How Do I Actually Live Out Matthew 6 When I'm 69 and Scared About Money?
Key Takeaways
- Lorraine's inspiring journey shows that overcoming past financial trauma and moving from negative net worth to building positive savings is entirely possible.
- When facing a retirement income shortfall, look at practical solutions like finding a lighter, lower-stress part-time job rather than assuming you must work full days.
- Combat constant money worry by scheduling a specific appointment time each week to review your finances instead of obsessively checking accounts daily.
- Beware of affinity fraud, where bad actors exploit trust built within religious communities, and always utilize third-party custodians for your investments.
- Reframing unexpected expenses, like spending on takeout due to exhaustion, requires physiological boundaries rather than strict punishment when you are simply tired.
We’re diving into a heartfelt listener letter from Lorraine, a 69-year-old who's been through the wringer after losing her mom's inheritance to a scammer. She’s feeling pretty hopeless about her financial situation and thinks it might be too late to turn things around. But guess what? We’re here to break it down and show her that it’s not all doom and gloom! We’ll chat about practical steps she can take to ease her worries, like figuring out her monthly gap and trading her job for a lighter gig. Plus, I’ve got a juicy announcement at the end of the show that you won’t wanna miss, so stick around!
Check out the full podcast episode here
A woman named Lorraine reaches out to Ralph with a heartfelt letter, sharing her financial struggles and life challenges as she approaches 69. After losing her mother's inheritance to a scammer she met at church, she finds herself feeling hopeless and ashamed, still working despite her age. With a monthly shortfall and a retirement fund that seems inadequate, Lorraine questions whether it's too late to turn her situation around. Ralph dives into her story, highlighting her impressive journey from a negative net worth to having savings and investments, and he emphasizes that her past does not define her future. He offers practical advice on bridging her financial gap, finding part-time work, and reframing her worries about money to focus on trusting God. The discussion is both uplifting and practical, emphasizing that while the road may be tough, hope and action can lead to positive change.
Takeaways:
- Lorraine's story shows that even after tough losses, there's always room for a comeback.
- Don't let shame from past mistakes keep you from seeking help with your finances.
- Finding a lighter job could help ease your financial stress without working more days.
- Worrying about money constantly? Set a specific time to deal with those worries each week.
Links referenced in this episode:
- financiallyconfidentchristian.com
- brokercheck.finra.org
- advisorinfo.sec.gov
- financiallyconfidentchristian.com voicemail
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Schwab
- Fidelity
- Vanguard
Thank you for listening to the Ask Ralph podcast. We encourage you to follow us on our social media pages and rate our show. For more information about the topics discussed on the podcast visit Saggio Accounting+PLUS.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I stop worrying about money constantly?
Give your worry a specific appointment by setting aside a designated hour each week, such as Thursday at 8 PM, to review your finances and pray over them.
Should I hire a Christian financial advisor?
While shared faith is a gift, it is not a credential; always vet an advisor's background using tools like FINRA's BrokerCheck and ensure your money is held by a trusted third-party custodian.
What should I do if I have a monthly budget deficit heading into retirement?
Write down the exact numbers to shrink the fear, and cover the gap using a combination of part-time income, existing savings, or delaying withdrawals from your IRA.
00:00 - Untitled
00:37 - Untitled
00:43 - A Mother's Inheritance and Regrets
04:39 - Navigating Financial Worries: Lorraine's Journey
10:27 - Addressing Financial Concerns
16:54 - Managing Financial Worry: The Money Hour
22:17 - Finding Your Purpose After Loss
27:53 - Announcement of the Live Show
Speaker A
She's turning 69 this year and she apologized to me twice for asking for help.
Speaker A
She lost her mother's inheritance to a man she met at church and she's been carrying that for 18 years.
Speaker A
And she wrote me one line.
Speaker A
I have not been able to put down a number in her letter she never mentioned.
Speaker A
I want you to hear it.
Speaker A
And you'll see that she has this backwards.
Speaker A
So stick around.
Speaker A
We're going to get into it right now.
Speaker A
And don't forget, I've got a big announcement coming at the end of the show that you don't want to miss.
Speaker A
Hello and welcome to Financially Confident Christian.
Speaker A
My name is Ralph Estepp Jr. And I just want to thank you for joining me today.
Speaker A
I got a listener letter today that I'm going to share that is amazing.
Speaker A
We're going to get deep into the Word today.
