Being of service is a lifetime endeavor, but what happens when someone retires and no longer has a paycheck coming in? How can even the most faithful continue giving and doing what they are called to do for others? Bruce Bruinsma, CEO of Envoy Financial, knows the importance of this issue for those who’ve committed a lifetime of service to serving others.

Planning for retirement needs to include providing for resources that will allow them to continue living in a way that also upholds their beliefs for a lifetime.
“Instead of preparing for retirement,” Bruinsma explained, “we are preparing for that future time of service and ministry. We call that a Future-funded Ministry plan.”
(www.FutureFundedMinistry.com)

Envoy Financial provides biblically-based retirement plans and financial services to religious organizations of all sizes – including churches, rescue missions and Christian camps, among others – and their employees throughout the country. The name Envoy means “trusted messenger” and refers to Proverbs 13:17: “A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.”
Envoy works from a philosophy supporting the idea that those who follow their faith will be involved with helping others and helping those whom they’ve been uniquely prepared to assist. And, this commitment is one that lasts a lifetime.

“Understanding that message and bringing it to in the faith-based community is a critical element to the uniqueness we bring,” Bruinsma added.

“Not only in the secular world, but also in the faith-based world, there’s a real problem with what the industry calls participation.” Bruinsma said. “Not enough people are engaged in preparing for their future. When we think about it from a faith-based perspective, we have the opportunity to re-define retirement for the faith-based marketplace.”

Engagement is a key point for developing a successful retirement plan. Bruinsma believes that bundling retirement planning with other new-hire paperwork creates a disengaged, “to-do list” mentality about retirement planning that he would like to see change. He added that, on the whole, the industry has failed to improve financial education. Statistically speaking, employees have not shown much increase in involvement or knowledge about the process in the last thirty years.

By placing more effort into education, the average person who normally finds the whole process confusing and treats it as a checklist item to complete and forget, will become more involved and excited about understanding and managing their portfolios.

Envoy is endeavoring to move this participation needle by launching a web-based four-course program called Activate. In a series of four interactive 15-minute sessions, attendees can learn how to personalize their portfolios to fit their unique needs.

“Activate takes someone from identifying what their own money personality is and those who influenced them, to the issues of being able to identify what kind of portfolio would fit them, and other decisions they would have to make in order to have a complete retirement plan,” Bruinsma explained.

“The money personality concept is perhaps the most important aspect of creating a sustainable portfolio,” Bruinsma added. This concept centers on understanding how an individual thinks about money. Without this piece, it’s nearly impossible to communicate effectively and develop a plan that goes along with their views and their future.

Bruinsma went on to explain how having opposing views on money management, or conflicting money personalities, is to blame for a majority of financially-driven divorces. “Is it because they have too much or too little?” he asked of these failed marriages. “Research shows it’s not either. It’s because they cannot communicate about money.” The Money Personality Portfolios are based on the ground-breaking work of Bethany and Scott Palmer’s, “The Five Money Personalities.”  www.themoneycouple.com

Envoy understands the importance of having a plan that reflects an individual’s personality, which is why they developed money personality portfolios, uniquely designed to fit the person and fit them well over time.

“We have created what we think is the first of a kind and the epitome of sustainable portfolios, because it takes into account a person’s risk level, age, time until retirement and uniquely, how they view money,” Bruinsma said.

These portfolios also include planning for three distinct stages plus timelines and their money management perspectives that shape retirement. According to Bruinsma, just as we change in our 30s, 40s, and 50s, our needs during retirement also change over each of the three stages of retirement.

“Most people think of retirement as a homogenous time period. It absolutely is not.” Envoy helps people look forward to see what is usually only easiest to recognize in hindsight.
Although some biblically-based values have become part of mainstream planning services – transparency, organization, systematic structures – Bruinsma explained that preparation is the most commonly rooted message from the Bible, adding that the Bible never mentions retirement.

“There are several places where the Bible talks about managing money wisely and preparing for the future,” he said. As an example from the Old Testament, Bruinsma noted that when Joseph was told a famine was coming, he spent seven years preparing for the seven lean years.

“The whole prospect of preparing for that time, understanding that you are uniquely prepared to serve, and understanding that time needs to be funded, are the basic principles that we share,” Bruinsma said.

“Our greatest success has been understanding and then promoting a different way for those of faith to think about retirement.”

Financial planning and living according to scripture does not mean giving everything back to the church. Bruinsma acknowledges that the biblically-based practice of tithing – giving10 percent of one’s income – does affect an individual’s current finances and activity.

Although the Old Testament instructs tithing Envoy supports the New Testament doctrine to “Give as you have been blessed.” Bruinsma said that this means, “If you have been blessed mightily, it’s probably going to be more than 10 percent. If you are going through tough times, it’s probably going to be less.” 

For more information, visit: www.envoyfinancial.com