I almost titled this post, “You Can’t Automate Financial Wisdom.” But then I realized, you can.
A little background
I have a love/hate relationship with financial automation.
On the one hand, automation can be a wonderful help. In our household, we have some of our bills set up as auto-pay — those that cost the same amount every month. For others, I prefer to check them for accuracy before paying them online.
I also use automation to make my twice-monthly contributions to my employer’s 401(k) plan. And our online budget tool automatically records and even categorizes much of our cash flow—a big time saver.
On the other hand, automation has a downside. My concern is that millions of people are now having financial actions automatically taken on their behalf without really understanding why those actions are being taken and whether they are even the right actions.
The no-thinking-required retirement plan
Many workplace retirement plans now automatically enroll employees, automatically set their contribution amount, and even automatically choose what the money is invested in. Such automation is routinely held up as a great success because it has driven plan participation rates up.
I get that. More participation is a good thing. However, many of those same plans are now having to take steps to prevent employees from borrowing against their plans.
As Rob Austin, director of retirement research at Aon Hewitt, a human-resources consulting firm, explained to the Wall Street Journal, “People are getting statements telling them they have $5,000 in this account and they are asking themselves, ‘How can I get my hands on this money?’”
Apparently, you can raise participation rates and build up investment accounts via automation, but whether that money sticks around long enough for the savers’ retirement is far from certain.
Another issue with automated 401(k) plans is that the automatic contribution rate starts out very low—sometimes 3% of the employee’s salary. Many employees never increase the amount, either assuming it must be the right amount or never really thinking it through.
Putting the cart before the horse
If automation is to work effectively, it can’t come first. Understanding our God-given identity and life purposes, and knowledgeably choosing daily financial priorities that are in synch with that identity and those purposes, have to come first.
If we understand and embrace who God made us to be — stewards of his resources, or as I prefer, wise builders…
If we’re clear about our God-given life purposes — to love God and people well and to make a difference with our lives…
And if we’ve set our financial priorities in a way that reflects that identity and enables us to fulfill those purposes—where we give and save portions of all that we receive, avoid the bondage of debt, invest patiently, and spend wisely…
If automation is used to help carry out all of that, it can be a very good thing. But identity, purpose, and priorities have to lead; automation has to follow.
Identity is the ultimate automation
Knowing who we are is the ultimate form of automation because it guides us in all sorts of decisions—financial and otherwise.
Chip and Dan Heath use an analogous illustration about a science professor in their book, Switch:
Imagine…you had a lucrative opportunity to consult on the toxicity study of a new drug for a big pharmaceutical company. From a consequences point of view, the decision to accept the job would be a no-brainer—the work might pay far more than your university salary. But from an identity point of view, the decision to accept the job would seem less clear-cut. You’d wonder what strings were attached, what subtle compromises you’d have to make to please the client. You’d wonder, “What would a scientist like me do in this situation?”
At times, we may have to consciously ask ourselves, “What would a steward of God’s resources do in this financial situation?” But the longer we live a life of faith, and the more God’s Word is written on our heart, the more our financial decisions become natural, second nature, or something very close to automated.
What aspects of your financial life have you automated? And how have you made sure that your identity, life purposes, and intentionally chosen financial priorities lead and automation follows?
Also, one of the best ways to ingrain biblical perspectives about all things early is to start early. To help your kids grow up with a biblical view of money, pick up a copy of my new book, Trusted: Preparing Your Kids for a Lifetime of God-Honoring Money Management.
Take it to heart: “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” – 1 Corinthians 4:2
Take action: Check to see how much of your paycheck is being contributed to your workplace retirement plan. Is is enough? One way to answer that question is to run some numbers with a calculator like Fidelity’s Retirement Score calculator.
Read more: An Identity Theft Like No Other
If you haven’t done so already, sign up for a free subscription to this blog. Twice a week you’ll receive ideas and encouragement for using money well.
Comments are closed.