Speaker A
We're going to talk about what Matthew 6 asks when the money is tight and the clock is short.
Speaker A
Like I said, I've got a 69 year old woman who's still working.
Speaker A
She's got over $100,000 in retirement and $25,000 in savings.
Speaker A
But she lost an inheritance to a man from church who scammed her and fled the state.
Speaker A
Now her doctor wants her to retire and she's got about $1,000 a month shortfall.
Speaker A
She's asking what does she do?
Speaker A
She said she's hopeless and she said she's ashamed and she thinks it's too late because of the timeline.
Speaker A
So I'm going to talk about all three questions today.
Speaker A
And if you've got a question for the show, just like this person, you can send to me by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com?
Speaker A
Again, that's financially confidentchristian.com question.
Speaker A
All right, well, let's get right to today's listener question.
Speaker A
But before I read the question, I saw this pop up in my email and the subject line caught my eye right off the bat.
Speaker A
It said this.
Speaker A
How do I practically live out Matthew 6:24 34?
Speaker A
And I'm going to be full disclosure here today.
Speaker A
I had to go look up what Matthew 6:24 34 was.
Speaker A
But let's get to her question.
Speaker A
And I'm going to tell you right now it's a little long, but it's so powerful that I want to read the whole thing to you.
Speaker A
And this is from a lady named Lorraine.
Speaker A
She said, hello, Ralph.
Speaker A
I've enjoyed listening to your encouraging biblical wisdom.
Speaker A
Heads up.
Speaker A
This is a long email and a complex story.
Speaker A
I'll be 69 years old female this year and due to my lack of retirement savings I'm still working and I feel so embarrassed about it.
Speaker A
All of my friends have retired and enjoying their traveling and all those sort of things.
Speaker A
But Ralph, I didn't grow up as a Christian and I was never taught anything about money, any goals or future, any of those things while growing up.
Speaker A
So money habits have been irresponsible and they haven't honored God.
Speaker A
But it's changing.
Speaker A
I was diagnosed in my 50s with complex PTSD and ADHD.
Speaker A
I think I've lived on survival mode, but I'm healing with the Lord's help.
Speaker A
I inherited my mom's home 18 years ago.
Speaker A
Her neighbor was a big drug dealer so I sold the house.
Speaker A
I had a 12 year old son at the time and unfortunately I lost most of the proceeds in a real estate flipping scam to to a fellow who I met at church.
Speaker A
I've since found out that he scammed many people and has fled our state.
Speaker A
My intention back then was to leave my career and help single moms.
Speaker A
Since the money loss and the trauma from it, I constantly worry about money.
Speaker A
I feel financially raped.
Speaker A
Since then money has become an idol because I worry about it all the time and I'm constantly checking on my stock performance.
Speaker A
I recently acquired a financial advisor who's not a believer, but I like him.
Speaker A
I have had such money shame since my youth and I've never wanted to see an advisor or talk about money until recent years.
Speaker A
Is it better to have a Christian advisor?
Speaker A
And I'm going to pause for a second.
Speaker A
That's question number one and we'll talk about that.
Speaker A
But let me continue.
Speaker A
And then she continues.
Speaker A
She says, I think the chronic money worries and the recent loss of my former spouse is affecting me in a greater way than I have ever imagined.
Speaker A
I'm under a doctor's care and thankfully nothing serious has been found.
Speaker A
I'm on FMLA and I have reduced my work week to two days.
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My doctor prefers that I retire.
Speaker A
I started taking Social Security two years ago and I was saving it since I didn't need it.
Speaker A
When I leave my current job, I'm going to have about $1,000 a month deficit after using my Social Security, but I don't want to start using my IRA funds just yet.
Speaker A
My retirement fund is around $100,000 and my savings is about 25,000.
Speaker A
Eight years ago my net worth was a negative $1,400.
Speaker A
Now I'm just going to pause there again.
Speaker A
Hear what she's saying.
Speaker A
Eight years ago, her net worth, which means what she owned versus what she owes was in the negative.
Speaker A
Let that sink in.
Speaker A
But then she continues, she says, yes, minus.
Speaker A
I paid off all my debt back then and and have used only cash since then.
Speaker A
Spending control is the problem when I'm stressed or exhausted.
Speaker A
I don't want to cook, Ralph.
Speaker A
So I purchase takeout very frequently.
Speaker A
It's a very unhealthy habit that I use to deal with anxiety.
