Category: Crown

Crown’s new MoneyLife® Personal Finance Study aims to help participants strengthen finances and get out of debt

Posted by – April 16, 2013

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Financial strain and growing personal and national debt continue to have a stranglehold on Americans in this sluggish economy. The difficult part is that many Americans have no idea how to impact their financial health. About 1 in 5 Americans, surveyed by the Princeton Survey Research Associates, said that they do not keep track of their finances at all.

At one point or another, it is common for people to think about taking a closer look at their finances – whether he or she needs to make minor tweaks to cut costs, save for a down-payment on a home, or take on a second job to reduce debt. Sometimes, an individual’s financial situation can be a slippery slope that leads to sleepless nights if not careful.

Crown knows that getting and keeping finances in order is a major component to achieving a happy life, marriage and family. That’s why Crown is introducing its new MoneyLife® Personal Finance Study (MLPFS) to help individuals examine and improve their financial health. It is a 10-week journey designed to provide biblical teaching, online tools and practical experiences to help participants gain a life of meaning and purpose.

MLPFS is a resource for individuals seeking to control spending, reduce and eliminate debt, save for unexpected costs, invest for the future and strengthen finances.

MLPFS consists of weekly homework, scripture memory (to remember the most important principles), practical financial exercises like creating a spending plan or debt repayment plan, and prayer. There are even inspirational videos from Crown’s CEO, Chuck Bentley, to go along with each lesson.

In addition to its basic components, this study contains a collection of online applications designed to assist participants in their financial journey:

  • MoneyLife® Indicator™: After taking a brief survey about one’s finances, the MoneyLife® Indicator™ will provide a snapshot of each individual’s current financial health, and will also give a breakdown of 12 key areas related to his or her financial actions and attitudes.
  • MoneyLife® Budget™: This is not a traditional spreadsheet! MoneyLife® Budget™ is a usable, flexible spending plan. This tool begins with some simple questions related to income, giving and spending habits. Then, the tool helps create a spending plan to achieve short and long-time financial goals.
  • MoneyLife® Tracker™: This is a simple tool to help track income and expenses for up to three months. As transactions are recorded, an individual’s real-world spending is compared with his or her MoneyLife® Budget™ in various categories of spending. This empowers people to make thoughtful decisions so that their spending syncs with their spending plan.
  • Financial calculators and worksheets, as well as a library of articles to help in financial planning are also available.

“The MoneyLife® Personal Finance Study is really very simple,” said Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley. “This study allows you to hit the ground running by taking a snapshot of your finances, showing you next steps to improve your financial house, and finally – helping you develop a plan that you can actually stick to.”

To learn more about Crown’s new MoneyLife® Personal Finance Study or to get started on a path to financial freedom, visit www.Crown.org/moneylifestudy.

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Crown, a non-profit, helps people and businesses integrate their values into business practices, debt reduction, and financial decision-making. For more than 35 years, Crown has been offering economic analysis and advice based on timeless truths. Theirs is a strong, international grassroots organization with offices in the U.S. and overseas. Crown experts work one-on-one with individuals and business leaders, as well as through workshops and seminars, teaching people how to build on a strong foundation that includes the business principles and practices found in the Bible. It is well known for its cutting edge materials first developed by its founder, the late Larry Burkett.  For more information, go to www.crown.org or call 800-722-1976.

Media Contact:

Sandra Heinig

(865) 584-0550

sheinig@ackermannpr.com

Crown Brings Tools for Strategic Innovation to Alabama Business Leaders

Posted by – January 8, 2013

Crown logoAtlanta, Ga.January 8, 2013 An innovative series of national events continues in February as Crown Financial Ministries and HOPE International bring their “New Normal” Entrepreneur’s Conference to Birmingham, Ala., offering insightful advice and inspiration to those doing the real work in America. The aim of the one-day conference is to give business leaders tools and training for successfully adjusting to the current marketplace to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that made America great. The conference will be held Tuesday, February 19, at Birmingham’s Cahaba Grand Conference Center.

“Building a successful business is about laying the right foundation and striving for the best practices,” said Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley. “Microsoft took off during a recession because the ideas and vision were in place. There was a need no one recognized and they moved to fill it. Crown and our conference partners want to give those insights to today’s business leaders.”

