Time for a Change
Read Time / 2 Minutes
Theme / Retirement Planning
My wife turned to me with apprehension in her voice and asked, “What should I say?” Immediately I said, “Let’s do it!” At that moment, our life changed.
It was the middle of August and she had just received a phone call from Germany offering her a high-school teaching job at a U.S. Army base there, starting in September! We jumped at the chance to live in Europe, and a few weeks later we landed in Germany to a new life full of changes.
The changes were plentiful, including no speed limits on the autobahn, soccer as the national sport, money that looked different, and ordering Jäger Spätzlein with Gurkensalat in restaurants. The changes continued as we embedded ourselves into German life: learning to understand German road signs, picking up on Bavarian colloquialisms, and making new international friends.
Scripture informs us that there will be changes in life: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Just as my wife moved from teaching in the States to teaching in Europe, we all encounter job changes in our lives. Since many employers offer retirement plans, such as a 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), or TSP, we have an investment decision when we leave an employer.
Dave Ramsey offers us direction: "You should always - always - roll your company-sponsored retirement plan into an IRA when you leave the company. The 401(k) is great as long as you're with the company, but once you're gone, you can roll that money out into a regular IRA, which gives you more options."
Rolling over a previous retirement plan into a faith-based investment, allows you to invest according to your values – an option that most retirement plans do not offer. When change happens in life, each of us needs to respond. Let us respond appropriately, by taking the opportunity to invest what God has entrusted to us into investments that honor Him.
Doug Hanson, MBA
Wealth Advisor
208.697.3699
Doug@christianwm.com