STEWARDSHIP • MODULE 11 OF 14

Managing Finances

Honoring God with Our Resources

How do we manage our sacred trust together?

Building a Shared Life Requires Practical Wisdom

The previous modules addressed roles, decision-making, and parenting. Now we turn to money—an equally important area where daily life is negotiated and values are expressed.

Research consistently shows that financial conflict is among the top predictors of divorce—not because of how much money couples have, but because of differences in values, expectations, and the meanings attached to money.

The good news: honest conversation and shared principles make an enormous difference. Couples who discuss finances openly—before and during marriage—navigate these challenges far more successfully.

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”
— Luke 14:28

Planning together is wisdom, not lack of faith. This module helps us “count the cost” and build on a firm foundation.

We Each Bring Financial Values into Marriage

Each person brings financial values into marriage—assumptions, emotions, and patterns shaped by family experience. These often operate below conscious awareness until they clash with a spouse’s different values.
Consider: How did your family handle money? Was it discussed openly or kept secret? Was there abundance or scarcity? Generosity or anxiety? Who made financial decisions? What did money represent?
Money often carries meanings far beyond its purchasing power:

Money As…	What It Might Mean
Security	Safety, stability, protection against uncertainty. Saving feels essential.
Freedom	Options, independence, the ability to choose. Spending enables experiences.
Status	Worth, success, how others perceive you. Appearances matter.
Control	Power, influence, managing outcomes. Knowing where money goes feels crucial.
Love	Care, generosity, expressing affection through gifts or provision.

When, for example, a spouse who sees money as security marries someone who sees it as freedom, this could lead to recurring conflit—unless they learn understand each other’s perspective and make wise decision together to live joyfully within their means.

While there is room for legitimate differences in financial style, scripture does offer us some grounding principles:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:19-20

Aquiring a maximum store of money or wealth is not our primary purpose here in mortality. While money is important to accomplish our work on the earth, it should not become an idol that distracts us from things of more eternal value. An eternal marriage relationship is certainly one of these “treasures in heaven” that deserves priority in our earthly life.

Pause and Reflect

How did your family handle money? What values and patterns did you absorb?
What does money represent to you—security, freedom, status, control, love, or something else?

Everything We Have Belongs to God

Marriage invites reflection on how we think about resources. Some enter marriage already viewing their finances as a stewardship from God—this is the perspective the gospel teaches, and it is the foundation for a healthy financial partnership. For others, the shift happens gradually: from “mine” (individual ownership) to “ours” (shared resources with a spouse) to “stewardship” (recognizing that all we have belongs to God). Wherever we are on this journey, the destination is the same.

“For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures.”
— D&C 104:13

A steward manages resources that belong to someone else. Everything we have—income, possessions, time, talents—ultimately belongs to God. We are entrusted with these things to bless our families and others. How we use these resources and opportunities is part of how we are tested here in mortality.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
— Matthew 6:21

This perspective of money, time, talents, and resources as stewardship transforms financial discussions. Instead of focusing on competing priorities and values, the questions become: “How does the Lord want us to use what He has entrusted to us?” “What sign are we giving to God in the ways we choose to use our money?”

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
— Matthew 6:24

We do not serve money—we serve God with our money. Money is a tool for accomplishing God’s purposes: providing for our families, blessing others, and having the resources we need to fulfill our stewardship responsibilities.

Consecration Goes Beyond Tithing

In the temple, we covenant to consecrate all that we have to the Lord and His kingdom. This covenant shapes how Latter-day Saints approach finances: we recognize that everything belongs to God, and we seek to use all our resources—not just the portion we tithe—in ways that serve His purposes.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
— Matthew 6:33

This is consecration in practice: our primary goal is to serve God. We seek Him first and use our money as a sacred trust—to do good for our families, His kingdom, His work, and His children.

Consecration goes beyond tithing. The ninety percent we keep is just as much a stewardship as the ten percent we give. How we spend, save, and share reflects our values and our discipleship. Living this covenant means asking of every financial decision: “Does this use of God’s resources align with His purposes for our family?”

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
— Malachi 3:10

Tithing is often the first financial decision couples make together—a declaration that God comes first, that we trust Him, and that we will build our household on covenant principles. But it is the beginning of consecration, not its fullness.

Prophetic Principles Guide Financial Partnership

Latter-day prophets have consistently taught principles of financial wisdom. Consider how these might shape your partnership:

Honor the Lord First

Many faithful Latter-day Saints have found that paying tithing before other expenses—putting God first in their finances—is both an act of faith and a practical priority-setter. When the Lord’s portion comes off the top, everything else falls into proper perspective.

