. You can’t make a stronger argument than that!</li><li>So instead of falling victim to some financial scheme on Facebook, go to MoneyWise.org AND <a href="https://www.moneywise.org/find">Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor</a>.</li></ul>On this program, Rob also answers listener questions: <ul><li>Is there a way to structure investments to minimize tax liability? </li><li>How can you make headway with credit card debt when it seems you can only pay the minimum monthly payments?</li><li>How do you determine tax liability on an inheritance? </li><li>Can a person legally keep a life insurance policy on an ex-spouse?</li><li>Is there a way to make a cash gift to your pastor tax-free?</li><li>What is a Roth 401k? </li></ul>RESOURCES MENTIONED: <ul><li><a href="https://www.moneywise.org/find">Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor</a></li><li><a href="https://www.christiancreditcounselors.org/">Christian Credit Counselors</a> </li></ul>Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000 or email them to <a href="mailto:questions@moneywise.org">Questions@MoneyWise.org</a>. Also, visit our website at <a href="http://moneywise.org/">MoneyWise.org</a> where you can connect with a MoneyWise Coach, join the MoneyWise Community, and even download the free MoneyWise app.

MoneyWise is a daily radio ministry of MoneyWise Media. Hosted by Rob West and Steve Moore, the program offers a practical, biblical and good-natured approach to managing your time, talents and resources.

MoneyWise with Rob West

Do you have a financial advisor or are you taking advice from a social media platform? ﻿Ads on social media like Facebook don’t appear at random. Armies of skilled software engineers spend hours targeting products to your deepest needs, wants and fears.

Ron Blue

The answer may seem obvious, but Ron Blue shares his unique insight and risks to consider.

The Ron Blue Institute seeks to be a thought leader with great influence committed to changing the way Christians think, act, and communicate about financial stewardship, empowering the church, and changing the world.

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Join a community of believers striving to be good and faithful stewards of the resources entrusted to them.

Integrate your faith with your finances

Learn

Manage

Connect

Grow in wisdom & knowledge

Financial Surrender

5 Things My Parents Taught Me About Money

Should I ever borrow to invest?

Is Facebook Your Financial Advisor?

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Steward your finances wisely

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Better together

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Grateful for our Partners

So much more than a budgeting app

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