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To learn more about making a positive impact in the world through your portfolio, please visit investments.1ascent.com or speak with your financial advisor about OneAccent Investments today. For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace, is in all the congregations of the Lord's people. 1 Corinthians 14:33. I am Rob West. We're continuing our series on temperaments: how our God-given wiring shapes the way we communicate, relate to others, and make financial decisions.
Kathleen Edelman is back with us, joined by Andrew Stanley as we take a closer look at the blue temperament and how it influences our approach to money. And then it's on to your calls at 800-525-7,000. That's 800-525-7,000. This is Faith in Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial journey. Kathleen Edelman is the author of I Said This, You Heard That, and the creator of the widely used video series and workbook that has helped thousands better understand how temperament shapes the way we communicate.
Kathleen, great to have you with us. I'm so glad to be back. And you've brought a familiar face with you, Andrew Stanley. Many of us know Andrew as a stand-up comedian. He's also a preacher's kid with a background in corporate finance, and as you might expect, a blue temperament.
Andrew, great to have you as well. Happy to be here. Thanks for having me in. Absolutely. Kathleen, I want to start with a quick refresher.
I'd love for you just to walk us through the four temperaments to set the stage and specifically how each one influences the way we communicate and make decisions.
Well, we have to understand that temperaments have been around, you know, for 600 years before Jesus walked the earth. And what temperaments does is it tells us how we're going to think, hear, speak, communicate.
So we have a yellow sanguine that speaks the language of people and fun. It's an extrovert that's people-oriented. We have the red choleric, speaks the language of power and control, an extrovert that's task-oriented. We have the blue melancholic who speaks the language of perfection and order, an introvert that's task-oriented. And then we have a green phlegmatic that speaks the language of calm and harmony, an introvert, believe it or not, that's people-oriented.
So, all these influence relationships and how we manage money. Yeah, that's so good.
Well, Andrew, you are our official blue temperament, and that's where we're going today. And so I'd love for you just to start by what was your initial reaction taking this assessment? I know it's been a while, and did it help make sense of things in terms of how you respond? Um, definitely, and happy to represent the blues here. It feels like a lot of pressure to represent like a fourth of the population.
This is how we all are. Um, absolutely, it definitely validated me. I, um, I was not surprised after ahead of time kind of reading through the temperaments. Pegged myself as a blue. And so, when the results said that, I definitely wasn't surprised, but it did make me feel validated.
And, you know, you grow up and you kind of feel your strengths and weaknesses as a person. And it definitely made me feel better that my weaknesses were normal for someone like me to have, and my strengths were normal for someone like me to have. Not that I don't need to work on weaknesses, but definitely made me feel kind of off the hook for some of the things I'm not naturally good at. Sure. And made me want to lean into the things more that I am.
So it definitely helped me kind of understand myself and. Why I kind of am the way I am. Yeah. Yeah. So blues, you know, do exactly what Andrew just said.
They finally feel like they're understood. And I get a lot of thanks from blues. This is a person that feels like a square peg going into a round hole, you know, most of their life. And the temperament allows them to feel like they're seen.
So blues are deep thinkers and they value correct conversations. Their motto is: if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. Yeah, that's exactly right.
Well, we have just a minute before our first break, but Andrew, I'd love for you to start to connect the dots on your blue temperament and how you manage money. Interestingly, as I said, you have a background in corporate finance, now a stand-up comedian. Fascinating combination. But talk about how this intersects with money management. Totally.
The the normal route of for uh finance to comedy. This is the real track. All my comedian friends were previously financial analysts as well. Um, you know, when this re as this relates to money for me, it's kind of the predictable thing you'd think when you read about blues. I definitely look at money as safety.
When my wife and I were going through premarital counseling, we learned that, you know, I look at money as safety and she looks at money as fun. And so how do we merge those two? And neither of us are wrong, neither of us are right, but it's just the way we feel when it comes to financial decisions.
So that definitely affects the way I make decisions around money, finance, and planning. Absolutely. Well, if you are the blue that speaks the language of perfection and order, introvert, task-oriented, today is for you. Andrew Stanley with us today. Also, Kathleen Edelman, the author of I Said This, you heard that.
We'll continue to unpack the blue temperament and how it affects financial decision making just around the corner. Stay with us. FaithFi is grateful for support from One Ascent. One Ascent believes that your values inspire why you invest and how they can inspire how you invest. One Ascent's goal is to provide solutions designed for every need and invest in businesses that bless the people and places God has made.
They want to help investors do well by doing good. To explore a new way of investing that aligns with your values. More information is available at onascent.com and by clicking Analyze My Investments. Healthcare is complicated. It doesn't have to be.
