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Uh In a world where scarcity seems to define our daily experience, it's easy to feel like there's never enough. I am Rob West. where it's not enough money, not enough time, or not enough security. But is that really the whole story? Today on Faith and Finance, we're rethinking the scarcity mindset in light of God's word and exploring how faith frees us up to live with hope, wisdom, and trust in God's abundant care.
And then it's on to your calls at 800-525-7000. This is Faith and Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial journey. The belief that there won't be enough is anything but new. From the moment sin entered the world, scarcity became part of the human story. Not because God lacked resources, but because fear and distrust entered our hearts.
Jesus described the enemy, the thief, as one who comes only to steal and kill and destroy in John 10.10. That's exactly what a scarcity mindset does. It steals our peace, kills our joy, and destroys our trust in God's provision. It convinces us to hoard instead of share, to grasp instead of give, and to stress instead of rest. This mindset traps us in anxiety.
It's a form of slavery, where we measure life by what we don't have rather than by who God is. But Jesus didn't leave us there. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. God's abundance isn't a prosperity slogan. It's a promise rooted in his character.
Just look at the opening pages of Scripture. Genesis one reveals a God who doesn't create out of stinginess, but out of overflowing generosity. He fills the skies with stars, the oceans with creatures, and the land with fruit bearing trees, not because he had to, but because he delighted to. We don't serve a God of just enough, we serve a God of more than enough. As Elizabeth Elliott once put it, God has promised to supply all our needs.
What we don't have now, we don't need now. Jesus himself modeled this kind of trust. Though he had no home of his own and faced hunger and rejection and the cross, he never lived from fear. Instead, he lived generously, turning water into wine, feeding thousands with a boy's lunch, and offering forgiveness freely to all who came to him. And he invited his followers to live the same way.
In Matthew 6, 25 through 34, Jesus says, Do not be anxious about your life. Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. That passage doesn't promise us a life free from hardship, but it does promise something better, a life free from worry when we trust our Father in heaven. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, Jesus says, and all these things will be added to you.
So, how do we shift from anxiety to peace, from striving to trust, from hoarding to generosity?
Well, it starts with renewing our minds. We ask God to help us see the world, not through the lens of lack, but through the lens of His abundant love. We practice gratitude, which turns our focus from what we're missing to what God has already provided. We embrace stewardship, not ownership. Everything we have is a gift from God entrusted to us for His glory and others' good.
That's why Proverbs 3:9 encourages us to honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce. And we give not out of fear of losing what we have, but in faith that God will provide all that we need. As 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, God is able to make all grace abound to you.
So that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. Living in God's abundance doesn't mean you'll never face hard times, but it does mean that you'll never face them alone. And you'll never have to live enslaved to fear.
So, when the world says there's not enough, we can look to the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and know he is more than enough. His abundance isn't just about material provision. It's about peace that passes understanding, joy in the midst of sorrow, and confidence that our Father knows what we need even before we ask. If you're ready to trust God more deeply, especially in times of financial fear, I want to invite you to pick up a copy of our 21-day devotional Look at the Sparrows. It's written to help you experience the freedom that comes from seeing God as your ultimate treasure.
You can order a copy today, even place a bulk order for your small group at faithfi.com/slash sparrows. That's faithfi.com/slash sparrows. All right, it's time to take your phone calls today. The number 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000.
I'm Rob West, and this is Faith and Finance, where we help you connect your faith to your finances for the glory of God. Stay with us. We're just getting started. At FaithFi, we believe that money is a tool to advance God's kingdom. When you become a FaithPhy partner, you help more people discover the freedom of biblical stewardship and the joy of seeing God as their ultimate treasure.
As a thank you, you'll get early access to our newest studies and devotionals, our quarterly Faithful Steward magazine, and the pro version of the FaithFi app. Become a Faith Five partner with your gift of $35 a month. or $400 a year at faithfy.com slash partner. Faith in Finance is thankful for support from The Good Investor, a book by Robin John. In his book, Robin shares his journey from an immigrant child struggling in school to co-founder and CEO of Eventide Asset Management, a faith-based investment firm.
This Faith and Work memoir seeks to inspire readers to view their work and investments as opportunities to honor God and bring blessing to the world. More information is available at goodinvestor.com. That's goodinvestor.com. Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. I'm Rob West.
Well, it's time to take your calls and questions today. We'd love to tackle whatever you're thinking about in your financial life. That number to call today to get in on the conversation with Lines Open is 800-525-7000. Again, that's 800-525-7,000. We'd love to consider whatever you're considering.
Perhaps it's paying off some debt. Maybe you're stuck in some high-interest debt, and you just can't seem to shake it.
Well, we can give you some thoughts moving forward. Perhaps it's your credit score. Maybe you want to try to get that up or investing for the future. Maybe it's aligning your values to your investments. You know, there's a growing movement of faith-based investing that is really exciting right now with some world-class products, not only in the mutual fund space, but exchange-traded funds as well, which makes these investments more accessible than ever before.