Crown Financial Ministries President Robert Dickie III said that the conference features business leaders who have put key industry concepts into practice in successful businesses of their own.

“This will be real world advice from people who know how to balance the books,” said Dickie, who was recently featured at FoxNews.com talking about Crown’s Career Direct®, a skills analysis program developed over the course of 10 years to help people identify their inherent talents and abilities.

More than 10 speakers and authors from different industries will present detailed steps that area business leaders can implement.

Headlining the event is well-known speaker Mark A. Conklin, Senior Manager of Learning and Development of Chick-fil-A. With a degree from the Harvard Business School, Conklin develops initiatives for Chick-fil-A that grow the leadership abilities of the company’s employees. Developing skills in others was also key to Conklin’s time as a Dean of Students at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix and during his six years in the U.S. Army, during which he was primarily based in West Germany.

Special discounts are available for groups and non-profit employees and students with proper identification. For a complete list of speakers and to register for the event, go to: www.entrepreneursconference.org.

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About Crown: Crown, a non-profit, helps people and businesses integrate their values into business practices, debt reduction, and financial decision-making. For more than 35 years, Crown has been offering economic analysis and advice based on timeless truths. Theirs is a strong, international grassroots organization with offices in the U.S. and overseas. Crown experts work one-on-one with individuals and business leaders, as well as through workshops and seminars, teaching people how to build on a strong foundation that includes the business principles and practices found in the Bible. It is well known for its cutting edge materials first developed by its founder, the late Larry Burkett.  For more information, go to www.crown.org or call 800-722-1976.

Media: For additional information, photos or other materials, contact Shane Rhyne, Ackermann PR, srhyne@ackermannpr.com or (865) 584-0550.

Crown outlines plan for protecting yourself from a fall from the fiscal cliff

Posted by – November 29, 2012

ATLANTA, Ga.Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley laid out a plan for surviving a fall from the fiscal cliff in an op-ed piece at Fox News this week. “I will make a prediction,” observed Bentley. “A phony fix is in the works. Disaster will be averted—seemingly, temporarily. But for those who would minimize the impact of a coming economic collapse, personal financial changes must be made.”

Without any agreement to avert the fiscal cliff before year’s end, nearly 90 percent of Americans will pay more taxes, according to the Tax Policy Center. Taxes would rise an average of about $3,500 per household as almost every tax cut enacted since 2001 would disappear. And the impact of falling from the fiscal cliff could result in a drop of 0.5% in real gross domestic product, estimates the CEO.

“Don’t wait for government to act,” advised Bentley, outlining a course of action that can stave off the financial hardships that are on the horizon. Everyone should:

Check your deductibles. Expect the fiscal cliff fix to include more taxes. This is a good time to look at your withholding declarations to avoid giving the government a free loan that you will later celebrate as a “bonus” when you receive your refund.

Review your health care status. Under pressure from Obamacare, it is very possible that companies could choose to pay a fine rather than provide insurance or to reduce hours to lower the number of fulltime employees. They won’t do this because they’re “evil,” but because they’re trying to survive. Get to know the healthcare market so that if you need to purchase individual health insurance, you’re ready.

Decrease your expenses. It’s clear that given Uncle Sam’s voracious appetite for other people’s money, you will find the rising cost of necessities (under pressure from rising energy prices, increased taxes and healthcare costs) will impact all budgets. Already retailers, especially in the food industry, are talking about price increases. Begin planning today to cover those costs.

Downsize your debt. As the Bible says, “the borrower is servant to the lender.” Free yourself from the burden of debt to give yourself flexibility and more financial margin to adapt to changes in this economy.

Diversify your income sources. About 50 percent of the global workforce is part-time. This trend will hit the U.S. as more companies are forced to cover the costs of healthcare. Multiple income streams are a hedge against losing a single full-time job. Consider a home-based business to supplement your income.

Diversify your investments. Too many people rely largely on the stock market for their investments, unconcerned that they have 100 percent of their money in equities. Investments can be made in many forms, including bonds, real estate, currencies and commodities. This is a timeless hedge against volatility.