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And select the program that fits your needs and budget. CHM is the original faith-based way of taking care of your Medical bill costs. Learn more at chministries.org/slash faithfy. Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. I'm Rob West.
With me today, Kathleen Edelman, she's our resident temperament expert. She's the author of I Said This. You Heard That. If you've not seen the video series or the workbook, which, by the way, Kathleen was just updated, right? Yes, just updated the 2025 edition.
All right, you need to pick it up wherever you buy books. We're doing a series where we're moving through the four temperaments, and today we're focused on the blue temperament: blue being melancholic, speaking the language of perfection and order. These are introverts who are task-oriented, and we're talking about how that particular temperament affects financial decision-making. Our resident blue representative today is Andrew Stanley. He has a background in corporate finance.
He's a pastor's kid, but also a very effective stand-up comedian. You've probably seen some of his specials on TV, and we're grateful he's here today. Andrew, Before the break, you were talking about just the impact of your blue temperament, not only on how you make decisions, but also how that intersects in your marriage, as well as you and your wife make decisions together. Anything else that comes to mind there? Totally.
I mean, the blue temperament definitely impacts the way I feel about money. I think I can be paralyzed by too much information when it comes to making financial decisions. Or if I feel like I don't have all the information, then I'd rather just, you know what, let's just not buy it. You know, if it gets to be too much of a conversation, I'm like, I'd rather just err on the side of keeping a big number in the account and we'll go on vacation next year, even if, you know, it probably makes sense to go on a vacation.
So I've definitely had to learn how to manage that mindset in a way that's still fun for my wife. Yeah, because she wants to see money as a tool to create experiences and memories and all kinds of things. And rightfully so. I definitely need to be pushed in that direction, whereas she probably needs to be pushed in my direction. Yeah, well, and we're talking temperaments.
That's exactly what it is. And what Andrew said was hitting the nail on the head: blues often view money through the lens of security and planning. They are careful, they're detailed, and they often have long-term in mind, mostly due to the fact that safety is one of their most important innate needs.
So they may overanalyze or hesitate to make decisions. And without the information, if they're not provided, they have a tendency to, just like Andrew said, feel overwhelmed or paralyzed.
So they thrive with a clear budget and they feel safe when things are in order. Yeah. And when it comes to money management, I mean, being thoughtful, being thorough, that's obviously helpful. Would you say that kind of gives you an edge when it comes to managing money? Yeah.
I think so. It definitely makes me a natural saver. I always say my vacation is looking at the big number in the bank account. That feels like a vacation to me. It feels like safety, and we're all good.
No matter what happens, we can handle it. And it's, you know, it when my wife and I got married, we decided, you know, to take budgeting very seriously, but. We learned that for it to work for both of us, in our budget, we have fun money and we have to spend it. And I kept getting in trouble because every month I wouldn't have spent any of my fun money. And so I'd have this big surplus in fund money and be like, yeah, but it's fun for me to see it in there.
So that is having a discount as my fun money. I can see it. Yeah, there's a party.
So it definitely helps me when it comes to saving, which I think most financial planners would be happy about. But like they say, you know, most very wealthy people say, you know, safe money doesn't make money.
So you definitely got to think about that too. That's a good point. And I'm loving this because you know I'm blue. And blues are wired for to be thoughtful and thorough. These are two great traits in financial planning.
No doubt. Empathy is also a great strength of a blue, and it results in them being able to be aware of the other people that are in their life, maybe in that planning. Sure. The temperament seeks to be understood.
So, you know, that's going to be in the financial discussion. All the time. Learning to trust others and make decisions without every detail might be a skill the blues need to learn, but they will benefit from encouragement to enjoy financial wins. Not just avoid making financial mistakes. Yeah, no, and that's a key idea.
Kathleen, what are the emotional needs or what I know you call the innate needs that typically drive someone with a blue temperament?
So the blue innate needs are safety, being able to trust their relationships and surroundings, sensitivity, which means to be understood, support, being offered or provided help, and space and silence, having time to decompress, process, or think. You know, when these are met, the blues feel seen and understood. If I haven't mentioned before, you know, you're either going to fill these with your strengths or weaknesses.
So if these are met with weaknesses for a blue, then they may try to control with moods and silence. Interesting.
So how does that resonate with you? Just this idea that I need some space and I don't want to be rushed in. Plus, safety is kind of at the core of everything. I was thinking about just not answering and trying to control the room of mood and silence. Which doesn't work great for radio.
Yeah, it doesn't work great for anything. I think it does. It does sound like me. I mean, I definitely relate to. You know, safety being important, like I mentioned.
The space and silence is big for me. I think, especially when it comes to making big decisions, like my wife has definitely learned that I need time to think about things. And she's more red-blue, and I'm more blue-green, I think. And so Usually, when there's a big decision to make, she already knows the answer. And she has learned, I'm grateful for, that even if she already knows the answer, she's learned to give me the space to get there on my own too.