Speaker A
I like to travel and also go on mission trips, but I don't want to reduce my savings account.
Speaker A
I feel hopeless and ashamed.
Speaker A
My son worries that he will have to financially help me, but I'm not dependent on that, nor do I want that pressure on him.
Speaker A
There's a product idea that I've had in mind for years from my industry and I want it to start working on it.
Speaker A
It's something everyone needs daily.
Speaker A
It also costs so much more.
Speaker A
But I'm going to start thinking and doing some research about it.
Speaker A
Any tips?
Speaker A
So that's question number three.
Speaker A
And then she goes on.
Speaker A
I need a godly perspective on how to navigate this message.
Speaker A
I feel as if it's too late because of the timeline.
Speaker A
I'm worried I'll be working till I'm an old lady.
Speaker A
Any idea how to navigate this mess and stop worrying about money and focus on trusting the Lord and still enjoying life?
Speaker A
The worry seems to take me off focus.
Speaker A
My main question is how do I practically live out Matthew 6:24 34.
Speaker A
I'm praying that God will use this mess to help others.
Speaker A
I'm sorry.
Speaker A
This story is overwhelming to ask about.
Speaker A
Blessings and thanks, Lorraine.
Speaker A
Well, Lorraine, first thing I'm going to tell you, thank you so much for sending it.
Speaker A
I'm going to be honest with you.
Speaker A
That question made my day.
Speaker A
Actually it made my weekend to be blunt and I'm going to tell the listeners right now.
Speaker A
I actually sent a response to her and we're going to talk about my response to her tomorrow because guess what?
Speaker A
Lorraine did.
Speaker A
She sent another letter to me that, that we're going to talk about on tomorrow's show.
Speaker A
But today I want to dig into that original letter and here's the thing.
Speaker A
I think that I noticed right away, Lorraine, your whole letter was about failure.
Speaker A
But you left out the only number that matters.
Speaker A
And I want to start there because eight years ago you said it, Ralph.
Speaker A
My net worth was a negative fourteen hundred dollars.
Speaker A
That was just eight years ago.
Speaker A
But.
Speaker A
But catch what she says.
Speaker A
She said, today I'm at $125,000.
Speaker A
But that's not even the best part.
Speaker A
She has zero debt, she's got long term care insurance in force.
Speaker A
If you think about that, that's $126,000 swing during the ages 61 to 69 after being ripped off and defrauded and having complex PTSD on one income.
Speaker A
Now, Lorraine, you call that a mess?
Speaker A
I call that an amazing comeback.
Speaker A
That is absolutely a testament to your fortitude.
Speaker A
Now, the urgency you're feeling right now is medical.
Speaker A
That's not financial.
Speaker A
Your doctor already said it.
Speaker A
Jesus said don't worry to people with real food insecurity.
Speaker A
So if he said that to them, it's got to be possible.
Speaker A
In real trouble or it's not a command, it's a taunt.
Speaker A
So how do we unwind this?
Speaker A
Here's the first thing I want you to do, Lorraine, is name the number right now that gap lives in her chest.
Speaker A
That feeling doesn't have edges, but numbers do.
Speaker A
So you've said it to me.
Speaker A
You said, I've got about a thousand dollar gap that I'm going to have if I stop working.
Speaker A
That's $12,000 a year.
Speaker A
I want you to write that down on an index card.
Speaker A
And under that I want you to write three lines because I'm going to give you a solution to this.
Speaker A
If you need to find $1,000 a month or $12,000 a year, I really think you've got three solutions to this.
Speaker A
You got part time income savings or IRA, you can do all three.
Speaker A
That $25,000 in savings covers that gap for two full years without even touching your IRA.
Speaker A
And Lorraine, you allude to something.
Speaker A
You don't have to touch your IRA till you're 73.
Speaker A
Now, Lorraine was born in 1957, so her first withdrawal will have to be in 2030.
Speaker A
So she's got four more years for that money to sit and compound and grow.
Speaker A
Now you also mentioned something in there and I kind of laughed, I chuckled when I read he said, work until I'm an old lady.
Speaker A
And That's a phrase.
Speaker A
$1,000 A month for a while is a problem.
Speaker A
You can only solve one of those.
Speaker A
I can't change your age.
Speaker A
There's no prayer you're going to say to, well, make me younger.
Speaker A
That's not going to happen.
Speaker A
But we can fix the thousand dollar issue.