Avoid Debt

“The borrower is servant to the lender.”
— Proverbs 22:7

Consumer debt creates bondage and limits future choices. While some debt (education, modest home) may be necessary, the principle is to minimize borrowing and maximize freedom.

Live Within Your Means

Spending less than we earn—regardless of what we earn—creates margin for savings, giving, and unexpected needs. This requires resisting the cultural pressure to appear more affluent than we are.

Build an Emergency Fund

Life brings unexpected expenses. Having savings set aside reduces stress and prevents debt when challenges arise.

Be Generous

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.”
— Luke 6:38

Beyond tithing, look for opportunities to bless others. Generosity is both a commandment and a source of joy.

Major Financial Decisions Require Unity

How should couples make financial decisions when they disagree? The Lord’s pattern is clear:

“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned.”
— D&C 121:41

This scripture describes how any influence in family relationships should be exercised—through persuasion, patience, gentleness, and genuine love. Not through assertion of authority. Not through “I earn the money, so I decide.” Not through coercion or manipulation.

For major decisions—large purchases, job changes, investments, lifestyle choices—the goal is unity, not one person overruling the other. If unity cannot be reached immediately, the path forward will likely involve continued discussion, prayer, and seeking the Spirit’s guidance together.

Consider questions like:

When we disagree, do we table the decision and pray about it separately, then come back together?
Do we defer to the person with more knowledge or experience in that area?
Do we keep talking until unity emerges—even if that takes days or weeks?
Are there spending thresholds below which each person can decide independently?
When is it appropriate to seek counsel from a bishop, parent, or financial advisor?

Pause and Reflect

What assumptions do you carry about how financial decisions should be made in marriage?
How do you envision working through disagreements about money with a spouse?

These Principles Apply in Diverse Circumstances

Financial stewardship looks different across circumstances. Some of you are blending families with all the complexity that brings. Some are navigating limited resources, extended family obligations, or seasons of unexpected scarcity. Some are starting again after divorce or widowhood, bringing hard-won wisdom to a new chapter. Whatever your circumstances, the underlying principles remain the same: honor God first, live within available means, prepare for difficulties, and practice generosity. The Lord knows your circumstances. He asks for faithful stewardship, not identical outcomes. Seek His guidance for applying these principles in your unique situation.

Key Scriptures

Matthew 6:19-20 — Lay up treasures in heaven
Matthew 6:24 — Cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:33 — Seek ye first the kingdom of God
Luke 14:28 — Count the cost before building
D&C 104:13 — Accountable as stewards over earthly blessings
Malachi 3:10 — Tithing and the windows of heaven
Proverbs 22:7 — The borrower is servant to the lender
Luke 6:38 — Give and it shall be given unto you
D&C 121:41-42 — Influence by persuasion and love unfeigned

Reflection Questions

Take time to ponder or write about the following:

What are your financial values? How did your family of origin handle finances, and how has that shaped your relationship with money?
Do you already see your resources as a stewardship from God, or is this a new perspective? What would change if you truly viewed everything you have as belonging to Him?
How do you currently approach tithing and fast offerings? What role does generosity play in your life?

Discussion Questions

For conversations with a fiancé(e), spouse, or mentor:

What does money represent to each of you? Where might your perspectives differ, and how will you navigate that?
How do you envision handling finances as a couple? Joint accounts, separate accounts, or a combination?
What financial goals do you have as individuals and as a couple? How will you prioritize them?

This Week’s Invitation

Choose one of the following invitations to focus on this week:

Financial Values Reflection: Write briefly about how your family handled finances, what you learned, and what patterns you want to keep or change going forward.

Values Conversation: If dating seriously or engaged, have a conversation about what money represents to each of you. Listen to understand, not to fix.

Stewardship Reflection: Review your current spending through the lens of stewardship. Does your use of money reflect your values and God’s priorities?

Scripture Study: Study D&C 104:11-18 on stewardship. What does it mean that God has “made and prepared” earthly blessings for His creatures? How does this shape your view of possessions?

The Bottom Line

Money is one of the most practical dimensions of daily married life. Conflict about finances is common—though it’s often rooted in differing values and expectations more than the amounts themselves.

When we see our resources as a stewardship from God, financial decisions take on new meaning. Principles like seeking first the kingdom of God, minimizing debt when possible, living within our means, and practicing generosity can create a strong foundation—though how these principles apply will look different for every couple.

At its heart, financial stewardship is about honoring God with what He has entrusted to us—using our resources to bless our families, contribute to His work, and grow together in faith.

“We do not serve money—we serve God with our money. What we do with our resources reflects what we treasure most. (Matthew 6:21)”