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David Warren, CGPA, AIF®, serves as National Charitable Specialist and Vice President, Atlantic Region at Everence®. Passionate about helping Everence clients integrate their faith and finances, with a special joy for integrating legacy and charitable planning, Dave is focused on helping Everence clients maximize the joy, meaning, and impact that they can realize from the strategic use of their financial and other resources.
Dave draws from his career working in fundraising and team leadership in financial services, international economic development, higher education and public broadcasting. He holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology, a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has earned the Certified Gift Planning Associate, and Accredited Investment Fiduciary designations.
When not at work, Dave serves as chair of the board at Messiah Lifeways retirement community in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and on the National Board for Ten Thousand Villages. He serves on the board of the Schowalter Foundation, in North Newton, Kansas, and on the charitable distributions committee of the JustPax Fund in Harrisonburg, VA. He is the past president of the Susquehanna Valley Planned Giving Council, in Harrisburg, PA.
Money is a part of everyday life, but that doesn’t mean it always feels simple. For many people, money can bring stress, uncertainty and difficult decisions. And having more of it doesn’t necessarily make those feelings go away.
A better approach may be to think about money differently. Instead of seeing it only as something to earn, spend or save, consider how your money can support the life you want to live.
The goal is to make money your ally, and Everence is here to help.
Start with your money story
The way you think about money today may have started long before you earned your first paycheck.
Our families can have a powerful influence on how we save, spend, give and plan for the future. If you grew up in a household where money was tight, you may have learned to hold on to every dollar. If you grew up in a home where spending was common, you may have developed very different habits.
Neither story is necessarily right or wrong. The important thing is recognizing how your experiences may influence the decisions you make today.
For example, being a careful saver can be a strength. But if you’re so focused on holding on to money that you never feel comfortable enjoying it, investing for the future or using it to help others, that habit may be keeping you from getting the full benefit of what you’ve worked to build.
Your past can shape your money habits, but it doesn’t have to control them.
Think about your resources in a new way
Being thoughtful about money isn’t just about deciding where each dollar goes. It can help to look at all the resources you have and how they work together.
Four simple ideas can help: Time, Treasure, Talent and Ties.
Time
Money can give you choices about how you use your time.
Planning for the future may give you more freedom later in life. Saving can help make room for experiences with family. Financial security can also make it easier to spend time volunteering, helping others or pursuing something meaningful.
Instead of only asking, “How can I make more money?” consider another question: “What do I want my money to make possible?”
Treasure
Your financial resources are one piece of the picture.
Saving, spending, investing and giving all have a place. The key is understanding what you want your money to accomplish.
Some money may be for today’s needs. Some may be for future goals. Some may be used to enjoy life now, while other money may support people or causes that matter to you.
There can be room for all of it when your choices reflect what’s important to you.
Talent
Your resources go beyond money.
Your knowledge, skills, experience and abilities can also make a difference. You may be able to help someone learn a skill, serve your community, volunteer your time or use your experience to help an organization.
Making an impact doesn’t always require writing a check. Sometimes what you know or what you can do is just as valuable.
Ties
Our relationships also influence how we use our resources.
Family, friends, neighbors, community organizations and causes can all shape what matters to us and the goals we set.
Maybe you want to create opportunities for your family. Maybe you want to support your community. Maybe an experience from your family’s past has made a particular cause important to you.
When you understand those connections, financial decisions can become more than numbers. They can reflect what you value.
Make room for different money habits
Money can be especially complicated when two people see it differently.
One person may naturally save while the other is more comfortable spending. One may focus on enjoying today while the other is thinking several years ahead.
Those differences are common. They don’t necessarily mean a couple disagrees about their bigger goals. Often, the challenge is finding a way to talk about those differences without letting money become a source of tension.
Instead of focusing first on where you disagree, look for the things you share. What are you working toward together? What do you want your money to help you accomplish? What matters most to both of you?
Finding that common ground can turn a conversation about spending and saving into a conversation about where you want to go together.
You don’t have to figure it out alone
There are times when an outside perspective can help turn those goals into a plan.
A financial professional can help individuals and couples talk through priorities, understand their options and make decisions with a clearer perspective. That can be especially valuable when two people approach money differently or when uncertainty makes it difficult to know what to do next.
Financial professionals at Everence Financial can serve as that resource, helping you look at the bigger picture and develop a strategy around your goals and priorities.
That kind of support isn’t only helpful when making a plan. It can also help you stay focused on it when circumstances change.
Don’t let the short term take over
Investments can rise and fall. Headlines can make those changes feel urgent, especially when you’re watching the market every day.
But a financial strategy should be based on your goals, your comfort with risk and the amount of time you have. When those things haven’t changed, a short-term market swing doesn’t necessarily mean your long-term plan needs to change, too.
Before making a big financial decision, take a step back and ask: Has my goal changed, or am I simply reacting to what is happening right now?
That question can help bring the focus back to your long-term plan instead of what’s happening in the moment.
Give your money a purpose
Making money your ally starts with understanding what you want it to do.
Do you want it to provide security? Create opportunities for your family? Support the causes you care about? Give you more freedom with your time? Prepare you for the future?
Maybe the answer is a combination of all of those things.
There is no single right way to use money. What matters is connecting your financial decisions to the life you want to live.
Money can be a tool for creating security, enjoying life, helping others and making a meaningful impact.
Money doesn’t have to be your enemy. It can be your ally.
Interested in wills and legacy planning for the future? Check Everence’s website here.
Listen to Dave’s full interview below.