Financial Readiness

[Jennifer]

We talk a lot about the moral issues surrounding polygyny, but rarely about the practicalities. I would like to discuss finances. Before taking on additional wives do you believe it is a must to have financial affairs in order first? I would like to discuss debt, income, health insurance and life insurance. We can all agree a non-legal wife will not have the same protections as a legal wife and certain preparations should be made.
1. Do you believe you should not take a second wife if you currently have debt? I am assuming this is situational dependent.
2. Do you believe it necessary to have a life insurance plan in which the new wife is a beneficiary? If you cannot afford this, will you still seek another wife?
3. Do you believe it necessary to have a plan for health insurance for each wife and possible children? If you don't have the income to provide this, will you still seek additional wives?
4. Do you think it's an ethical problem to seek more wives than you have bedrooms to provide?
5. Do you take the stance that you should wait until one is financially able to provide the above before even thinking about seeking additional wives or are you of the belief that seeking additional wives is a leap of faith and God will provide afterwards and one should not avoid the lifestyle simply for financial reasons?
6. For those who are currently seeking, without divulging sensitive information, did you do an analysis of finances to determine what you can afford and not afford before seeking this life?
7. What have you found to work? What have I not mentioned that you found financially necessary?
8. If you are currently relying on government assistance or government healthcare, is wrong to seek additional wives?
9. Do believe it necessary to have emergency fund established before seeking additional wives?
I know some of you are seeking more than just one additional wife. Knowing what it takes financially to support just one wife and three children, it almost seems impossible to provide for three or more wives unless you make the income of a surgeon. Seeing how the average family does not make that, how do you provide for such a large family? Or do you not see certain things as financially important, such as health insurance etc? Do you expect your wives to work? I am curious what plans those of you have to make that dream a reality? Do you have an investment plan etc?

 

[Man@Home]

Very good questions @Jennifer! IMO we are supposed to count the costs before we take the jump.
Although I am not actively seeking, I would say (mind we are in the NL):
1. In general yes, but it is indeed situational and except the loan for the house (at our place it is almost impossible to buy a house without). If you can’t afford it, it might be wise to reconsider your plans...
2. If possible yes. If you can’t afford it, see 1.
3. Yes. At our place the health insurance is mandatory, so that’s no problem. Children are insured for free, but you can take additional insurances for dental care etc. If you can’t afford it, see 1.
4. Depends on your sleeping arrangements I guess . If you think it is better / more ethical to have separate bedrooms, then yes.
5. See 1. But there are always exceptions to the rule.
6. Like I said we are not very actively searching, but this has been discussed between me and my wife and I think it is wise to do as well.
7. Income can be generated by the husband alone or can be generated by the wife(s) as well in addition depending on situation etc. I don’t mind my wife working. She doesn’t have to and didn’t work when our children were young. I am lucky to being able to provide for my family in total what we need, and I think this principle would apply as well if wives are added. What I want to say is further: when adding a second wife, you should make arrangements on this area as well as it might give friction if the first wife is working and the second is not or the other way around. This should be discussed beforehand as well.
8. Like I said this is situational as the health insurance is arranged by government for all independent on income.

Answers may vary, but most importantly is that it is discussed with both the current family and potential wife.

 

[frederick]

For those of you living in the USA, I agree, these are good questions to consider @Jennifer. But there are huge variants for those living in other countries so each will have to consider such matters relative to their own environment. All I can say is that although I didn't know at the time I took my second wife, she has a surgeon's income so I'm not overly concerned. Before I had two wives, life was never this good. Shalom.

 

[steve]

Having all of the t’s crossed and the i’s dotted would be a luxury that I would enjoy.
I am only “looking” for what YHWH would have us do.

 

[rockfox]

For those of you living in the USA, I agree, these are good questions to consider @Jennifer. But there are huge variants for those living in other countries so each will have to consider such matters relative to their own environment. All I can say is that although I didn't know at the time I took my second wife, she has a surgeons income so I'm not overly concerned. Before I had two wives, life was never this good. Shalom.

That was my first thought as well, very first world problems. You might as well have added college tuition to the list.

The pre-req's for a second wife are the same as for a first wife. Not only the upper-middle class deserve wives.