Plan for charitable giving. With so many Americans hurting, consider how much more you can give and what you can do to ease the suffering of your fellow Americans. This will also reduce the amount you must pay in taxes.

Begin a budget (if you haven’t already). Many tools are available for those who want to try planning to survive and thrive, no matter the economy. Crown is a good place to start to strengthen your finances for the turbulence ahead.

“The biggest mistake people can make in an uncertain economy is to fail to prepare,” noted Bentley. “Rather than watching and waiting to see what the government will do, reduce your uncertainty and anxiety by taking corrective action now.”

For more than 35 years, Crown’s staff at the leading financial non-profit has developed free resources along with cutting-edge tools to help people build a solid foundation that allows business and people to do well, no matter the economy. To learn more, visit www.crown.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kristi Hamrick
(202) 731-5621

Parents and kids pick their price with innovative gift that teaches money management

Posted by – November 27, 2012

My Money Town

Knoxville, Tenn. As part of an innovative campaign to help parents teach kids about money management, Crown Financial Ministries has developed a “Pick your Price” project with its creative My Money Town, a unique resource to help parents start the important task of teaching money responsibility to children. Three eye-catching illustrated tins hold children’s money for spending, saving and giving to make these priorities easily understood. Recognizing how important it is for all families, regardless of income, to start teaching their children early how to manage money, Crown is allowing parents to name their own price for the My Money Town tins. This offer is limited to one per family while supplies last.

Crown Financial Ministries’ President Robert Dickie III said that teaching children how to express their priorities in their spending and savings can begin even in the toddler years as parents teach delaying gratification and learning to wait your turn.

“It’s never too soon to teach children about money,” noted Dickie. “In fact, people may be surprised to learn that the Bible has more verses about money than heaven or hell. Finances affect us all daily and learning vital financial skills is something too many people avoid.”

Earlier this year, USA Today examined the financial literacy of young people in particular – and found a serious problem. Reporter Hadley Malcome wrote: “The Treasury Department and Department of Education have teamed the past three years to assess financial literacy in U.S. high schools, and the results haven’t been pretty: the average score of almost 76,900 students in 2010 was 70 percent. Last year’s testing of about 84,000 students and this year’s of about 80,000 students were both a point lower: 69 percent.”

“Money skills are really about modeling patience in working for your resources and waiting for what you want, in showing concern for others in charitable giving, and in saving for a rainy day,” said Dickie. “One of the best ways that parents can help their children truly understand money is to insist that their children earn money for chores, as all hard work yields a profit over time.”

My Money Town tins, combined with a parent’s efforts to help children learn how work and reward are connected, can be the tools that lead to future success. The website includes free resources like bed time stories, audio messages and articles to make teaching children about money easy, fun and a wonderful memory-making event for parents and children.

But research indicates teaching children about work and reward can be more than a bonding experience or a way to get help with the dishes. A study by University of Minnesota Associate Professor Marty Rossmann found that the “best predictor for young adults’ success in their mid-20s is that they participated in household tasks at age 3 or 4,” according to a report at Parenthood.com. Some skills can last a lifetime.

For more information on My Money Town tins, visit www.crown.org/mymoneytown.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kristi Hamrick
(202) 731-5621
media@crown.org

IRS regulations verify more people doomed to part time employment, says Crown’s Chuck Bentley

Posted by – October 23, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – New regulations issued recently by the IRS prove that Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley was right when he wrote earlier this year that the economic circumstances developing as a result of Obamacare’s passage could doom a nation of potential employees to part-time work.

“Plagued by fears of explosive costs from mandated healthcare, companies are quietly transitioning much of the American workforce into a nation of part-time employees,” Bentley noted earlier this year in a piece at FoxNews.

Writing at the Washington Post this week, economic expert Robert Samuelson agreed, noting that the confusing new IRS regulations provide employers with many incentives for keeping workers at part-time status and for reducing the number of hours they work.

