The Journey
A pilgrim’s road for your work and your money
For a thousand years, pilgrims have walked the Way of St. James to Santiago. They carry a credencial, a little passport, and collect a stamp at each stop along the road. The stamps don’t make the journey. They mark it. The Wealth Wisdom Journey works the same way.
How it works
1. Read the chapter.
A true story from the old books, the principle behind it, and what Scripture says about it.
2. Work the lesson.
The Companion Workbook gives you questions to answer and a practical exercise.
3. Take one step.
Choose one thing you will do this week, date it, and sign your name to it.
4. Collect your stamp.
Thirty days later, check in. If you did it, place that lesson’s stamp in your credencial.
Twenty-eight lessons, one a week, take about half a year. Walk the road alone, with your spouse, or with a small group or class.
Five stages, twenty-eight lessons
Each stage is built on the one before it, in the order a sound financial life is built. Everyone starts somewhere. The road is the same; you simply join it where you are.
Stage I
Build the Person
Character comes before capital.
Self-reliance, diligence, and the use of your time.
- Lesson 1 · Self-Reliance. Take responsibility for the part that is yours, and begin with what you already have.
- Lesson 2 · Industry and Diligence. Bring faithful, thoughtful effort to the work in front of you, whether or not anyone is watching.
- Lesson 3 · Time: Use Today Well. Tomorrow can hold a plan, but only today can hold an action. Use today well.
- Lesson 4 · Perseverance and Consistency. Stay with worthwhile work long enough for steady effort to bear fruit, and begin again after setbacks.
- Lesson 5 · Productive Leisure. Use your free hours to restore your strength, grow your mind, and enjoy the people you love.
Stage II
Create Value and Earn
Honest money begins with useful work.
Jobs, skills, and knowing the state of your affairs.
- Lesson 6 · Work and Earning. Honest earning begins with meeting someone else’s real need. Try the calculator
- Lesson 7 · Skills and Vocation. A skill is an estate you carry with you. Develop it, keep it sharp, and put it to use. Try the calculator
- Lesson 8 · Attention to Business. Know the true state of your affairs before you trust your guesses about them.
- Lesson 9 · Delegation Without Abdication. Share the work with capable people, but keep the responsibility for the result.
- Lesson 10 · Prudence: Prevent Small Problems. Deal with small problems while they are still small.
Stage III
Control Spending and Build Margin
What you keep matters as much as what you earn.
Budgets, small leaks, needs and wants, and saving.
- Lesson 11 · Frugality Without Miserliness. Cut waste, not joy. Spend deliberately on what truly matters.
- Lesson 12 · Living Within Your Income. Spend less than you earn, and plan from the life you actually live. Try the calculator
- Lesson 13 · Small Expenses, Large Consequences. Watch the small, repeated expenses. Together they make a large claim on your money. Try the calculator
- Lesson 14 · Needs Versus Wants. Name the need before you choose the thing, and choose your wants on purpose. Try the calculator
- Lesson 15 · The Bargain Trap. A good price cannot make an unneeded purchase wise. Pause before you buy. Try the calculator
- Lesson 16 · Pride, Desire, and Lifestyle Inflation. Don’t let one purchase, or other people’s opinions, set a standard you never chose. Try the calculator
- Lesson 17 · Saving: Pay Your Future. Give tomorrow a share of today. Save regularly, and give every reserve a purpose. Try the calculator
Stage IV
Debt, Risk, and Preservation
Protect what you have built.
Getting out of debt, risks that fit your means, and preparing for later years.
- Lesson 18 · Debt, Freedom, and Integrity. Before you borrow, count the freedom you are giving up. Once you owe, keep your word. Try the calculator
- Lesson 19 · Getting Out of Debt. Face the whole account, make room for repayment, and keep going until you are free. Try the calculator
- Lesson 20 · Financial Risk According to Your Means. Take only the risks your vessel can carry. Try the calculator
- Lesson 21 · Preserving What You Earn. Earning is only half the job. Keep, maintain, and wisely use what you earn.
- Lesson 22 · Prepare Before the Storm. Prepare in calm weather. Build reserves before the storm arrives. Try the calculator
- Lesson 23 · Preparing for Old Age. Prepare for your later years while you still have the strength and time to do it. Try the calculator
- Lesson 24 · The Value and Purpose of Money. Money is stored effort. Use it for purposes worthy of the work that earned it. Try the calculator
Stage V
Wealth with Wisdom
What wealth is ultimately for.
Trust, generosity, wise counsel, and turning knowledge into conduct.
- Lesson 25 · Dependence Upon God. Work faithfully, plan carefully, and trust God with what is beyond your control.
- Lesson 26 · Generosity and Compassion. Open your hand to people in need. Small gifts given with love can do great good.
- Lesson 27 · Learning From Experience and Advice. Learn from your mistakes and from wise counsel, so you don’t pay full price for every lesson.
- Lesson 28 · From Knowledge to Conduct. Knowing a principle is not enough. Practice it until it becomes part of who you are.
The end of the road
Look back and see how far you have come
When the last lesson is done, there is one more stamp: the end of the road. In the workbook, you turn back to “My Starting Point,” compare it with where you stand now, and sign your commitment to keep practicing what you have learned, and to pass it on to someone who needs it.
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
John 13:17
Not sure where to begin?
Answer a few honest questions and see which stage you are standing on today, and the principle to work on next.
Walk with us, one lesson at a time
Get a new lesson from the old books in your inbox, plus your free credencial and stamp sheet. No cost, and you can leave anytime.