Frank Leyes Chfc - The Way of Wealth

The great end of life isnot knowledge, but action.

-Thomas Huxley

H urryup! Ring the doorbell, and get in the car before they see us.

Oh, no! Theyve seen usthe front door is opening. Now,what?

Although this exchange might appear like it came from kidstrying to play a prank, this couldnt be further from the truth. These wordswere whispered between my wife and our children the year we were inspired togive away Christmas. The story that follows taught me financial principlesthat transcend over two decades of experience as a financial advisor.

In the spirit of Christmas, my family read through awonderful book and a Christmas classic called Christmas Jars, by JasonWright. This powerful story covers one reporters investigation of glass jars,which were packed with coins and bills and anonymously given to the needy.Sparked by this tale of kindness and generosity, we decided to give awayChristmas that year.

Like many families, we struggle with the materialism thatoften takes hold of this holidaypreviously known as a Holy Day before theword was abbreviated and lost some of its significance. As catalogs startfilling the mailbox and retailers launch sales for their biggest season of the year,our children are not immune to the materialistic Christmas fever that strikesus all. However, after reading Christmas Jars, we elected to doChristmas much differently that year. Instead of engaging in the usual routineof buying gifts for ourselves and each other, we decided to follow the examplerecounted in Jason Wrights inspiring novel: we committed to find a needyfamily and anonymously give them gifts. This is how my family planned to giveaway Christmas.

As Christmas day approached, we selected a family, purchasedgifts, and devised a stealthy plan to give them away. With a van packed with myfamily and Christmas presents, our mission was underway. The van slowly creptalong neighborhood streets to our targeted house. The kids leapt out with giftsin hand and placed them on the front porch without a sound. Then, after a briefring of the doorbell, my children sprinted towards the vehicle for the quickgetaway. Alas, before we were home free, the front door of the house flungopen. Children suddenly emerged from the house, but they just didnt know whatto make of the strangers who had left gifts on their porch. Looks of amazementbegan to surface beneath tear-filled eyes. Finally, brief dialogue led toheartfelt hugs and, of course, more tears. When Jen was asked why we wouldmake such a gift, her reply was very humble. She said, This gift is from a Godwho loves you and your family very much.

That night, my wife and children reminded me of an importantlesson about wealth; there is money, and then there is True Wealth. Money issomething we all understand at some level or another. True Wealth issomething entirely different. What I call True Wealth is that freedomthat allows us to act out of our own financial resources to have an impact onothers. It involves money only insomuch as money can be a currency of impact inthis world. Money can support a charityor a loved one. Properly managed,money allows freedom and options. True Wealth is when we can use this freedomand these options to leave a legacy and change peoples lives.

Recognizing the difference between money and True Wealth isa profound lesson in life, and one that must be learned over and over again.However, it is important to understand that this life lesson in stewardship isnot derived from mere information, but rather transformation. It isnt thestory of Christmas Jars itself that brought us True Wealth, but rathertaking that story to heart and acting to influence other peoples lives. Iassure you, my family has never been so wealthy as the year we gaveaway Christmas.