“Just recently, the Internal Revenue Service issued an 18-page, single-spaced notice explaining how to distinguish between full-time and part-time workers under the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”). The difference matters, because the ACA requires employers with 50 or more full-time workers to provide health insurance for those workers. At the same time, no company has to buy insurance for part-time employees, defined as those working less than 30 hours a week,” Samuelson wrote.

He went on to note: “The problem isn’t small. In September, 34 million workers, about a quarter of total workers, were part-time, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). But the BLS defines part-time as less than 35 hours a week; Obamacare’s 30 hours a week was presumably adopted to expand insurance coverage. There are now 10 million workers averaging between 30 and 34 hours a week. To the BLS, they are part-time; under Obamacare, they’re full-time.”

And so to be safe and avoid higher costs, employers would have an incentive to reduce the hours of their hourly workers who desperately need the work, said Bentley. This would be a blow especially to lower income Americans and those working in service industries like in retail or restaurants.

The late Larry Burkett, Crown founder and author of “The Coming Economic Earthquake,” predicted in 1991 that if the government ever nationalized health care it would be a deathblow to the nation’s economy.

“If left unchanged, the current policy may cost a generation of lost workers the full-time jobs and careers they need,” said Bentley.

To address the problems of finding and holding on to profitable work, Crown has developed Career Direct, an innovative evaluation tool for finding a path forward even in difficult times. To learn more, go to: http://www.careerdirectonline.org.

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Crown, a non-profit, helps people and businesses integrate their values into business practices, debt reduction, and financial decision-making. For more than 35 years, Crown has been offering economic analysis and advice based on timeless truths. Theirs is a strong, international grassroots organization with offices in the U.S. and overseas. Crown experts work one-on-one with individuals and business leaders, as well as through workshops and seminars, teaching people how to build on a strong foundation that includes the business principles and practices found in the Bible. It is well known for its cutting edge materials first developed by its founder, the late Larry Burkett.  For more information, go to www.crown.org or call 800-722-1976.

Media Contact:
Sandra Heinig
sheinig@ackermannpr.com
(865) 584-0550

On Politico, Crown’s Chuck Bentley outlines a way forward for debt-burdened America

Posted by – October 11, 2012

Crown logoATLANTA, Ga. – On the eve of the Vice Presidential Debate, highly anticipated for economic repartee between the candidates, Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley warned that ordinary Americans are now mimicking Uncle Sam’s horrendous spending patterns – and everyone needs to make a change.

Writing at Politico today, Bentley noted: “Bill Gross of PIMCO may have put it best when he said that we’re a nation run by fiscal drunks. That should now be obvious to all. Less obvious, and possibly more troubling, is that this unbridled binge spending is now practiced by the least among us. The poor are getting poorer when measured by their debt.

“A national crisis in spending beyond our means reaches from the White House to the home front. Recently, the Labor Department noted that the bottom fifth of Americans spent more than double their incomes (through things like credit cards, drawing from savings and payday loans). In a healthy budget, debt payments should not be more than 5 percent of monthly spending. But the Economic Policy Institute reports that in 2010, about one-fourth of the poorest fifth of households were spending more than 40 percent of their income servicing debt.”

Chuck Bentley, CEO of Crown

Chuck Bentley, Crown CEO

America is burdened by a Financial Education Gap, a serious lack of knowledge and skills for making a plan for success. But with more than 35 years of experience in helping people find a way forward, Crown’s MoneyLife® Mentoring program can help.

MoneyLife Mentoring begins with an intricately designed series of assessments that includes the MoneyLife Indicator™ (a financial health assessment), easy to understand tools and materials for making a plan, and five free sessions with qualified financial mentors so that everyone can ask their most difficult questions with complete confidentiality. Crown, a non-profit, is not there to sell any financial products, but to show people how they can make a plan to do well.

“After helping millions of people over the past 35 years make a change in their finances, we know that the hardest part is deciding to get started,” said Bentley. “But people can turn their own lives around, whether or not our political leaders make that choice.”