Yes. And then I'm like, hey, I thought about it for, you know, three hours and I think you're right. And she's like, yeah, great. I already, well, I knew that, but glad you got there too. And, um, Even just understanding those simple things about ourselves has really helped us in our marriage and helped us understand each other and not just get upset 'cause somebody's not seeing things the way I see them and realizing, yeah, of course they don't 'cause they're Different temperament, that's right.
And again, I have to say the blues are the most grateful for understanding their temperament out of the four because, again, they feel so different. And they have the tendency to feel though if somebody loves them or married to them or works with them, a blue often can feel like that person should be able to read their mind. You know, so it's important for a blue to think through, but to advocate for themselves so they can be understood. And being able to express themselves with clarity, that can transform their relationship and reduce most of the self-induced stress and anxiety a blue can get to. Yeah, well, that makes sense.
Andrew, we've got about a minute left. What's one piece of advice you'd give to fellow blues as their representative on the radio or anyone in a relationship with someone who has a blue temperament? Totally. I mean, I think it's a lot of what we've already said. I think if it's advice to yourself and you're a blue, it's allow yourself space to make decisions and don't feel guilty for needing some extra time.
And obviously, if you're in a relationship with somebody like that, like my wife does, understand that they need that, even if you already know the answer. And I've learned that I just need to be pushed in a loving way sometimes. As long as people understand, I feel like people understand me. I don't mind when my wife is like, hey, we got to make sure this gets done. Um And just Chino, try to have fun.
Realize that uh having fun now is just as important as being safe later. That's a good one. 'Cause blues can hesitate to even start money conversations out of fear of conflict or being wrong, right?
So many blues don't start things they think they're going to fail at.
So they prefer to be prepared. They want to be presented the facts clearly because blues aim to do things in excellence.
So, because blues are skilled at seeing all obstacles between A and B, they're creative problem solvers, and that can be a great gift in financial planning. And they thrive when they're invited into collaboration without pressure. Wow, well said.
Well, I think we've successfully helped the blues understand themselves, and if you have one in your life, perhaps communicate more effectively. Kathleen and Andrew, thanks for stopping by. Thank you. Thanks. If you want to check out Andrew Stanley, go to andrewstanleycomedy.com, pick up a copy of I Said This, You Heard That, wherever you buy books.
And we'll continue this series in the days ahead as we unpack each of these temperaments. A quick break, back with your phone calls after this: 800-525-7000. Imagine having biblical financial wisdom delivered to your inbox every week, helping you integrate your faith and financial decisions for the glory of God. At FaithFi.com, you can join a community of over 70,000 people who are already receiving our weekly wisdom email, filled with articles, videos, podcasts, and exclusive offers on resources that will deepen your understanding of biblical stewardship. Start your journey today by creating your FaithFi account at FaithFi.com.
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That's goodinvestor.com. Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. We're so glad that you're along with us today and looking forward to taking your calls and questions today. We realize there's probably some things on your mind in your financial life, and we'd love to tackle them with you.
So, if you want to call right now, we do have some lines open. We're ready to take those calls at 800-525-7000. Again, that number is 800-525-7000, is the number to call. Let's go to Texas. Hi, Brandon.
How can we help you, sir? Thank you for taking my call. Sure. I was calling because I'm in the me and my wife were in from credit card debt about like um 8500 and as well as a vehicle payment, and I was just Cons, what would be the best way to approach that? I was thinking of opening a new card.
used to have the interest free payments, but her grandma has mentioned to me like a credit card relief program. I just wasn't too sure if that was um That would be bad on my credit history or anything like that. Yeah, it's a great question, Brandon. You know, the biggest thing, the starting point is for you and your wife to solve whatever got you into the credit card debt in the first place. And that has to be a balanced budget.
And that's a budget that's realistic. Then, not the if everything goes perfectly budget, but the budget that takes into account, you know, you have non-recurring expenses that come up.
So you might have a semi-annual insurance payment, and then you got Christmas once a year, and you got some family gifts that don't hit every month, but they come up. You got to get everything in the budget, and we've got to right-size your spending. We've got to get your spending down in line with your income so you have a surplus and you've got to build up an emergency fund.
Now, until you get that credit card debt taken care of, let's only build the emergency fund up to, let's say, $1,000. And then whatever you can free up in your budget by eliminating expenses, maybe you're cutting some subscriptions and you're eating out. Less, then we apply 100% of that to debt reduction.
Now, with this kind of balance, I'd recommend credit counseling. This is called debt management. It might have been what your grandmother was referring to. I would go to ChristianCreditCounselors.org. They're going to leave the debt right there.