Speaker A
And a number that you can look at is always smaller than the number you're running from.
Speaker A
Because, Lorraine, right now you're running from a number that I don't think you fully embraced.
Speaker A
Here's the Second thing I'm going to encourage you to do, trade the job, not the paycheck.
Speaker A
You walk right past this in your own letter.
Speaker A
You're already working the exact number of days.
Speaker A
That solves your problem, two days a week right now.
Speaker A
And you said to me, you said, ralph, even if I work two days a week, I'm still saving 700 dol a month on top of my bills.
Speaker A
Those two days, seventeen hundred dollars a month more full than retirement doesn't mean more days.
Speaker A
Your doctor said to you, well, maybe you need to have a different job.
Speaker A
Maybe you just need a different job.
Speaker A
Maybe you need a calm job.
Speaker A
Two days a week, 16 hours, if you can find it.
Speaker A
It lands right at the gap that you're finding.
Speaker A
And here's the best part.
Speaker A
A lot of people don't think about this one.
Speaker A
You can continue to work past your full retirement age.
Speaker A
The Social Security earnings test doesn't apply to you.
Speaker A
You can earn as much as you want.
Speaker A
You don't have any reduced benefits.
Speaker A
And a lot of people your age don't know that.
Speaker A
So many people leave money on the table because they think, well, once I'm on Social Security, I can't work or I'll lose benefits.
Speaker A
That's not true.
Speaker A
So if you could find a job of two easy days even at age 70, it's going to fund your income and it's going to give you a purpose.
Speaker A
You don't have to work more, you just have to work lighter.
Speaker A
But here's another thing I want you to do.
Speaker A
I want you to fence it in and not ban it.
Speaker A
One of the things you mentioned is that you're not good with spending.
Speaker A
You call take out a spending control problem.
Speaker A
But I actually disagree with that.
Speaker A
And I'm going to disagree gently.
Speaker A
You said to me you buy when you're stressed or exhausted.
Speaker A
That's not a business decision.
Speaker A
That's not a money decision.
Speaker A
That's a nervous System decision at 6:30 at night when you've worked all day.
Speaker A
And listen, you said it yourself, you're an older lady.
Speaker A
That's not a budget failure.
Speaker A
You can't budget your way out of a physiological state.
Speaker A
When you're tired, you're tired.
Speaker A
Your discipline's already been proven.
Speaker A
You paid off every dollar of debt.
Speaker A
You live it on cash only for six years.
Speaker A
That's an amazing thing.
Speaker A
So go around the willpower, not through it.
Speaker A
Maybe you decide this, cook once and eat four times.
Speaker A
Maybe on Sunday, not at 6:30.
Speaker A
You decide, here's my meals for the week.
Speaker A
Maybe you can freeze two or three of the worst night meals.
Speaker A
Maybe you put $100 a month in an envelope, go back to the cash envelope system and when the envelopes, guess what?
Speaker A
When it's empty, you don't have any more.
Speaker A
If you are going to ban this, you're going to break that.
Speaker A
But fences hold this together.
Speaker A
If you're spending three or four hundred dollars a month on takeout, and so many people I talk to are doing that right now, Lorraine, in your situation, if you were to cut that in half, go back to 150 to $200, that solves a 20% of the gap that you talked about.
Speaker A
You said you had a thousand dollar gap 20.
Speaker A
And you can find it right in your freezer by doing little planning.
Speaker A
You don't have a discipline problem.
Speaker A
You got a tired problem.
Speaker A
And tired problems and disciplined problems require two completely different solutions.
Speaker A
Now, I want to talk about that question you asked.
Speaker A
I interrupted you and said you asked this question about an advisor and this is a question I get routinely.
Speaker A
So here's my big takeaway for that.
Speaker A
You got to vet the advisor, not the testimony.
Speaker A
You asked it straight out, is a Christian advisor better?
Speaker A
And I'm going to give you an honest answer, but it's not a comfortable one.
Speaker A
And you know why this is uncomfortable.
Speaker A
The man who took your inheritance, you met at church.
Speaker A
And I see this all the time.
Speaker A
I wish I could say that I don't.
Speaker A
There's a term for this.
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It's called affinity fraud.
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It's a whole category of scams.
Speaker A
It's trust built in a sanctuary and it transfers faster.
Speaker A
And unfortunately, criminals know that because they're one of the people that's in the pew next to you.
Speaker A
And you assume, well, they go to the same church I go to.