 

[PeteR]

1. This is situationally dependent. Even with a first wife, I have counselled my sons to make financial preparations. This doesn't necessarily mean being debt free as education and businesses cost, but 'stupid debt' should be eliminated as that stems from other decision making problems.
2. A second wife needs and deserves equitable covering and protection. She may bring some of this to the table, as the women in Isaiah 4:1 seem to, but if she doesn't have it, then this needs to be discussed and provided for. One question is, why is she willing to enter plural? Her wants/needs may mot be financially motivated.
3. Yes. Equitable protection and covering.
4. Depends on the situation. By that I mean, she may have a home and FW is willing to split time in this way. Ideally, the whole family under one roof or on the same piece of property, but situation may vary.
5. Faith doesn't necessarily mean blind leaps. The Father may clearly bring the right lady and unfold a plan. Ideally, there is a solid plan in place before.
6. Not seeking, but open to the Father's leadership. We'll cross the bridge of higher order planning should He open that door.
7. See 6
8. Not on government assistance, not sure that plural in that situation is a good idea... there is a difference in government assistance and government employment.
9. An emergency fund is a wise thing to have no matter what. Adding noses means the size of the fund should grow commensurately.

Whether wives work is situational. I do find some of the black community 's poly promotion stating that it can be a way to build wealth. From the standpoint that income increase over minimal overhead increase, I see their point. Certainly, as its basest marriage is a business agreement/covenant that involved procreation and wealth/power building. Just look at the patriarchs.

I think whether or not a wife or wives work is situational. Factors to consider: does she want to work? What are her skillsets and earning potential? Gifts? Family goals? Retirement plans? Etc.... many, many factors play in. Matter for planning, discussion and leadership.

 

[FollowingHim]

Personally I think you're overthinking it.

If you're seeking a wife yourself, then yes, you should think very carefully about whether this is financially practical. If not, then fix that first. However "financially practical" does not necessarily mean ticking off all those boxes, as they are not relevant to all (as @frederick said) nor are they achievable for all (as @rockfox said).

If God gives you a wife, however crazy the situation looks, He'll have a plan, find that and run with it.

To illustrate how this isn't necessarily relevant to all, questions 2, 3 and 8 are particularly relevant in a capitalist country (or a dysfunctional country where government programs don't work), but less relevant in a socialist one. In a socialist country, everyone is already paying for healthcare and a benefit system that provides a financial backstop in unforeseen future circumstances. It can be a good idea to have private insurance to cover these things too, but to be honest only the wealthy can afford to pay for the same things twice. Wealth is not a prerequisite to marriage.

 

[frederick]

Whatever the political/social situation we are in, the biblical principles for financial management apply: e.g. Proverbs 24:27; "Put your external affairs in order, get ready what you have in the field, then build yourself a home" (quoted from The Israel Bible). There is a lot said about money and financial management in the Bible; principles which we ought to apply to ourselves individually and to our marriages - whatever the M/PM situation we are in.

If God gives you a wife, however crazy the situation looks, He'll have a plan, find that and run with it.

I agree totally, but I'd add; be prepared to work your butt off to make it work. Unless you have a surgeon's income, you might well need to be a two income family so guys, be prepared to work an 80 hour week to have those two incomes. And Yes, a man can work an 80 hour week to provide; lots of us have done it and survived.

 

[Slumberfreeze]

We can all agree

Bold of you... lol

1. Do you believe you should not take a second wife if you currently have debt?

I do not believe this. I think being debt free is a good thing and people should be that as a matter of principle; but I believe in taking what God gives me, when He gives it to even if the circumstances don't fit my ideal.

. Do you believe it necessary to have a life insurance plan in which the new wife is a beneficiary? If you cannot afford this, will you still seek another wife?

I don't think it is necessary, but it also sounds like a not-terrible idea. I'm not a fan of insurance of any stripe, so I personally would be looking for other ways to provide for my family after I pass.

3. Do you believe it necessary to have a plan for health insurance for each wife and possible children? If you don't have the income to provide this, will you still seek additional wives?

Necessary? No. Something I'd look in to, personally? Probably. I know humans that get along quite well without insurance, and I highly respect them. Wisdom and financial foresight, in my opinion are better than insurance. There are a few ways of handling medical care that are all pretty good. I will say that forgoing medical insurance ramps up the amount of personal responsibility as far as research and managing options goes: something that an aspiring patriarch should be good at anyways.

4. Do you think it's an ethical problem to seek more wives than you have bedrooms to provide?

Not really. I'll leave out my full opinion about whether anyone should be 'seeking' at all, and answer that one size does not fit all when it comes to family arrangements. If everyone sleeps in their own tent or has their own room or all share a room is none of mine.