To learn more about MoneyLife Mentoring, go to: www.crown.org/mentoring

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About Crown: Crown is a non-profit helping people and businesses integrate their values into business practices, debt reduction, and financial decision-making. For more than 35 years, Crown has been offering economic analysis and advice based on timeless truths. Theirs is a strong, international grassroots organization with offices in the U.S. and overseas. Crown experts work one on one with individuals and business leaders, as well as through workshops and seminars, teaching people how to build on a strong foundation that includes the business principles and practices found in the Bible. It is well known for its cutting edge materials first developed by its founder, the late Larry Burkett.  For more information, go to www.crown.org or call 800-722-1976.

Media: For additional information about Crown, to schedule interviews, and other materials contact Sandra Heinig, SHeinig@AckermannPR.com.

Crown Financial Ministries and HOPE International train business leaders to prosper in today’s economy

Posted by – October 4, 2012

CrownAtlanta, Ga. – An innovative series of national events continue in October as Crown Financial Ministries and HOPE International bring their “New Normal” Entrepreneur’s Conference to Duluth, Ga., offering insightful advice and inspiration to those doing the real work in America. The aim of the one-day conference is to give business leaders tools, tips, tricks and training for successfully adjusting to the current marketplace.

“Building a successful business is about laying the right foundation and striving for the best practices,” said Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley. “Microsoft took off during a recession because the ideas and vision were in place. There was a need no one recognized and they moved to fill it. Crown and our conference partners want to give those insights to today’s business leaders.”

Early registration discounts are available for those who register online by October 16, 2012, in advance of the October 23 event.

Crown Financial Ministries President, Robert Dickie III said that the conference features business leaders who have put key industry concepts into practice in successful businesses of their own.

“This will be real world advice from people who know how to balance the books,” said Dickie, who was recently featured at FoxNews.com talking about Crown’s Career Direct®, a skills analysis program developed over the course of 10 years to help people identify their inherent talents and abilities.

More than 10 speakers and authors from different industries will present detailed steps that area business leaders can implement.

Jim Amos, Jr. is chairman and CEO of Tasti D-Lite. Before Tasti D-Lite, Amos was the CEO of Mail Boxes Etc., the world’s largest non-food franchise, which is now the UPS Store. He grew MBE from 2,500 to 4,000 locations in 80 countries, making it the world’s largest and fastest-growing franchisor of retail business, communication and postal service centers. Amos will talk to area business leaders about “THE JOURNEY” that each business must take from idea to reality.

Wade Myers, founder and co-producer of Venture Academy, has co-founded, invested in, and been a director of 25 companies. He has held the role of CEO in five of those ventures, including firms that grew into a global IT services company and a real estate services company with 16 offices across the U.S. He is an investment banker that focuses on mergers and acquisitions and capital formation for growth-oriented middle-market companies. Wade will be providing informative information whether you are running a business or considering starting a business to assist you in planning, launching and operating your company.

For a complete list of speakers and to register for the event, go to: www.entrepreneursconference.org

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About Crown: Crown, a non-profit, helps people and businesses integrate their values into business practices, debt reduction, and financial decision-making. For more than 35 years, Crown has been offering economic analysis and advice based on timeless truths. Theirs is a strong, international grassroots organization with offices in the U.S. and overseas. Crown experts work one-on-one with individuals and business leaders, as well as through workshops and seminars, teaching people how to build on a strong foundation that includes the business principles and practices found in the Bible. It is well known for its cutting edge materials first developed by its founder, the late Larry Burkett.  For more information, go to www.crown.org or call 800-722-1976.

Media: For additional information, contact Sandra Heinig (sheinig@ackermannpr.com) or Shane Rhyne (srhyne@ackermannpr.com) to make arrangements for interviews and other resources.

Crown MoneyLife Coaching provides personal financial coaching to individuals and families

Posted by – September 11, 2012

CrownKnoxville, Tenn. – Financial strain and growing personal and national debt have a stranglehold on Americans in a sluggish economy that has now crawled 43 months with higher than 8 percent unemployment. But what if our depressed personal finances are not just a function of the economy, but also a function of a crisis of education? Crown Financial Ministries this week is launching a new and improved MoneyLife Coaching Program that begins with a little old fashioned schooling.

“Today in America 36 states require some financial education before a student can graduate from high school – and that is a good beginning. But most people have never been taught how to handle their finances. Generations are struggling without the right tools,” said Crown Financial Ministries President Robert Dickie III. “Crown wants to fill the Financial Education Gap that exists in the lives of so many Americans.”