Speaker A
They must be good people.
Speaker A
Not always.
Speaker A
And unfortunately there's a lot of people in faith that are out there scamming people.
Speaker A
So here's four things I want to encourage you to do.
Speaker A
Faith or no faith.
Speaker A
Because honestly, the answer, Lorraine, is it depends.
Speaker A
Number one thing, whenever you're working with an outsider, get their fiduciary duty in ready.
Speaker A
What that means is that ask them for an honest advisory email that says, here's what I am saying I'm going to do for you.
Speaker A
That's what's called a fiduciary duty.
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Second thing, ask them a straight answer about what they're going to charge you.
Speaker A
You can look, be blunt about it.
Speaker A
Do you receive any compensation from any source other than me?
Speaker A
Just ask that question.
Speaker A
Here's another Thing a lot of people don't think about.
Speaker A
Even if you're going to have an advisor get a third party custodian.
Speaker A
A custodian is a fancy way for somebody who holds the investments.
Speaker A
You can have somebod give you advice and say, here's what you should do, Lorraine.
Speaker A
Here's the stocks or the bonds or the trade you should do, but don't let them hold your money.
Speaker A
Companies like Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, they are what they call third party custodians.
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You get statements from them.
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You should never get your statements from your advisor.
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Never write a check to the advisor personally.
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Send it directly to that third party custodian.
Speaker A
And here's one more tidbit.
Speaker A
You can get a free background check.
Speaker A
Tonight I'm going to send you to a website.
Speaker A
It's called brokercheck.finra.org and we'll put that in the show notes.
Speaker A
And there's also advisorinfo.sec.gov both of those can check the advisor background.
Speaker A
And here's the thing, number three matters the most.
Speaker A
Number three would have stopped the Enron Bernie Madoff scandal of 2008.
Speaker A
Because if you go read that thing, Bernie Madoff was his own custodian.
Speaker A
He would take the investment people's money and he would invest in.
Speaker A
That was the entire trick.
Speaker A
When you do all four of those things, the beliefs that somebody has is a preference, but it's not a safety.
Speaker A
You can hire a Christian for counsel, but get a fiduciary for custody.
Speaker A
And some people run it that way on purpose.
Speaker A
I'm not saying that shared faith isn't a gift.
Speaker A
Shared faith is a gift, but it's not a credential.
Speaker A
I'd rather you have an unbeliever who can't touch your money than a brother in Christ who can.
Speaker A
There's one more thing I want to mention today, Lorraine, and that is you got to give the worry an appointment.
Speaker A
One of the things I hear throughout your entire listener question is worry.
Speaker A
This is the practical answer to your actual question.
Speaker A
You said it yourself.
Speaker A
You said, I check my stock performance constantly, Lorraine.
Speaker A
That's not stewardship.
Speaker A
That's the idol you talked about asking for another sacrifice.
Speaker A
You can't obey.
Speaker A
Today's trouble is enough for today while refreshing the app four times a day.
Speaker A
So here's what I'm going to propose that you do once a week.
Speaker A
Let's just say Thursday at 8pm that's going to be your money hour.
Speaker A
That's when you're going to check at your accounts.
Speaker A
You're going to look at your plan, you can pray about it and enclose that laptop.
Speaker A
And when that worry starts to rear its ugly head on Tuesday, say it out loud.
Speaker A
Say it.
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Not now, that's Thursday, 8 o'.
Speaker A
Clock.
Speaker A
That's not repression, that's an appointment.
Speaker A
That worry schedule expands to fill that whole day if you don't let it.
Speaker A
Verse number 33 comes before verse 34 on purpose.
Speaker A
What does it say?
Speaker A
Says seek first, then work the plan.
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Prayer is not a substitute for the spreadsheet.
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A spreadsheet is not a substitute for prayer.
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If you've got worry with no appointment, it's going to run all day.
Speaker A
It's going to idolize your life.
Speaker A
But worry with an appointment ends at 8:30 and I want you to test it before you fund it.
Speaker A
One of the other things you mentioned is this product idea you have and it's actually kind of an interesting thing.
Speaker A
You didn't mention much about it, but I'm suspecting it's something you know a lot about because you said it's 30 years inside your industry and you asked me for tips about what to do that.
Speaker A
So absolutely, I would definitely look into it.
Speaker A
But given what you survived, you went through some scams in your life.
Speaker A
I think the order matters.
