May 4, 2025
It's natural for some people to want to be as charitable as they can afford. But at what point do we stop helping ourselves and invest in others?
Daniel from Oklahoma wrote to The Ramsey Show to explain a dilemma he was having. He claimed his church told its members not to focus on investing in retirement but on investments toward the church instead, and was wondering if it was a good idea.
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"If they said this, this is not biblical," co-host Ken Coleman responded in a clip posted April 13.
"Change churches if someone's doing this," Dave Ramsey added.
Both of them, however, emphasized the "if" in their responses. Here's what Ramsey, an evangelical Christian himself, had to say about tithing to the church.
When the concept of charity goes too far
Ramsey stated he supports tithing to the church — the practice of donating one-tenth of a person's income to a religious organization.
However, he also says you can't tithe more than 10%, because the word itself means "tenth."
"Anything above that is called an 'offering' to support ... the community work that the church is doing," he said. "There's nothing wrong with that."
Ramsey also pointed out that it's perfectly fine to save for our own needs, including retirement.
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"Wise people save money," he insisted was a biblical lesson.
Ramsey cautioned that Daniel may have misinterpreted his church's message. However, if his description was accurate, Ramsey says it sounded like a money grab.
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How to balance savings and charity
There's a lot of pressure on Americans today to save for retirement. Ramsey Solutions suggests that workers aim to save and invest 15% of their gross income for their golden years.
But it's hard to do that and donate 10% of your income while also covering your needs at a time when living costs are so high.
That's why it's important to strike a balance. After all, faith and finance don’t have to be at odds. Ensuring your needs are taken care of before being charitable with your money doesn't make you selfish — it makes you practical. It can be a good idea to set up a budget that prioritizes your needs but also leaves room for charitable giving.
Often, you can give to charity without hurting yourself financially or causing undue stress. If you're compromising your financial security or well-being, then you may need to rethink your approach to charitable giving and scale back.
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Maurie Backman has been writing professionally for well over a decade. Since becoming a full-time writer, she's produced thousands of articles on topics ranging from Social Security to investing to real estate.