They're going to get the interest rates down. You're going to send one level monthly payment, and you're going to pay it off 80% faster by doing that. ChristianCredit Counselors.org. Let's go to South Florida. Joanne, go ahead.
Yes. Hi, Rob. I just wanted to tell you and your team Thank you, thank you, thank you, a million thanks. for the advice, for the information that you give. It is absolutely Freeing if we had to go to an outside advisor for this, I mean, we could not, most of us, I think I was just speaking, could probably not afford it.
And the only regret that I have is that I didn't start sooner. Yeah. And I would implore, yes, and you've spoken to that, and you speak to that. Anyone out there who's on the fence. in terms of investing, please.
$10 a week, you know, $10, $12, that's about $50 a month. Just go to a brokerage, open it. I mean, I'm with Fidelity now, I have no interest with them, so I'm not Um but they will help you. They're so eager to help you whether it's a million dollars or five hundred and they will walk you through the you know um the process Please, because when I look back and I see how much money that I have left on the table, you know, for not maybe starting when you're 40 or 50. And I would say Just sit down.
Sit down with your bills. Put it pen and paper. I'm old, so put it, you know, pen and paper. And just list your monthly bills. It sounds so.
Fright, we say it all the time. But do it for me? I need to be organized, and I needed to kind of also do it a little bit of my way in that. I need separate accounts for separate things, you know? Yes, sir.
So whatever works for you, yes, the information is out there, but you have to let it work for you.
So maybe put your bills in one account, put your discrete the your other spending food, you know, your variables in another account. And just do it. When I look back, I said, oh my God, $50 a month. I know for some of us it may be a lot, and I'm still tithing. I'm still able to give to the children's fund.
But thank you so much, Rob, you and your team, what you've done. It's just Priceless, invaluable, and I want to thank you. The freedom that I have now. And the stress you know, off the shoulders with the money. You know, put some money in that in your emergency account and leave it there.
And then maybe start paying off the credit cards if you have that. Because maybe if you do it the opposite, that's recommended and something happens, you have to go back to the credit card. But again, you know, adapt it to. To you, you know, to your circumstance and what makes you comfortable. But please, you, your children, just let them start early because we say money.
The love of money is the root of all evil, but the lack of money is just horrendous.
Well, Joanne, that's incredible. First of all, thank you. Thank you for your kind remarks. I'm so grateful for what you just shared. Incredibly encouraging to me.
I appreciate that you called out the team because you're exactly right. This is certainly not about me. And I couldn't do this without an amazing team around me. And so thank you for saying that. I appreciate you saying you've got to make it work for you.
And so you've got to find the right rhythms and mechanics for you. It was having those separate accounts. I love that. One for your bills and one for other savings vehicles. I love that you said just start somewhere and start early, even if it's $10, $20, $50 a month.
Start somewhere, put it away, let it grow, and you will be glad you did. Your future self will thank you. I love that you're a generous giver and you've made a commitment to that along the way.
So, Joanne, that was a blessing and an encouragement to me. Thank you for sharing that. May the Lord bless you. Bless you. And next time I go on vacation, you might be hosting the program, Joanne.
That was amazing. Listen, the Lord bless you and stay on the line. I want to have my team send you a copy of our most recent edition of our Faithful Stewart magazine, just as our way of saying thanks for being a big fan and of the program. And hopefully, some of the articles in it will be an encouragement to you. God bless you.
Well, Margaret, I apologize. We're out of time today. I think just seeing your question here about, you know, what if I started somewhere? I've got limited resources. I'm on SSDI.
Your daughter, Margaret, I know, manages your money. And after paying your bills, there's $300 left over, and you're saying, Should I take $100 a month and invest that? And given what we just heard from Joanne, I think that was a perfect testimony for you. Hopefully, that was an encouragement to you, Margaret. Yes, start somewhere.
If you've got money built up in an emergency fund that your daughter's handling, so that's covered. Then, yeah, if you've got $300 totally discretionary, unallocated, and you could take $100 a month and put it away, you know, whether that's in a high-yield savings account or in a high-quality mutual fund at Fidelity or Schwab. I know Joanne said she uses Fidelity and they've been very helpful. That's great. Open a brokerage account, get it invested, let it grow, make a systematic contribution.
You will be glad you did. Margaret, we're going to send you a copy of the Sound Mind Investing Handbook.
So you stay on the line. Our team will mail that to you as our gift. I apologize we didn't get you on the air today, but I hope Joanne's testimony and what I just shared is helpful to you. Hey, Big thanks to that team Joanne was talking about: Amy, Jim, Omar, Tahira, and everybody here at FaithFi. We'll see you tomorrow.
Bye-bye. Faith in Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you.
