Two Are Better Than One

Read Time / 2 Minutes

Theme / Financial Planning

The summer brings on new opportunities for exercising while enjoying God’s creation.  There are many ways to get outside and enjoy the warm weather and long days, but one of our favorites is participating in supported bike rides.  They are often one-week in length, cover up to 400 miles, and cost a fee to ride.  We get our money’s worth as the organizer of the supported ride plans the route, feeds us, hauls our tent, fixes our bikes, and tries to make it an enjoyable experience.

Whether the ride is an enjoyable experience often depends on the months before, and how much effort we put into training.  Training starts three months earlier, as we slowly increase the distances we ride, culminating in rides of 60 to 70 miles.  A key to training success is having a partner to encourage you to get on your bike when it is cold and windy out, when the rain drizzles, when the sun beats down, or when there is a tough uphill route planned.  Scripture captures the benefit of a partner this way: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).  My wife is my encouraging partner – she makes me better. 

We often also need an encouraging partner to reach our financial goals.  We could use someone to come along side us when we have a budget but have trouble sticking to it, when we have credit cards and don’t use them wisely, when we should be saving or investing for the future but never start, or when we want to be generous but never fit it in.  A family member, a friend, or a radio personality could be that partner, but I’d recommend working with a financial advisor.  Financial advisors are trained to understand your current situation, listen to your goals, and then help you stay on track to reach those goals.

Doug Hanson, MBA

Wealth Advisor

208.697.3699

doug@christianwm.com