In fact, there's some. Really new developments coming. I was on a part of a meeting last week with a new startup around a robo-advisor for faith-based investing. That's right. Robo-Advisors essentially allow you to start with a very small amount.
You answer some questions. An algorithm essentially builds the portfolio for you using often exchange-traded funds.
So you capture the broad moves of the market over time. It's very low-cost, really efficient way, especially for new investors. But this solution would basically do the same thing: smartphone-driven, beautiful website, but only with faith-based investments.
So these Robo-Advisor portfolios would consist of a mix of all of the best asset managers in the faith-based investing space. You could get started with as little as $50 and invest systematically.
Well, that's just an example of the kind of innovation that's happening in this space that I am really excited about.
So, I'm Whatever you're thinking about in your financial life today, our goal is to help you be a wise and faithful steward.
So, call right now with your questions: 800-525-7000. Before we head to the phones in the news today, the soaring cost of college and unclear degree pathways are pushing many students to skip or drop out, according to a recent survey by Elotion, a higher education technology provider. Here's a breakdown: 59% of current students have considered dropping out due to financial stress. That's led to a significant drop in college enrollment. Only 62.8% of 2024 high school grads enrolled in college.
That's a four-point decline since 2019. 56% of non-enrollees and 53% of current students cited expense as the main deterrent. Nearly 25% of respondents who had dropped out of college say they won't return due to upright. Cost and feel they're too burdened by existing debt. With college debt these days, it's a wonder that number isn't even higher.
Students are also looking for alternatives and are turning to vocational training and certificates, but over half are still unaware of these options. Here's what I would say: there are other options to pay for college or a trade or vocational school other than borrowing.
So keep your borrowing as low as possible. In fact, better yet, no borrowing would be my ideal for you as you think about entering college. Get creative, scholarships, and grants. You've got to be intentional and you've got to be really thoughtful about it, but you can earn scholarships and grants. Also, working is an option on campus.
You know, it won't surprise you, but I managed the Christian radio station at my college the final year. I was also an RA, a resident assistant, and had my room and board covered. My wife, well, she got over $150,000 in scholarships. They were very Intentional about it. She applied probably for hundreds of scholarships.
So there are ways to pay for school, don't just default automatically to those student loans, which I think in part has made college unaffordable for so many, specifically because they've been able to continue to raise the price of the sticker price of the tuition because they know that students are able to basically borrow an unlimited amount, and that's allowed them to far outpace regular inflation with regard to tuition inflation.
So some things to think about, especially as we get prepared to send another crop of freshmen off to begin their college experience. One of mine will be included in that, my second oldest, headed off to college this fall, and really excited for him. But hey, let's turn our attention to your questions today. We'll be diving into those in just a moment. The number to call to get in on the conversation today is 800-525-7,000.
Let's go to Lakeland. Hi, Phil. Go ahead. Yes, sir. I was just curious your thoughts on Fisher investments.
And if one and a quarter percent is You know, too much. Yeah. For what amount of money, what would be the assets under management? About 1.4.
Okay. You know, it's maybe slightly high for $1.4 million. It's certainly not out of bounds. I would say anything, you know, one and a quarter down to maybe 80 basis points would be appropriate. I would say if you get up to 1.5%, that would be too high on nearly $1.5 million.
As to Fisher, I wouldn't be able to comment on that one directly. I don't have any working knowledge of the organization. I knew they do a lot of marketing. They're very heavy in marketing, both online and on TV. I would just say it'd probably be worth considering somebody who shares your values.
We recommend the Certified Kingdom Advisor designation.
So perhaps alongside the organization you're looking at, you could interview a couple of CKAs there in Lakeland. You just go to our website, faithfi.com, click find a professional. But as to the fee, one and a quarter is probably at the higher end of the range, but certainly in the normal and customary zone. All right, well, thank you. And tell me one more time that website.
Yeah, it's faithfi.com, faithfi.com. And then right there at the top of the page, it'll say find a professional. And then if you go through the questions there, you'll get a list of certified kingdom advisors there in Lakeland. Thank you very much. All right.
Thanks, Phil. By the way, CKAs have met high standards in character and competence, met regulatory requirements, pastor and client references. They've met an experience requirement, and they've been trained to bring a biblical worldview of financial decision making. It's the only financial services industry designation focused on biblically wise financial advice. Again, you can check it out: faithfi.com.
Just click find a professional. Let's see. Indiana is where we're headed next. Hi, Karen. Go right ahead.
I just have a question on guidance for health insurance. Where you can go if That's affordable and a limited income. If you've had a past health history, I'm afraid I'll be penalized for. Because I've been sick for, I don't know, about a year ago. I went through some major health issues and We're running out of our resources.
My husband's retired. I'm on a limited income now. Is there anywhere you could direct me to and someone to talk to on this? Yeah, I mean, you've got a couple of options. You could go to the federal marketplace where you can compare plans and see if you qualify for subsidies.
