Transition at Provident Plan

Corey —  March 12, 2012

After a lot of prayer and careful thought, I have decided to sell this website. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing and getting to know some of you through the comments. But God has presented me with an opportunity I cannot pass up, and it is time for me to move on from Provident Planning. I want to give my next project my full energy and attention, so I have decided to sell this website to enable me to do that.

Why I’m Selling

Although I could simply keep this website myself, it would eventually drop in the search rankings without fresh content. There are also administrative tasks that I’d need to keep up with even if I’m not writing any posts. Updates to my publishing software and plugins, responding to comments, and various other tasks eat into my schedule, which is stretched as it is.

So when I received an offer for the Provident Planning website, I was excited and relieved. Selling the site will take the administrative tasks off my plate and eliminate the mental drain of running it. (Yes, there is still a mental drain even though I haven’t been writing lately. I think it’s just the idea that it’s sitting here languishing that bothers me.)

What I’ll Be Doing Next

I want to minimize the distraction of having this site to maintain because I’d like to focus completely on my next project. About a year ago, Kevin Tupper and I began talking about a project we’re calling Christian Simplicity.

Christian Simplicity is focused on living a lifestyle that is inwardly rich toward God and outwardly rich toward our neighbors. We will encourage people who identify themselves as still having thorny soil where the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and desires for other things take precedence over the kingdom of God and choke out the Word, making it unfruitful. We hope to share the truths that life is not measured in the abundance of possessions, that God can be trusted to take care of us, that we don’t need to rely on our own ingenuity and ability to secure our future, and that we can live in the creative goodness of God.

We also want to work with people who desire to manage their finances in light of the reality of the kingdom of God and in a way that supports the unique dreams and goals that come from a life in Jesus; however, this may happen as a project of Christian Simplicity rather than being the main focus itself. We won’t be charging for this one-on-one counseling because our desire is to help anyone who wants to manage their finances in this way.

We are in the process of setting up Christian Simplicity as a non-profit. I will be focusing my time on running Christian Simplicity, writing for our website, and working one-on-one with people are attracted to our approach. So even though I probably won’t be writing here at Provident Planning any more, you can still find me at Christian Simplicity or email me at paul@christiansimplicity.com.

If you are a client of my financial planning and tax preparation services, you might be wondering what will happen next. Well, I’ll still be running my business through the end of this year, but I will be having a discussion with each one of my clients about my transition to Christian Simplicity. I will work with you to determine if you’d be a fit for Christian Simplicity or to help you find a trusted advisor to work with in the future. The business side of this website will be maintained here at Provident Planning until I have finished this transition process, so you can still find any information you need or get in touch with me there.

If you have any questions about Christian Simplicity, feel free to check out the website or email me. I’d be glad to talk with you about it.

I have come to think of many of you as my friends because of our conversations in emails and the comments on this site. I do hope we’ll keep in touch and you’ll check out what we’ll be doing at Christian Simplicity. I wish you all the very best of God’s blessings. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Who Is Buying Provident Planning?

Now, with all that said, you’re probably still wondering who is buying Provident Planning. I’m pleased to announce that Corey from 20’s Finances will be buying the website. I’ll let Corey introduce himself below and he’ll take it from here.

A little about me (Corey)

I’d like to take a brief minute and introduce myself to all of you. My name is Corey and I am currently in graduate school at a seminary. I will be finishing up my Master of Arts in Theology in December of this year. When I initially approached Paul, asking him if he would consider selling Provident Plan to me, I was primarily interested in the site due to it’s connection with finances.

Even though I am studying religion in graduate school, I have become fascinated with personal finance. Personal finance has become an obsession a hobby because I have been forced to grapple with the many questions about finances that adults are forced to answer. As I have transitioned into adulthood over the past 7 years (which involves going to college, graduating college and getting a job, getting married, and returning to graduate school to follow another passion of mine), I have learned to face some of life’s important questions when it comes to finances. I realize the difficulty of this task and I want to share my story in order to help others with the same difficult questions.

What to Expect on Provident Plan

Provident Plan will continue to be a great balance between Christian values and personal finance. I hope to utilize my religious education and training to provide you all with insightful information. I promise not to bore you with Greek or Hebrew (too much), and instead focus on the everyday things that both you and I struggle with. Because this is a finance site, you can expect to see some of my thoughts on giving and tithing, but I envision this site to be much more than that. It will house important information about living below your means, investing and planning for your future, as well as some reflections on my life in general.

While I will be the first one to admit that my faith informs and shapes my approach to personal finance, I also believe that it is not the exclusive influence in how I approach finances. We are all influenced by a variety of factors and I want to reflect that here as well. Much of what will be written here will continue to be applicable to everyone, regardless of their faith tradition, while still being true to my Christian heritage.

I am looking forward to this new adventure and I look forward to getting to know you all through comments, emails, and other interaction.

Corey

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Corey is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in religion. While he enjoys learning and writing about Christianity, another one of his new passions is writing about personal finances in order to help others make wise decisions with their money.