(Keep a Boundary in Place)<\/p>\n
Dear Dave,<\/strong><\/p>\n I have a money market account that I use as both my checking and savings account. I have a debit card and check writing privileges with the account, and I get a better interest rate on my money. Is what I\u2019m doing a good idea, or is it better for some reason to have separate savings and checking accounts?<\/strong><\/p>\n Bonnie<\/strong><\/p>\n Dear Bonnie,<\/p>\n It\u2019s always good to have a physical and emotional boundary between your savings and the everyday funds in your checking account. This is especially important when you\u2019re talking about savings or an emergency fund.<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing inherently wrong with getting a better interest rate, but when everything is all lumped together it can become easy for the line between savings and checking to become blurred. And if you\u2019re not careful, you might find yourself dipping into your savings or emergency fund for things that aren\u2019t emergencies without realizing what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n \u2014Dave<\/p>\n (They\u2019re Not Inconsistent Concepts)<\/p>\n Dear Dave,<\/strong><\/p>\n My husband and I have been blessed financially in our work and in our lives. We simply love working, money aside, even though we could both easily retire and be very comfortable. These feelings have made me think a lot lately about what\u2019s really important in life. How do you balance ambition with contentment?<\/strong><\/p>\n Barb<\/strong><\/p>\n Dear Barb,<\/p>\n I get the feeling you thought ambition was the opposite of contentment. But I don\u2019t look at it that way. It\u2019s not like a teeter-totter. They don\u2019t have to balance out, because they\u2019re not on the same spectrum.<\/p>\n I\u2019m content and ambitious. I\u2019m content with what we have and what God has entrusted to us. But I\u2019m not content to sit around and do nothing just because we\u2019ve been blessed. That kind of attitude isn\u2019t contentment. It\u2019s apathy. I do what I do because I love helping people. You can have peace and contentment, and still be ambitious. They\u2019re not inconsistent concepts.<\/p>\n In my mind, problems are created when ambitious people are driven by a lack of contentment. Let me ask you something. Do you think Jesus was content? Do you think He was ambitious? I believe the answer to both questions is yes. Just think about how He lived, and how He instructed us to live. Think about His mission and His purpose.<\/p>\n More than anything, I think it has to do with what\u2019s driving your ambition. If a desire for \u201cstuff\u201d is the motivating factor, then maybe they are on the same spectrum. But that\u2019s a really bad way to live your life. You can buy and pile up tons of stuff, but you\u2019re not going to be truly happy until you find contentment.<\/p>\n \u2014Dave<\/p>\n