5. Do you take the stance that you should wait until one is financially able to provide the above before even thinking about seeking additional wives or are you of the belief that seeking additional wives is a leap of faith and God will provide afterwards and one should not avoid the lifestyle simply for financial reasons?

Oh. I guess I'm going there after all! My stance is that people shouldn't seek spouses (as in going looking for one on purpose) in any other way but asking the Lord for what you want, and being open to receiving what He provides, if He says yes. How that looks certainly varies, but I wouldn't put any rules about it with regards to finances. I met and married my wife when I was a scrub making scrub money. (I washed cars for a dealership, so, pun intended). But the Lord had given me a wonderful gift in @RainyLondonFog and I wasn't gonna miss it. At the time I lived in a 4 bedroom squat with 6 other people. I didn't have anything ready made for her to move into, but we got a tiny apartment to move into that we got a break on because the rug was awful and we worked it out. Life is messy and we just gotta work it out sometimes, is my way of thinking.

6. For those who are currently seeking, without divulging sensitive information, did you do an analysis of finances to determine what you can afford and not afford before seeking this life?

So I'm not really seeking, but I'm having fun with this so I'm going to answer anyways.
Heck yes I did. I think anyone that does anything important without at least counting the cost is not wise.

8. If you are currently relying on government assistance or government healthcare, is wrong to seek additional wives?

No I hate both, but I live in a place where a great many people have government healthcare because they were not afforded a choice. I think everyone should do their level best not to be dependent on the government, but I wouldn't call a person wrong for moving forward even while in this situation. It may be that adding another wife may help reduce their dependence on these kinds of things, depending on the situation.

9. Do believe it necessary to have emergency fund established before seeking additional wives?

No. It's just wise.

 

[rockfox]

I agree totally, but I'd add; be prepared to work your butt off to make it work. Unless you have a surgeon's income, you might well need to be a two income family so guys, be prepared to work an 80 hour week to have those two incomes. And Yes, a man can work an 80 hour week to provide; lots of us have done it and survived.

I'm of the work smarter not harder perspective; there is more than one way to skin a cat.

A lot depends on what your expected lifestyle and how many children you have. Peoples spending tends to expand to consume the amount of money produced and Americans caught up in the modern consumerist lifestyle are not particularly frugal.

 

[cnystrom]

We talk a lot about the moral issues surrounding polygyny, but rarely about the practicalities. I would like to discuss finances.

Excellent topic and questions.

Before taking on additional wives do you believe it is a must to have financial affairs in order first?

Ideally yes, but people rarely live up to ideals. Like others said, it is no different than monogamous marriage and many or even most people do not have their affairs in order. Secondly how much is enough? Even if you are out of debt and have a large retirement set aside, is it enough? There is no absolute answer. It is all just a spectrum between good and bad and if you are doing better than the next guy then you are doing good.

I would like to discuss debt, income, health insurance and life insurance. We can all agree a non-legal wife will not have the same protections as a legal wife and certain preparations should be made.

It should be noted that the legal wife need not remain the legal wife. There may be good financial reasons to switch the legal wife. For example, I have pretty much maxed out my social security for years. If I were to marry another woman and we swtiched the legal wife, she would only have to be married to me for 10 years and then she would also be eligible for max social security benefits, without diminishing what my first wfe is eligible for at all. That is a pretty nice benefit that could be worth a lot of money. It is kind of a loophole in the law.

Another reason may be that I am elgible for corporate health insurance. It seems to me that a good strategy might be to get quotes for both wives for health insurance and then sign up the more expensive one and pay the cheaper one out of pocket.

1. Do you believe you should not take a second wife if you currently have debt? I am assuming this is situational dependent.

Few Americans are out of debt completely, if only for a house. In all cases and scenarios it would be good to be out of debt, but I would not think it would be a show stopper, unless you can not afford your debt service.

2. Do you believe it necessary to have a life insurance plan in which the new wife is a beneficiary? If you cannot afford this, will you still seek another wife?

Lots of people do not have life insurance. Personally I think that if you have a family it is a mistake not to have any and you should get some if you can at all afford it. My second wife would have it, especially if she has children.

3. Do you believe it necessary to have a plan for health insurance for each wife and possible children? If you don't have the income to provide this, will you still seek additional wives?

My corporate family plan allows for unlimited children. I have even had nieces and nephews on it when they were living with me. So coverage for children would be no problem. See comment above about health insurance for wife. Also, it should be noted that there are alternatives to traditional insurance. For example there is Medi-share and other Christian Healthcare sharing ministries, etc. You should be able to find something that meets your needs.

