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Tithing/Donating to Charity

lewj24

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I wasn't able to find much about this topic and wanted to ask you guys what you think. John D. Rockefeller is quoted saying,

"I Never Would Have Been Able To Tithe The First Million Dollars I Ever Made If I Had Not Tithed My First Salary, Which Was $1.50 Per Week."

Do/did you give away 10% of your income? Do you think this is important to do to become successful or it just depends on the person?

I've never had the ability to tithe before and now that I'm thinking about it I'm unsure if I should. Giving back sounds cool but it will put me mathematically behind. I'm torn. What do you guys think?
 
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G-Man

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I wasn't able to find much about this topic and wanted to ask you guys what you think. John D. Rockefeller is quoted saying,

"I Never Would Have Been Able To Tithe The First Million Dollars I Ever Made If I Had Not Tithed My First Salary, Which Was $1.50 Per Week."

Do/did you give away 10% of your income? Do you think this is important to do to become successful or it just depends on the person?

I've never had the ability to tithe before and now that I'm thinking about it I'm unsure if I should. Giving back sounds cool but it will put me mathematically behind. I'm torn. What do you guys think?

The answer to that might depend on someone's religion/philosophical convictions.

Personally, Mrs G-man puts 10% of every check in the bucket they pass at church, and we give to some other charities, a children's home etc.

I don't have too much to say about it philosophically other than to say it's the only money that leaves my pocket on a regular basis that I never once regret... other than maybe that viperion publishing paypal charge. I'm fine with that one, too.
 

Vigilante

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There's no magic formula.
 

InspireHD

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The book "Thou Shall Prosper" by Rabbi Daniel Lapin goes into depth about this in chapter, "The Ninth Commandment: Act Rich: Give Away 10 Percent of Your After-Tax Income."

The basic idea behind it is that charitable giving benefits the giver and causes you to focus outside of yourself.

For example,
"You have another valuable attribute: your subconscious. It can be either a help or a hindrance, depending on how well you know how to turn it into an ally. When I say that giving charity allows you to feel genuinely good about yourself, I mean that even your subconscious gets to feel good and it is generally a lot tougher to satisfy than your conscious being.

Further, I'll write the final summary (all credit to the author):

YOUR PATH TO PROSPERITY
  • Don't try to find a rational reason for giving away money. Charity is irrational. Nevertheless, it benefits the giver in many ways. You give money away not because it is rational but because it is right. it is part of the traditional way of life in the United States.
  • Give money away because it is one of the most powerful and effective ways of increasing your own income. More than just a few business lunches are scheduled as a result of chance encounters during charitable support work. Rest assured that in very little time, you will be involved in transaction, partnerships, or collaborations that grew from your association with your charitable group.
  • Keep in mind that giving away money is like investing. In the case of charity, you give away money with the idea that it may one day come back to you in plentiful returns, but perhaps it may not. There are no guarantees. The same is true of investing money and effort in your own enterprise. Your investment may one day produce great returns. However, it is just possible that nothing will come of it. But you should do it anyway. Giving away money keeps your investment muscle fully exercised and ready for opportunity.

And lastly, I'll end this with the last small paragraph of the chapter:

Giving charity is another way of ensuring that you always see yourself as a giver, rather than as a taker; your drive is to achieve, your persistence, and your very zest for life are all enormously enhanced when you see yourself as a giver, rather than as a taker. Making the act of giving regular charitable donations a life habit is one way to make sure that you view yourself as a giver.

This is a small part of the chapter so for full understanding of his points and examples, you'd have to read the chapter.
 
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Nily

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Donating a percentage of your active income can seem daunting.

You can try another method by using MJ's philosophy.

Grow your principal in an investment account. Either through regular savings or from selling your Fastlane business (preferably). Then donate 10% of your interest gains.

Let's say you have $1 milllion that accrues 5% interest per year, which equals to $50,000.

Then take 10% out of the $50,000 and you get $5,000.

You have $5,000 to donate to people in need.

The bigger your principal, the more you can donate.

For example:

DM: Donation Money

$2,000,000 = $10,000 DM

$5,000,000 = $25,000 DM

$25,000,000 = $125,000 DM

You can increase your tithing to 20% or more while the freedom fighters work hard for you.

Now you can help people without retarding your finance.

It's a win-win situation.
 

applesack

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I do not consider myself religious, I do not go to church, and I find any religion that tells any adherent to follow any other human a sham. I mean no offense to those whose beliefs are different than mine.

So, that said...

I worship the Existing One. I pray to him morning, midday and night. I fast when I need to hear. I listen. And I dedicate what works out to about just over 20% of my real income. I don't say anyone else should do this... this is just between me and my god.

I always give anonymously or in cash and that means that I can never take a tax deduction etc. A lot of it goes to tips. I feel most working people (what we maybe often call slowlaners or sidewalkers) are generally underpaid and under-appreciated. I always tip well. The great side benefit is that I almost always get great service.

I would say that all of my success comes from my maker. Hell, my last breath came from him... I didn't make it anyway, that air was just sitting there and my lungs breathed it. I am thankful for it and believing that it was the Existing One that made it, I offer him thanks.

My failures, I take credit for them. My successes... I say they are the art and craft of the creator working through me. So be it.

Take this how you will. This is my thought on tithing. Just me giving thanks for my success.
 
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RMarques

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Everything we THINK we have is temporary.
All of our talents and abilities aren't accidents.
It can all disappear.
What matters most is helping your neighbor.
A year ago I thought the opposite, now I tithe with time and money.
 
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Runum

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There's no magic formula.

Truth!

My sharing is out of personal abundance not scarcity. It is done it for those in need not for me. The support is always quiet because the focus should be on the need.
 

lifeNchoices

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I don't like giving directly to organizations, however I do give to people I see on the street in need. I give about 100 dollars a month. I also give to open source projects that I use so they can keep the lights on.
 

MidwestLandlord

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I give money to Charity...and whoever else is dancing that night. :rofl:

In all seriousness, I give to 2 charities that are important to me. I give around Christmas time. Last September I ran a fundraiser for one charity and I matched whatever my employees donated.

One of those charities I get my kids involved in. My daughter's 9th birthday is coming up, and she, without prodding from her parents, asked all of her friends to make donations to this charity instead of getting her gifts. Teaching generosity to my kids is probably the biggest reason I give.

I don't have a formula for how much I give though. I just give what I feel I can.
 
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