I was reading a post in a financial coaches group about an individual who was tithing 10% even though he was in debt. I was surprised at how many people, most who are coaching others, advised that this person should not even consider tithing until he is debt-free.
It has been scientifically proven that if you do not learn how to allocate your income at the level where you currently are you will not be able to handle it when you have more money. As Derek Rydall likes to say “you will just be broke at a higher tax bracket”.
Now, one piece of advice I would have added for this individual would be to make sure he keeps his allocations equal. For example, tithing 10% without setting aside a portion for saving, investing, education, and play will leave him unbalanced, both financially and psychologically. If he could not realistically set aside 10% for each, he may want to consider reducing the tithing percentage so that he has enough to allocate equally between these five accounts.