4. Do you think it's an ethical problem to seek mor wives than you have bedrooms to provide?

No it is not an ethics problem, but it is a logistics problem. It might be an ethics problem if you promised her her own room and then did not deliver it. Who knows? You might get lucky a find a woman that does not mind sharing a room. There is nothing in the Bible about individual rooms.

On the other hand, if you can provide more bedrooms I do think that is a plus. When I bought my latest house I got as many bedrooms and bathrooms as I could afford (6 and 5), including dual masters. I had polygamy in mind when I bought it. I also had 5 kids living at home at the time. For a while I had the in-laws living with us before they passed. Now I just have two kids living at home and perhaps for not much longer so it is starting to feel a little lonely.

5. Do you take the stance that you should wait until one is financially able to provide the above before even thinking about seeking additional wives or are you of the belief that seeking additional wives is a leap of faith and God will provide afterwards and one should not avoid the lifestyle simply for financial reasons?

I think it is an excellent idea to think about this in advance and to prepare yourself in advance to be blessed by God. Think about it. The exact same blessing recieved when you are not prepared for it can quickly turn into a curse. Think about all of the people that win the lottery and how it often ruins their lives. They were not ready for it.

On the other hand, the right woman is such a wonderful blessing and such a rarity that if do find her you simply can not pass her up. In my experience the right woman is just not that common.

6. For those who are currently seeking, without divulging sensitive information, did you do an analysis of finances to determine what you can afford and not afford before seeking this life?

No, as you can see from above answers, I have thought about it, but I do not need to do a financial analysis. As long as you can pay the bills you can adjust your lifestyle to fit your means.

7. What have you found to work? What have I not mentioned that you found financially necessary?

I hope I get a chance to find out someday.

8. If you are currently relying on government assistance or government healthcare, is wrong to seek additional wives?

I do not think I would be looking to add if I were on government assistance. On the other hand if God presented the right person to me and she knew I was on assistance and still wanted to join my family I would not turn her away.

I was briefly on assistance at the tech downturn right after the year 2000. I was able to pick up some odd jobs so I earned enough not to get unemployment, but my wife was pregnant and I no longer had insurance and so she got WIC and free health care. Fortunately I got a new job prior to her having the baby. I do not begrudge anyone that has it that truly needs it.

9. Do believe it necessary to have emergency fund established before seeking additional wives?

Dave Ramsey says an emergency fund should be $1000? Like being out of debt I do not think anyone would argue that this would not be a good and useful thing to have.

But again, I would not make it a line in the sand where I would send a wonderful woman packing just because I only have $800 in the account.

I know some of you are seeking more than just one additional wife.

One at a time! It kind of boggles my mind that there might even be one additional wife for me in the future. More than one seems far fetched, unless I was the type of polygamist that just finds someone out on the street and moves her in. They always seemed like wannabee polygamists to me and I have never seen that work into real long term polygamy family.

Knowing what it takes financially to support just one wife and three children, it almost seems impossible to provide for three or more wives unless you make the income of a surgeon.

I think it all depends on what phase of life you are in, too. I am in my 50s now and have been working many years in the high tech field. I just do not have to hunt around for nickles and dimes like I did when I was in my 20s and 30s. I think I could comfortably afford three wives. Maybe the kids go to community college. Maybe we drive used cars. But I think everyone could be comfortable, taken care of, and loved.

Seeing how the average family does not make that, how do you provide for such a large family? Or do you not see certain things as financially important, such as health insurance etc? Do you expect your wives to work? I am curious what plans those of you have to make that dream a reality? Do you have an investment plan etc?

I do expect my wives to work, just not at income producing jobs. I have been long blessed with a stay at home Mom and we have been able to home school our children. I realize not all families get to do this, but it is highly recommended. I am very old fashioned and I am opposed to women in the work force. I got out of the Navy when they started putting women on ships. I do not work with very many women in the IT field (although I am always respectful to them when I do), and now I work almost 100% of the time from home. I like my women to be free to make the best home possible and free to do charity work and to help others in need without the burden of having to earn a living or contribute to the family financially.

Having said the above, I am not a tyrant, and would not rule out a career woman who really loved her job and wanted to continue in it, although when i see a woman like that "who has it all" I tend to think "what does she need me for?"

I do have an investment plan. And if oil futures, bitcoin and pork bellies go back up I will be all set.

