What Does the Bible Say About the Stock Market?

Unfortunately, the Bible does not come with a list of daily stock market recommendations approved by the almighty God Himself. If only tending to our personal finances were so easy. Hopefully, you’ve never seriously wondered why God doesn’t address the issue within His holy pages, but in case you have, here’s a tip: the New York Stock Exchange didn’t come into existence until 1792. The Bible was set into final form well before that. The earliest notions of a stock trading exchange can only be traced back to the 11th century, so not much help there either.

But what you can draw from the Bible – which should be more help to you than any “get rich quick quick” investing tips newsletter ever will – are principles that apply to any kind of investing. Have you ever noticed the incredible number of stock market investment tips, tricks, and techniques battling for your attention? You can spend a lifetime of pointless time and energy worrying about your investments. In case you are wondering, fretting about your money is a big waste of time, in God’s opinion.

One proverb we especially like (Proverbs 23:4-5) on this topic goes something like this.

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle”

Don’t get us wrong. It is completely appropriate to spend considerable time and energy learning and applying God’s investment strategy in the beginning. This is foundational knowledge that will serve you well for a lifetime. But after that, then what? Should you continue to spend every day obsessing on the topic? Trick question. No!

Here’s what we suggest. Review your investments quarterly, and not any more often than that. Ignore the daily chatter from the markets and the media. They will only drain your energy and make you crazy, very likely gaining you little of worth in the process. Your quarterly reviews can be completed within a few hours. Some of the time should be spent in quiet contemplation of God’s will in your life. Maybe you will decide you need to make a few portfolio adjustments in your stock market holdings, but don’t assume that shifting assets around automatically means your money will perform better.

Remember to trust in God and always use his principles as your primary investment strategy.

The Solomon Success Team

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