Speaker A
So here's the rule one, number one thing, don't fund it out of your $25,000 savings.
Speaker A
That money has a job.
Speaker A
That's your Runway.
Speaker A
Give the idea its own budget.
Speaker A
Let's say $500.
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Here's what I'm willing to spend.
Speaker A
I'm willing to put $500 in that, but then make it earn its next dollar.
Speaker A
Talk to 25 people in the industry before you build anything.
Speaker A
And you shouldn't ask them, would you buy this?
Speaker A
People are polite.
Speaker A
This is the problem.
Speaker A
People are very nice to people with ideas.
Speaker A
You might say to them, hey, I'm thinking about doing this or oh, Lorraine, that's a great idea.
Speaker A
So don't ask that question.
Speaker A
Ask how do you handle this situation today?
Speaker A
You mentioned that it's something that people need every day.
Speaker A
Ask them how they handle it today, what does it cost them today and what have they already tried?
Speaker A
And then maybe take a deposit or take pre orders before spending any money.
Speaker A
Because if you can't find anybody that's willing to put some money down, even 20 bucks, the problem isn't the product.
Speaker A
The problem could be there's no need for it.
Speaker A
You can get a provisional patent.
Speaker A
It might qualify for something called the USPTO, which is a micro entity status, that's an 80% fee reduction.
Speaker A
So one of the other things is, go find a real patent attorney, pay them for their time.
Speaker A
Be careful about this, though, because if you go online, there's a bunch of what these call invention promotion companies.
Speaker A
Their scams aim at exactly your situation.
Speaker A
And you already got scammed once.
Speaker A
So a real asset isn't the idea.
Speaker A
It's 30 years seeing the problem from the inside.
Speaker A
So sell it before you build it, Lorraine.
Speaker A
The market's going to tell you the truth for free, but only if you ask before you spend.
Speaker A
Now, Lorena, want to go a little deeper?
Speaker A
Because you told me your plan was to leave your career and help single mothers, and I haven't talked about that at all.
Speaker A
But then you said the money was taken, Ralph, and the plan died with the money.
Speaker A
And now you spent 18 years believing a thief took your calling along with your inheritance.
Speaker A
And I don't think he did.
Speaker A
I think he took the funding and you assumed he took the assignment.
Speaker A
But there's a difference there.
Speaker A
Faith doesn't promise you'll get back the 18 years that you lost, Lorraine.
Speaker A
I think that ship has sailed.
Speaker A
And it doesn't promise that the money's going to return or that the man is ever caught, probably will never get caught.
Speaker A
But what it does promise is that nothing that happened to you was wasted.
Speaker A
Nothing that you, These journeys you've gone through were not wasted, in my opinion.
Speaker A
And God hasn't limited to the version of your life that had the inheritance in it.
Speaker A
Let's go right to Matthew 6:26.
Speaker A
It says, look at the birds.
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They don't plan or harvest or store food in barns, for your Heavenly Father feeds them.
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People read that like birds are idle, like birds are not idle.
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Birds are not idle.
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Birds are out there scooping up food.
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A sparrow, A bird, it's called a sparrow, works from sunup to sundown.
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They don't have a barn, but they have a stockpile against every possible tomorrow.
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God feeds them through their effort.
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See, they're still engaged.
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They still go out.
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They leave the nest, they go do stuff.
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That provision and diligence were never opposites.
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They're in the same sentence.
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And that's your answer.
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Keep working the plan and stop trying to build a barn big enough to make fear go away.
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You're never going to build a barn big, big enough to let that fear go away.
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There isn't one.
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And that's what you've been trying to do for 18 years.
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So, Lorraine, that plan to help single mothers never required money.
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It Just required you.
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And you're still you.
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And you've got a testimony that is amazing.
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Think about this.
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A woman who rebuilt from below.06 in her 60s, who knows exactly what fraud does to a person's soul, who can look at that frightened young mother in the eye and say, I've been where you are and here's what I did.
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Lorraine, that's not a woman waiting for funding.
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You've been waiting on permission.
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Consider this your permission slip, Lorraine.
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You apologize twice for the length and for the weight of what you said.
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But you didn't overwhelm me.
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You trust me.
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And those are two different things.
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And only one needs an apology.
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A woman can name her own idol out loud is most of the way to laying it down.
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Most people can't ever see theirs.
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So, Lorraine and anybody else that's facing a similar circumstance, here's your win for today.
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I want you to write down your gap on that index card.