Good questions. Fun topic.

 

[cnystrom]

All I can say is that although I didn't know at the time I took my second wife, she has a surgeon's income so I'm not overly concerned. Before I had two wives, life was never this good. Shalom.

There you go! Marry a rich woman! Problem solved!

 

[cnystrom]

I agree totally, but I'd add; be prepared to work your butt off to make it work. Unless you have a surgeon's income, you might well need to be a two income family so guys, be prepared to work an 80 hour week to have those two incomes. And Yes, a man can work an 80 hour week to provide; lots of us have done it and survived.

When I first started working for Oracle I worked the weekend night shift (F, Sa, Su) a 12 hour shift. So I was free Monday through Friday and I loved it. Twice I got second day jobs. So I worked basically 76 (36+40) hours a week and I loved it. It was interesting work. I got to work with new and interesting technologies. And money was never a problem. The problem was they were contract jobs and then the contract ended after about about a year or so. The only hard time was Mondays, when I would work all night 12 hours and then go into an 8 hour job without a break. That is when I learned to love 5 hour energy. Monday afternoons tended to drag.

Since I already had a full time job, I could afford to work a contract job that still paid well, but was less than my going rate, or maybe paid my rate but did not include benefits.

Also, you have to be careful that as your main job may not like it. I also had to get special permission. They had to determine if they were competitive jobs or not. I wish I could do it again, but as a compromise I had to swtich from 3x12s to 4x10s. Still a good deal, but not as good as before.

I found that if I was intentional it really did not affect family time too much. And coming from a Navy background with sea deployments months at a time, it really did not seem like that big of a burden on the family.

I wish I could do it again. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[rockfox]

I think it all depends on what phase of life you are in, too. I am in my 50s now and have been working many years in the high tech field. I just do not have to hunt around for nickles and dimes like I did when I was in my 20s and 30s. I think I could comfortably afford three wives

The best time to start families is in your 20's: peak fertility and energy. But it means you'll be pinching pennies. That's just how it is.

There is an analogy....So many times I've heard young couples say they're waiting to have kids until are financially better off. That day will never come. Spending expands to fill the available income and fertility has an expiration date. Starting a family will take sacrifices no matter how much or little money you have. Polygamy is the same.

Everyone would like to be on the best financial footing possible but at the end of the day none of us can predict the future...for richer or poorer till death do us part. I'd be more concerned if the husband/wife/new wife will stick it out should hard times come than how rich the potential family or new wife is. Work ethic is more important than the balance sheet, love than the benefits package, leadership than the house layout.

It's funny. In the last hundred years the average house has gone from 1000 ft2 to 2600 ft2. But family size? It's dropped significantly. The difference is our expectations for comfort and the amount of stuff we have to put somewhere.

 

[frederick]

There you go! Marry a rich woman! Problem solved!

The wonderful blessing is marrying because this is the one God has blessed you with but then discovering she is making a significant income. I'm very grateful. However I would be concerned about any man marrying a woman solely because she is rich.

 

[cnystrom]

However I would be concerned about any man marrying a woman solely because she is rich.

I agree 100%. I would be concerned, too. However, I am willing to give it a try if you know of any rich ladies who need a husband.

 

[Cap]

Excellent topic and questions.



Ideally yes, but people rarely live up to ideals. Like others said, it is no different than monogamous marriage and many or even most people do not have their affairs in order. Secondly how much is enough? Even if you are out of debt and have a large retirement set aside, is it enough? There is no absolute answer. It is all just a spectrum between good and bad and if you are doing better than the next guy then you are doing good.



It should be noted that the legal wife need not remain the legal wife. There may be good financial reasons to switch the legal wife. For example, I have pretty much maxed out my social security for years. If I were to marry another woman and we swtiched the legal wife, she would only have to be married to me for 10 years and then she would also be eligible for max social security benefits, without diminishing what my first wfe is eligible for at all. That is a pretty nice benefit that could be worth a lot of money. It is kind of a loophole in the law.

Another reason may be that I am elgible for corporate health insurance. It seems to me that a good strategy might be to get quotes for both wives for health insurance and then sign up the more expensive one and pay the cheaper one out of pocket.



Few Americans are out of debt completely, if only for a house. In all cases and scenarios it would be good to be out of debt, but I would not think it would be a show stopper, unless you can not afford your debt service.



Lots of people do not have life insurance. Personally I think that if you have a family it is a mistake not to have any and you should get some if you can at all afford it. My second wife would have it, especially if she has children.



