Career Quest Determine Financial Needs

Determine Financial Needs

Oddly enough one of the very first things that a person should do when beginning a job search is to determine the amount of money or income they will need each month to provide a living for themselves and for their family.

A budget is a useful tool that, once you have practiced using, will continue to help you prosper. A budget must include anticipation of the unexpected as well as known expenses. It must also incorporate yearly items such as gifts, insurance and taxes.

It is always better to allow a little extra in certain areas that are unknown such as food and gasoline since the cost for those items are not static in nature. Also our need for those items increases and decreases with the seasons.

As I said before, God desires to meet your needs. Phillipians 4-19 KJ But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. By determining what you truly need, you will know what to pray for and believe for and how to set your sights job-wise. I think I am relatively safe saying that if you take a job out of desperation just so that you will have a job, but according to your budget it doesn't meet your needs, it is not likely that it is God's will for you. If you take a job out of panic or fear instead of waiting faithfully on God to provide the job that will meet your needs then you are attempting to rush in and do what you feel God will not do.

If you feel that you are bound and not getting the job you need, then you should go back to the drawing board and talk to God. Are you being obedient in the areas that he has spoken to you about? If there are unresolved issues in your life it would be prudent for you to deal with those issues. I've seen that many times unresolved issues with family members, broken relationships and sin can prevent God from moving someone into the job he has for them.

Sometimes the wait might be a test of your willingness to wait on the Lord. It takes faith to wait patiently, not allowing fear to creep in. This can be difficult when the bills are piling up and debt collectors are calling. Are you willing to wait until you are losing it all, just as Abraham was willing to lose Isaac, for God to act? I didn't say you had to lose it all, but be willing to lose it all in order to receive all that God has for you.

Sometimes the fear of losing material possessions prevents us from being able to be patient. But we are told that we can believe and receive what we believe for. If we are willing to lose it all, be patient and wait, I believe God can bless us far beyond anything we can ever image. He can and will bless us not only with a job or career that will merely meet our needs, but with a job or career that will bring us pleasure and happiness.

Isaiah 64:4 KJ For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

Romans 8:25 NCV But we are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently.

Mark 9:23 KJ Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

The budget form provided for you will help you in developing a budget for yourself. You must set aside an amount each month for savings to prepare for yearly items; Christmas gifts, taxes and other things of this nature. Be sure to also include a budget for clothing and entertainment. Even if we say we can do without those things, we will spend money for them and then that money will come out of another budgeted item. So plan ahead to begin with.

Once you have a monthly figure, add approximately 64% on to that to determine the amount you should receive from an employer before taxes. Do not include your tithe in the list of monthly expenses. It is a variable amount based on salary and is figured into the formula. For example:

If your budget shows that you need $1,300 each month then multiply that amount by 1.64. You will get $2,132. This is an approximate amount you should earn each month.

There are other factors that you need to figure into your budget. Those are benefits provided by the employer. If an employer pays for your health, dental and vision insurance and you have no out of pocket expense, then those items can be removed from your budget. However, you will still need to add a small amount to allow for deductibles and co-payments.

Some employers will pay for the cost of the employee's insurance, but require you pay a portion or all of the dependent's coverage. That cost must be figured into your budget. If an employer has a stock option plan, 401k or some other type of retirement plan then you will want to contribute to that, even if only a small amount. Make sure though, that your contribution does not reduce your monthly budget or that you take it from the money budgeted for a savings account.

A savings account is readily accessible for emergencies and is appropriate for saving for yearly expenses and gifts. Retirement funds, stock options and 401k's are not readily accessible and should not be thought of as a savings account.


Nancy Jackson, daydreamer extraordinaire


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