Matt Christopher White
Writer & TeacherHelping You Breathe Life Into Your Money
I aim to develop eyes that see reality as it is. I invite you to join me on the journey.
Breathe Life Into Your Money
What would it be like to accomplish your money decisions, tasks, and discussions with peace and joy? It feels impossible. We’ve experienced so much stress and conflict. And we’re battle-weary from the fight to fend off money from becoming an idol. The best we can do, we hear, is to remember that money is just a tool. But this well-meaning advice leaves us more stuck than a toy banana in a bathtub drain. (Believe me, it’s hard to get that out.) You’re stuck because there are two practical problems:
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- A tool is optional. You ignore it if you’re not interested.
- A tool is meaningless by itself. You won’t appreciate its potential till the art’s beauty and the artist’s brilliance inspire you.
The God who created the world and everything in it chose to make you in His image—a privilege He gave us to enjoy over all other creation (Gen. 1). He delights in you, and He knows and cares about your story (Ps. 139). Have you ever considered that He purposefully wove money—possessions, dominion—through every chapter?!
Money is your business—ready or not—because your Creator made it your business. Your money is an extension of you! It goes out from you to accomplish your will—a will that originates from your thoughts. The way you think about money has a pervasive impact on every area of life because money plays a part in your decisions every day of your life—sometimes pronounced, sometimes subconscious, but always there.
Here, there’s no step-by-step program, no comprehensive course on personal finance, no sales pitch for financial services or products. Instead, there’s help to engage all these with a fresh perspective—with life.
What You’ll Find Here
Challenging Perspective
If money is an extension of you, who do you want to be? Here, you will mine the Word of God—not with tunnel vision for the money gems but for all “the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”—to form a life-giving, practical theology of money (Col. 1:27).
Concrete Teaching
Of what value is good thinking if it doesn’t lead to wise action? How will you act wisely with money if you don’t understand its language? Here, you will find the technical side of money clearly explained and illustrated—not an encyclopedia of money jargon but a curated selection of key fundamentals that will serve you well.
Credible Information
Never in history have you had a more overwhelming amount of content and advice dumped on you. How will you discern what’s beneficial? Here, you will find help developing a filter from a writer and teacher with with all the technical credentials (accounting degree, tax master’s degree, CPA license, CFP® certification) and a love for Jesus and hunger for his Word.
Creative Freedom
A fundamental conflict of interest hampers the financial services industry: it must be profitable to survive. Even the wisest financial advisors operate under this paradigm. The trouble is the best money wisdom is not always monetizable. How will you obtain a balanced point of view? Here, you will find thinking that is free from the constraints of a financial services business model.
Matt’s Story
Matt Christopher White grew up in the town of Erwin in the Appalachian Mountains of Northeast Tennessee. The family business was teaching, but his plan was the NBA from the start. If it weren’t for a bad hamstring, he’d probably be dishing out assists for the Lakers, but in reality, he’s glad that didn’t work out—because he never would’ve met his beautiful wife, Sarah.
Matt met Sarah the first week of freshman year at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. That’s where he began his study of money, earning his bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s in tax and going on to become a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner™. He has world-class education, training, and experience in financial services but has transitioned his career out of the industry. His insider knowledge and outsider perspective produce unique money insights.
Matt is equally comfortable in a conversation about Luke 6:43, Section 643 of the Internal Revenue Code, or a 6-4-3 double play. There’s no place he’d rather be than with Sarah and his two girls, Lydia and Eliza, at their home in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. There you might find him singing Kristoff’s parts on the music of Frozen or settled in with his copy of The Lord of the Rings, considering what he might have for second breakfast.
Who Influences Your Thinking?
Matt’s North Star
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.”
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created…through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church…”
Matt’s Yoda, Mr. Miyagi, and Master Splinter
(and not necessarily in that order)
“I had hoped that the heart of reality might be of such a kind that we can best symbolise it as a place; instead, I found it to be a Person.”
“That my actual life is the focus of my apprenticeship to Jesus is crucial…For a disciple of Jesus is not necessarily one devoted to doing specifically religious things as that is usually understood. To repeat, I am learning from Jesus how to lead my life, my whole life, my real life.”
“Don’t fear your weaknesses—God supplies all the strength you need. Be afraid of those moments when you think you’re independently strong.”
Matt’s Influences from the Financial Services World
Renda Burkhart poured into Matt as she mentored him over the eight years he spent at Burkhart & Company. She challenged Matt and taught him how to be a leader, even to those who would naturally intimidate him—especially to those.
Matt nerds out on the insightful, exhaustive analysis published by Michael Kitces on his blog. Matt appreciates that Kitces isn’t afraid to explore the questions that many in the financial services industry find too uncomfortable to address.
Matt admires the groundbreaking contributions Jack Bogle made to the financial services industry—exposing inefficiencies, creating better ways of doing things, and doing it so convincingly that he forced everyone else in the industry to adapt.