David Wills, president of The National Christian Foundation, commented, “The average age at which a woman becomes a widow in the United States today is 57 years old.”

If there is any truth to that assertion (and the U.S. Census Bureau says it is (see Table 5, p. 11, on the referenced document); the age at widowhood for first marriages is 57.8, to be exact!), his follow-up comment deserves careful consideration: “Gentlemen, you have to redefine progeny. Progeny, for you, is your wife, your children, and your grandchildren.” And the implication: Read the rest of this entry »

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–A continuation from Keeping the long view.

The word toledoth is the Hebrew word translated as “generations” in such passages as Genesis 2:4, 5:1, etc., in the King James version of the Bible:

• “These [are] the generations of the heavens . . . “
• “This [is] the book of the generations of Adam . . . “
• “These [are] the generations of Noah . . .”
• “Now “These [are] the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth . . . “
• And so forth.

According to Wilhelm Gesenius’s Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testamament Scriptures, toledoth means “genealogy” or “pedigree” or, “As a very large portion of the most ancient Oriental history consists of genealogies, it means . . . history.”

Strangely, Doug Phillips uses this Hebrew word as a key component in the title of his second set of presentations concerning a 200-Year Plan, two presentations he described as “The Family Toledoth.”

He mentions that toledoth means “generations,” but then, Read the rest of this entry »

My father has six children and 13 grandchildren. Being mathematically inclined, he looked at those numbers and figured, “6×8=48 and 13×4=52. 48+52=100. I will give 8% of my estate to each of my six children, and 4% of my estate to each of my 13 grandchildren. There. Done. Simple. I’ve taken care of 100% of my estate.”

Except it’s not so simple. As Ron Blue urges in his book Splitting Heirs, you should “Love your children equally and, as such, treat them uniquely” (p. 82). Why? Because “the greatest inequality is treating unequal people equally” (p. 83).

Well, among my father’s children, we are definitely not equal! And so I just wrote a letter to my father requesting that he treat me unequally. Read the rest of this entry »

While at the Mission India conference a couple of weeks ago, a smaller group of about 30 men met to discuss legacy planning. At one point, one of the participants asked, “How many of you received a substantial inheritance?”

Out of 30 people, one man raised his hand. One.

“Shouldn’t that tell us something?” asked the man who had raised the first question. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you a business owner? If so, what is the real inheritance you pass on to your children?

Gary North, in the same article from which I blogged yesterday, suggests that the family business may not be part of it at all.

Potentially distressing insight, but if duly heeded and acted upon, it may make a world of difference–to your children and everyone they touch. Read the rest of this entry »

Most people seem to assume they should give an inheritance to their children. No matter what. And equally for all.

Gary North argues that may be a big mistake!

North, I believe, was the first person who challenged me to think about to whom I should give my estate. It was probably 15 or 20 years ago when I read an article in which he said, “Don’t give your money to someone who is going to use it against the very things in which you believe and for which you have dedicated your life.” –Something like that.

Just because he’s your son, doesn’t mean you have to give him an inheritance. Not if you’ve been seeking the Kingdom of God and all he’s interested in is doing the Devil’s work! Read the rest of this entry »