Earlier this year, USA Today examined the financial literacy of young people in particular – and found a serious problem.

Reporter Hadley Malcome wrote: “The Treasury Department and Department of Education have teamed the past three years to assess financial literacy in U.S. high schools, and the results haven’t been pretty: the average score of almost 76,900 students in 2010 was 70%. Last year’s testing of about 84,000 students and this year’s of about 80,000 students were both a point lower: 69%.”

“We can’t expect people with zero financial skills to make insightful choices,” said Dickie. “But MoneyLife can help.”

MoneyLife education begins with an intricately designed series of assessments that includes a Money Life Indicator that measures financial health, an on-line test that can be taken as often as desired to “take the temperature” of your financial health and ensure you are on-course. More than 10 years of experience with MoneyLife and more than 35 years in financial counseling has uncovered an interesting truth: this kind of training can really help couples.

“One of the things we’ve learned when working with couples is that money stress usually begins with conflicting views on how to make a decision,” said Dickie, who noted that more than 25 percent of people surveyed recently by Yahoo! and Fitness magazine reported that they fought most over money. That is more frequently than about chores (13 percent), kids (8 percent), sex (8 percent) or even the infamous in-laws (8 percent).

“We’ve seen that a plan like ours helps people find common ground over what is a very stressful topic: family spending,” said Dickie.

Rather than a cookie-cutter formula, MoneyLife is personal, strategic and tailored to fit the needs of each individual or family. For a one-time fee of $49.95, people will first go through a personal and financial assessment to get a plan created for them alone. Also available: easy to understand materials and personal education.

But Crown does not leave people alone in the process. While the assessments and materials come with a slight cost, financial counselors will meet privately, on-line or in person, for 5 free sessions so that everyone can ask their most difficult questions of people who are giving their time and knowhow to help. And it is all confidential.

“Real people don’t have one-size-fits-all problems or solutions, and too many so-called financial experts push a single solution or formula for everyone,” noted Dickie.

To learn more MoneyLife, visit www.crown.org.

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About Crown: Crown, a non-profit, helps people and businesses integrate their values into business practices, debt reduction, and financial decision-making. For more than 35 years, Crown has been offering economic analysis and advice based on timeless truths. Theirs is a strong, international grassroots organization with offices in the U.S. and overseas. Crown experts work one on one with individuals and business leaders, as well as through workshops and seminars, teaching people how to build on a strong foundation that includes the business principles and practices found in the Bible. It is well known for its cutting edge materials first developed by its founder, the late Larry Burkett.  For more information, go to www.crown.org or call 800-722-1976.

Media Contact:

To schedule an interview with a Crown specialist or to talk with people and experts whose lives have been changed through these tools, e-mail media@crown.org.

Media may also contact Sandra Heinig (sheinig@ackermannpr.com) or Shane Rhyne (srhyne@ackermannpr.com), 865-584-0550, for additional information.

Unemployment numbers point to hard choices ahead, says Crown President

Posted by – September 7, 2012

CrownKNOXVILLE (TN) – Crown Financial Ministries President Robert Dickie III on Friday said that the new unemployment numbers out “are unambiguous proof that a depressed workforce is still suffering, and America is headed toward hard choices.”

“The important number to look at today is the labor participation rate,” said Dickie. “So many people have stopped looking for work – 368,000 dropped out last month – that a tepid 8.1 percent is the new rate based on the fact that the government counts only those stalwart people who are still trying to get a job.

“But here is the irony: If the same number of people today were in the workforce trying to find a job as there were in 2008, the unemployment rate would be close to 11 %, according to financial analysts. Today’s statistical gymnastics do not mask the harsh realities that people face. For every person who has given up looking for a job, there is a hurting family that has not gone away, even if they no longer ‘count’ on government labor roles.”

Crown offers a number of tools to help people become free of debt with a plan for stable prosperity, including CareerDirect®, which equips people to determine their strengths to get the education and jobs that will sustain them.

