Welcome to my homepage for all things related to the broad topic of money. Here, you'll find links to lots of important, interesting, and useful information about finance, the economy, and other related topics, with particular emphasis on Canadian matters. Enjoy.
This site is updated once monthly. For new stuff, check out the "What's New Page." For the regular, good stuff, go to the "Favourite Links Page."
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Interesting Stuff
note: Fenton's Finance now has a "sibling"/mirror site, converted (since February 2005, from the original http://pages.ivillage.com/fentown) to a new server: http://fentown-ivil.tripod.com/. Just a collection of useful links, if and whenever this site is down.
September 2010
This month's featured links:
http://www.friendlyfinance.ca
http://www.npw-snp.ca
http://www.financialcalculator.org
http://www.healthyenvirons.com/store/help.php?section=contactus&mode=update – free soap sample
Note/Disclaimer: Neither Fenton nor Fenton's websites assumes any responsibility for the accuracy of information from external or third-party websites.
This month's featured article/essay: if you like free stuff on Fenton's websites, read the report about on the news section (click "Welcome to my Homepage" link)
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A church that pays you to come on Sunday
By Guy Tridgell
The Rev. Dan Willis is passing the collection plate in reverse. He will give you money to go to church.For the last three weeks, his Lighthouse Church of All Nations in Alsip has raffled a combined $1,000 to attendees at the three Sunday services. Big surprise, but attendance has shot through the chapel roof. "It is gimmicky. It is totally gimmicky. I make no bones about that," Willis said. "But if I could get someone who would not normally come to church, why not?" If the lure of free money has you breaking out the Sunday best, be prepared for some testimony from the preacher on how to spend that money. You will hear of the glory of paying down debt, the revelation that comes with living on a budget and the miracle of compound interest. For Willis, the cash is a mere carrot to get you through the doors. By sowing the seeds of the responsible personal finance, he hopes to create a few converts. "I was worried how people were going to respond," Willis said. "I thought they might be, 'Oh, yeah, a classic preacher.' "We've been blown away by the response." To pique interest, several weeks ago Willis hanged a silver lockbox from the pulpit ceiling. "What's in the box?" was written on a nearby sign. When the first service in October rolled around, Willis opened the box and $100 bills spilled out. He explained his plan: One lucky person would win $250 at two of the Sunday services. If the "Price is Right" theme played during the service, the prize would double to $500. An empty pew became scarce fast. The average turnout at one service is 1,800. Since the giveaways started, it's exceeding 2,000, reducing traffic outside of the church at 127th Street and Cicero Avenue to a standstill. The money has been a small part of the sermon. The other topics for each week this month: • Avoiding debt. Debt is a spiritual condition because of greed. Many of the expenses that get us in trouble aren't needed. To help his members resist the temptation of easy credit, Willis placed two shredders at the front of the church. More than 500 credit cards have been fed through the machines in three weeks. • The budgeting process and the wisdom of living on a spending plan. Willis showed how he could increase his monthly income by $80 if he made coffee at home instead of going to Dunkin' Donuts once or twice a day. He also eliminated a land line at his home, saving $45. "That's $125 a month I didn't have before," he said. "I'm saving money by doing nothing." • Tackling debt by paying down the credit cards with the highest interest first. Avoid the fees from for over-the-limit expenses, late charges and phone surcharges. Willis speaks from the perspective of someone who's been there. While trying to build the church from a tiny storefront in Oak Lawn 32 years ago, he maxed out 23 credit cards. "Here I was trying to do God's work and I had all these lines of credit open. God gave me a plan and I became completely debt free, other than my home mortgage," Willis said. "I told the congregation, 'If you follow me, I will help you.' " • The value of savings. Open some sort of savings account - now. With compound interest, the interest you earn today makes money tomorrow. "If I would have taught this series eight years ago, it wouldn't have worked," Willis said. "We were too prosperous. It was a different time. "Our phones ring constantly today with people needing help. We have a food pantry. It's not enough. We have a clothing ministry. It's not enough. We have a furniture ministry. Same thing. Rarely do three days go by when somebody doesn't pull off the ramp outside of here looking for help." A couple of nice surprises have occurred. Families have taken his message to heart. "I had an e-mail from somebody who said they hadn't sat down as a family in two years. They had a dinner and sat down with a budget form," Willis said. "They had no TV that night and just worked on a budget." And the income of the church increased. Jerome Lockett, the finance director for Lighthouse Church of All Nations, said the three Sunday services typically generated between $21,000 and $25,000. But donations this month are coming in at $40,000 a week. "To me, that shows people want to believe in something," Lockett said. "They have nowhere else to go." Of course, Willis is instructing his flock to continue giving to the church in these desperate times. The gesture, he said, will come back in ways they never imagined. "You give what you receive," Willis said. "The Bible says if you sow sparingly, you receive sparingly. If you sow bountifully, you receive bountifully." Willis is guilty of employing a schtick to generate publicity for himself. He can be accused of using that publicity to enrich his church's bottom line. But if he can rescue just one person from the economic disaster that has brought so much of our area to its knees, God bless him.
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