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You told me it's $1,000 a month.
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And then under that, I want you to write three lines.
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Part time income, savings or ira.
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Put it where you're going to see it every day.
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Now, this isn't meant to scare you.
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It's meant to shrink the beast that you're looking at.
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It's not a budget, it's not a plan, it's not a decision, just a number with edges.
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Because Lorraine, right now, that's living in your chest.
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And things in your chest have no size limit.
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But then on that index card, it's $12,000 a year and you have $25,000 in the bank.
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10 Minutes of work, that takes the monster costume off.
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Let's get into today's Bible verse because Lorraine gave us a great one today.
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It's Matthew 6:34.
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It says, so don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.
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Today's trouble is enough for today.
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Man, can't we all just relish in that today?
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Lorraine, you're not living for today.
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You're living for a version of age 80 that hasn't happened and may never happen.
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Jesus didn't say there's no trouble.
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He said today's trouble is enough.
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I'm not denying the gap.
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I'm just rationing it.
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Every step today is a today's step.
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Just that one index card, that one email, that one envelope, one hour on Thursday.
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That's the whole method.
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Obey verse 34 by giving today.
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That's something you can do today.
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Well, how about we pray that.
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I've got a special announcement for you.
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Heavenly Father, today I'm praying for lorraine.
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Lorraine's turning 69.
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She's tired and she's carrying 18 years of shame for a crime that was done to her.
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And Lord, you know what happened.
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She lost her mother's home to a man who used your church as his hunting ground and she's been paying interest on that ever since.
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So Lord, right now I just ask that you would lift the shame that was never hers to carry.
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And it's done nothing but to slow her down, Lord, so give her rest.
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Her doctor already said her body is saying she needs the rest, Lord, so give her wisdom about when to leave the job.
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Maybe you can provide some lighter work that closes that gap.
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And guard her advisor's hands.
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Give her courage to ask hard questions and remind her, Lord, you haven't lost track of her calling just because the funny disappeared.
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Lord, you already answered her last prayer.
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She asked you to use this mess to help others.
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And right now someone is hearing it and you're using it, Lord, and I just ask this in Jesus name.
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Amen, friend.
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If you wrote that letter or one like it in your head, you did the bravest thing.
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You said the numbers out loud.
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Nothing about your situation has changed in the last few minutes.
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What's changed is it now has edges, it has a shape and six things to do about it.
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So here's my takeaways for today.
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Write that gap on an index card.
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It'll take 10 minutes.
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Trade that job, not the paycheck.
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Maybe you find two days work doing lighter work.
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Fence that takeout, don't ban it.
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Run your advisor through broker check.
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Set that money hour where you worry about it for that one hour and test that product idea.
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And if you've got a question for the show, you know what you can do.
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You can write like Lorraine did or you can send me a voicemail.
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And you can do that by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com voicemail.
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We'll put a link in the show notes.
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But again, Lorraine, thank you so much today but you can call me and leave me a voicemail@financiallyconfidentchristian.com voicemail Now, I told you about an announcement, so before I go, I have something new to tell you about.
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Starting this Monday, August 31st, we're going to be offering a brand new live show.
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It's going to be called Becoming Financially Confident.
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That's what this show is going to become.
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It's going to be live every single weekday at 11:30am Eastern.
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And here's the best part it's going to be a full hour with me and a co host.
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So guess what?
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You're not going to just hear my voice anymore.
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You're going to hear two voices from completely two different perspectives.
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And yes, we're still going to talk about real bills, we're talking about real numbers, but it's never going to be a jargon and it's never going to be about shame.
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And live chat is part of the story and it's part of the show.
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Your questions get answered right there live on the air.
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But this podcast isn't going anywhere.
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The live show is where we go deeper in real time.
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So if 11:30am doesn't work for you, don't worry about it.
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We're going to go live at 11:30 Eastern and and then the whole show's gonna get released as a podcast episode later that same day.
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So you can hear us live or you can watch it on your drive home or listen to it on your drive home.
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And again, it starts Monday, August 31st, and I'm super excited about it at 11:30am Eastern.
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And I would love to see you there or I'll see you here.
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Cause it's not changing.
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So thank you so much for joining me today.
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Again, Lorraine, thank you for that deep question.
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And don't forget tomorrow we're gonna have Lorraine's follow up question.
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So make sure you join us tomorrow and stay financially savvy.
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May God bless you and you have a truly great day.