“It is time to stop looking to government for solutions and take back the responsibility to find a way through truly harsh economic realities,” said Dickie. “Without new jobs providing tax revenue for government, even Uncle Sam won’t be able to help. The resourcefulness of the American people is the solution to this crisis of joblessness, high national and personal debt and stagnant growth.”

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About Crown: Crown, a non-profit, helps people and businesses integrate their values into business practices, debt reduction, and financial decision-making. For more than 35 years, Crown has been offering economic analysis and advice based on timeless truths. Theirs is a strong, international grassroots organization with offices in the U.S. and overseas. Crown experts work one on one with individuals and business leaders, as well as through workshops and seminars, teaching people how to build on a strong foundation that includes the business principles and practices found in the Bible. It is well known for its cutting edge materials first developed by its founder, the late Larry Burkett.  For more information, go to www.crown.org or call 800-722-1976

Media Contact:

Sandra Heinig, Ackermann PR

(865) 584-0550, sheinig@ackermannpr.com

Crown Financial Ministries and HOPE International Team Up to Train Business Leaders to Prosper Now

Posted by – August 30, 2012

Atlanta, Ga. – An innovative series of national events kicks off September 18 as Crown Financial Ministries and HOPE International brings its “New Normal” Entrepreneur’s Conferences to Durham, North Carolina, offering insightful advice and inspiration to those doing the real work in America. The aim of the one-day conference is to give business people tools, tips, tricks and training for successfully adjusting to the current marketplace.

Crown“Building a successful business is about laying the right foundation and striving for the best practices,” said Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley. “Microsoft took off during a recession because the ideas and vision were in place. There was a need no one recognized and they moved to fill it. Crown and our conference partners want to give those insights to today’s business leaders.”

Attention Durham, North Carolina, Participants: Register on-line by Sept. 11, 2012, for the Sept. 18, 2012, event for an early registration promotion.

Crown Financial Ministries President Robert Dickie III said that the conference features business leaders who have put key industry concepts into practice in successful businesses of their own.

“This will be real world advice from people who know how to balance the books,” said Dickie, who was recently featured at FoxNews (http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/19/8-mistakes-make-that-lead-to-unsatisfying-work/), talking about Crown’s Career Direct®, a skills analysis program developed over the course of 10 years to help people identify their inherent talents and abilities.

More than 10 speakers and authors from different industries will present detailed steps that area business leaders can implement.

Jim Amos, Jr. is chairman and CEO of Tasti D-Lite. Before Tasti D-Lite, Amos was the CEO of Mailboxes, Etc., the world’s largest non-food franchise, which is now the UPS Store. He grew MBE from 2,500 to 4,000 locations in 80 countries, making it the world’s largest and fastest-growing franchisor of retail business, communication and postal service centers. Amos will talk to area business leaders about “THE JOURNEY” that each business must take from idea to reality.

Anne Beiler is best known as the founder of Auntie Anne’s Hand Rolled Soft Pretzels – the world’s largest hand rolled soft pretzel franchise, and national business success story. What began as a single farmer’s market stand grew into Auntie Anne’s Inc., the world’s largest hand rolled soft pretzel franchise with over 1,200 locations worldwide. She will be addressing “NEW DAY, SAME PURPOSE,” detailing how a person’s business motivation can become a profitable enterprise.

Date: September 18, 2012
Time: 7:30 am – 3:30 pm EDT
Location: The Carolina Theatre, 309 West Morgan Street, Durham, North Carolina

For the complete list of speakers and to register for the event, go to: www.entrepreneursconference.org

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Crown, a non-profit, helps people and businesses integrate their values into business practices, debt reduction, and financial decision-making. For more than 35 years, Crown has been offering economic analysis and advice based on timeless truths. Theirs is a strong, international grassroots organization with offices in the U.S. and overseas. Crown experts work one-on-one with individuals and business leaders, as well as through workshops and seminars, teaching people how to build on a strong foundation that includes the business principles and practices found in the Bible. It is well known for its cutting edge materials first developed by its founder, the late Larry Burkett.  For more information, go to www.crown.org or call 800-722-1976.

Media Contact:
Sandra Heinig
(865) 584-0550
sheinig@ackermannpr.com