My corporate family plan allows for unlimited children. I have even had nieces and nephews on it when they were living with me. So coverage for children would be no problem. See comment above about health insurance for wife. Also, it should be noted that there are alternatives to traditional insurance. For example there is Medi-share and other Christian Healthcare sharing ministries, etc. You should be able to find something that meets your needs.



No it is not an ethics problem, but it is a logistics problem. It might be an ethics problem if you promised her her own room and then did not deliver it. Who knows? You might get lucky a find a woman that does not mind sharing a room. There is nothing in the Bible about individual rooms.

On the other hand, if you can provide more bedrooms I do think that is a plus. When I bought my latest house I got as many bedrooms and bathrooms as I could afford (6 and 5), including dual masters. I had polygamy in mind when I bought it. I also had 5 kids living at home at the time. For a while I had the in-laws living with us before they passed. Now I just have two kids living at home and perhaps for not much longer so it is starting to feel a little lonely.



I think it is an excellent idea to think about this in advance and to prepare yourself in advance to be blessed by God. Think about it. The exact same blessing recieved when you are not prepared for it can quickly turn into a curse. Think about all of the people that win the lottery and how it often ruins their lives. They were not ready for it.

On the other hand, the right woman is such a wonderful blessing and such a rarity that if do find her you simply can not pass her up. In my experience the right woman is just not that common.



No, as you can see from above answers, I have thought about it, but I do not need to do a financial analysis. As long as you can pay the bills you can adjust your lifestyle to fit your means.



I hope I get a chance to find out someday.



I do not think I would be looking to add if I were on government assistance. On the other hand if God presented the right person to me and she knew I was on assistance and still wanted to join my family I would not turn her away.

I was briefly on assistance at the tech downturn right after the year 2000. I was able to pick up some odd jobs so I earned enough not to get unemployment, but my wife was pregnant and I no longer had insurance and so she got WIC and free health care. Fortunately I got a new job prior to her having the baby. I do not begrudge anyone that has it that truly needs it.



Dave Ramsey says an emergency fund should be $1000? Like being out of debt I do not think anyone would argue that this would not be a good and useful thing to have.

But again, I would not make it a line in the sand where I would send a wonderful woman packing just because I only have $800 in the account.



One at a time! It kind of boggles my mind that there might even be one additional wife for me in the future. More than one seems far fetched, unless I was the type of polygamist that just finds someone out on the street and moves her in. They always seemed like wannabee polygamists to me and I have never seen that work into real long term polygamy family.



I think it all depends on what phase of life you are in, too. I am in my 50s now and have been working many years in the high tech field. I just do not have to hunt around for nickles and dimes like I did when I was in my 20s and 30s. I think I could comfortably afford three wives. Maybe the kids go to community college. Maybe we drive used cars. But I think everyone could be comfortable, taken care of, and loved.



I do expect my wives to work, just not at income producing jobs. I have been long blessed with a stay at home Mom and we have been able to home school our children. I realize not all families get to do this, but it is highly recommended. I am very old fashioned and I am opposed to women in the work force. I got out of the Navy when they started putting women on ships. I do not work with very many women in the IT field (although I am always respectful to them when I do), and now I work almost 100% of the time from home. I like my women to be free to make the best home possible and free to do charity work and to help others in need without the burden of having to earn a living or contribute to the family financially.

Having said the above, I am not a tyrant, and would not rule out a career woman who really loved her job and wanted to continue in it, although when i see a woman like that "who has it all" I tend to think "what does she need me for?"

I do have an investment plan. And if oil futures, bitcoin and pork bellies go back up I will be all set.

Good questions. Fun topic.

And your response was just as excellent as the original question.

 

[andrew]

Before taking on additional wives do you believe it is a must to have financial affairs in order first?

No. The only question that matters is where is the Lord leading you.

"Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." At the age of 75, Abram was led out of his homeland on an adventure with God. And then there's the whole Exodus thing. And the whole "no soldier entangles himself with the affairs of this life" thing. And Jesus's "be content with food and clothing" thing.

We went into this believing that God was leading us into it and having no freaking clue how we were going to make it work, but believing He would make it work. My family presently lives in a large comfortable house, but there was a time about three years into our own adventure that we were living in tents on land with no water or electricity. And loving it. I refer to those days as "the camping trip that never ends". Except it did end. But you know what? There are things about those times I really miss if I allow myself to wax nostalgic.

Bottom line: "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

The only security we need is our confidence in Him.