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Christmas
is
a joyous and
exciting time as we remember the birth
of Christ and celebrate the year that has passed with family and friends. Children especially love participating in long held traditions and family rituals of opening presents and feasting on delicious Christmas treats.
For some
Christmas can also be a lonely, reflective and challenging time.
Celebrating the first Christmas without a loved one may be particularly difficult. You may not experience all of these emotions every year but you or someone around you is sure to at some stage.
Being the end of the calendar year Christmas time is often an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by. You may be thankful for the birth of a child, as we are, or perhaps you have experienced health challenges or other troubles that you would prefer to forget.
If you have a
few moments to reflect, either alone
or with others
over Christmas dinner,
write
down all the things that you are thankful for. Once you have completed your list cross off all the items that money can buy and think about the remaining items on your list. These are the ones that are truly precious.
As the New Year approaches and you move from reflecting on the past year and begin to focus on the year ahead write down three goals for each of the following areas:
Financial Relational Physical Spiritual Intellectual
Make
sure you write down a time frame for completing your goals and the first action step you should take to establish momentum in accomplishing them.
To ensure
you don't get too "me" focused this festive season take the time to do something for someone from whom you will never receive anything back from. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said,
"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Warm regards
Gavin Martin
With the cost of housing at record high levels people are
borrowing significantly more than they have in the past to purchase a home. This was
not a significant issue when interest rates were at record
lows, however, as we are now in the midst of a rising interest
rate cycle and the effects of the United States sub-prime lending crisis
are flowing into our credit markets, the pressure is
starting to be felt among some home owners.
This increased pressure has encouraged
home owners to think creatively about how they can reduce
their massive mortgages so they don't have to be paying them off for the next
30 years....(more)
It is great when friends and relatives invest on behalf of children. It not only has
the potential to provide for the child's future needs including education, buying
their first car or saving for a house deposit, but it
also.....(more)
When I think of
2008 and what may be in store on an economic and investment
performance front I can't help thinking of the
extraordinary economic growth of the past 14 years and the fact that
this exponential growth cannot go on indefinitely. The unknown
economic impact of a new federal government, credit issues driven
by the US sub prime lending crises, uncertainty about how climate change
commitments will impact the economy, inflationary pressures,
draught, and peak oil may result in a downturn
in 2008. The US Federal Reserve’s 2008 forecast predicts a slow
US economy which may in turn impact the Australian
economy....(more)
In Matthew 25
the Bible speaks of the steward who was faithful with his master’s
resources. As God’s stewards we need to be faithful with the
resources He has given us. We are charged to be faithful in
handling 100% not just ten
percent.
Sometimes we can
fall into the mistake of having an attitude that says “God here is
your ten percent, and
I’ll do what I like with the rest”. But because many
of us do not have a biblical perspective on finances we can
often make incorrect financial decisions with the remaining 90% which can lead to
painful consequences....(more)
The Cornerstone
Wealth office will be closed from 5pm Friday 21st December
2007 and re-opened on Monday 7th January 2008. All
communication will be monitored (phone, fax, email and post) to
ensure any urgent matters are addressed on a timely basis.
David Utting from
Christian Home Swap tells
me there are now dozens of free quality holiday home swaps
available on his website www.christianhomeswap.com
This unique
and exciting Melbourne based home swap network is helping Christians
to connect with others across Australia and around the
world to build trust, swap homes, and enjoy quality free holiday
accommodation in dozens of fantastic destinations.
The homes
available on ChristianHomeSwap.com are clean, ideally located, and
situated in some of the best destinations across Australia and
around the world - from the white beaches of Australia to the historic streets of Europe, from
breathtaking Canada to the jungles of South Africa, and throughout the
United States. All available for free.
If you are
interested in FREE quality holiday home accommodation over the summer holidays
make sure you check it out!
Back
This
newsletter does not take into account the personal objectives,
financial situation or needs of any person. You should consider the
appropriateness of the information having regard to your own
objectives, financial situation and needs and obtain professional
financial advice prior to making any decision.
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