So that's healthcare.gov, healthcare.gov. It's free, it's trustworthy, and you can look for a plan that fits your needs and budgets. You know, the top private health insurance comparison sites are eHealth Insurance. Another one would be Health Markets. And then I'll give you a third one: Health Sherpa, S-H-E-R-P-A.
Any of those could be an alternative to healthcare.gov. And what you're looking for is the plan type, the coverage breadth, the support level, any subsidy access if you qualify for it.
So those would be what I would be looking at in terms of the various options.
Okay, all right, thank you very much. All right, we appreciate your call today. 800-525-7000 is the number to call. We're going to continue taking your questions here in the final segment of the broadcast. Maybe room for one more question here in this next segment: 800-525-7000 is the number to call.
This is Faith and Finance biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. We'll take a quick break and then be back with much more right after this. Stick around. FaithFi is grateful for support from OneAccent. OneAssent believes that your values inspire why you invest and how they can inspire how you invest.
OneAssent'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. You're young. You don't go to the doctor that often.
Yet health insurance is still so expensive. If your health insurance costs too much, maybe you should switch to an affordable alternative. Take charge of your healthcare with Christian Healthcare Ministries. CHM offers programs starting under $100 per month. Check off the affordable box on your list and get back to what you really love: running your business or caring.
For your kids and have peace of mind while doing it. Visit chministries.org/slash faithfi to enroll today. This is Faith in Finance. I'm Rob West.
Here in our final segment today, we've got room for maybe one to two more phone calls. If you have a question, something going on in your financial life, we'd love to hear from you. The number to call today to get in on the conversation is 800-525. That's 800-525-7,000. I'm going to give you those last four, 800-525-7,000 to St.
Charles, Missouri. Hi, Andrew. Go ahead, sir. Hi, Rob. Thank you for your show.
It's very helpful information for many of us, so thank you. Thank you very much. I created an LLC with a rental property. I'm the sole member manager. It was my understanding that the tax filing could be a pass-through as a disregarded entity, and so I could just add it to my 1040 tax filing due every April 15th.
So now my tax repair is stating that I'm going to owe a quarterly tax, an estimate tax, And I was hoping not to get into that. Is it mandatory that I file that quarterly estimate tax? Yeah, so here's my understanding on that. I'm not a CPA, but I've got a working knowledge of all this. If you're a sole member of LLC, the IRS treats you as a sole proprietor for tax purposes, which means you are correct.
You can file your income and expenses on Schedule C with your $1040 each year. If you owe more than $1,000 in taxes for the year, then the IRS does expect you to make quarterly estimated payments.
So, yes, you file the $1040 annually, but quarterly payments are still required to avoid penalties.
Now, it's easier than ever to just jump on their website at irs.gov. You've got an account, you do your ACH transfer, and you're done. But if you owe more than $1,000 in taxes, they are going to ding you if you don't get that quarterly payment in.
Okay. Well That's very good to know.
So, but that answers my question. I appreciate your time.
Well, you're welcome, sir. Thanks for your kind remarks about the program. Call anytime. Let's go to Alabama. Hi, Mike.
Go ahead. Um I am sixty two and a half, sixty three in December. I'm looking to possibly retire early. Company I work for right now will be there 25 years come August. Management and my values are getting further and further behind.
So that is an emotional component to it. Since I have never retired before, I am looking at strictly at the money and insurance right now. And if I retire in January, I'll be taking home 1835 Social Security. I'm doing 2,200 give or take if we're on overtime or not now.
So that's a $500 difference. I can make that up. I'm also self-employed. I'm speaking with a financial planner tomorrow to run a bunch of numbers. To see where we're at, what I can do.
My wife's working. She'll be the insurance provider. She's still working. She's 65.
So what I'm wondering is, absent of the emotional component of this, what am I missing? I'm sure I'm missing something, something to look at because, like I said, I've never retired before. Yeah. Well, here's the reality. I mean, you need to consider is that taking Social Security early, your benefits are going to be reduced by about 8% for every year you take them early.
So are you factoring that in when you look at your primary insurance amount at myssa.gov? Yes, I actually talked with a representative at one of our Social Security offices in the area, and that's the number she gave because I was telling her I was looking at 2,000. At 2027 in January, it's going to be 1960 and June of 2027 to be 2028, absent any cola. Yeah, got it.
Okay. Yeah. So, I mean, as long as you understand that, but that's permanent.
So, you know, every year you could wait. And I realize it's not just financial because you said your values are misaligned. You may feel like, you know, I just need from a conviction standpoint, I need to move out from under this company. And I would say, if that's true, then you do that. And then the question is, is there another way to solve for this income?
You know, could you somehow delay this and maybe move to another more full-time job? Is there a way to ramp up what you're doing in your small business? But if not, and you really feel convicted that this is the way to go, then you just need to understand you. Are locking in that permanent reduction. And then you've also got the income limit of $22,320 for 2025.
So that's the maximum you can earn from work, not investments or pension, but work before triggering a penalty, which is a dollar withheld for every $2 you earn over that $22,000 limit.
Now, eventually, once you reach full retirement age, they're going to give that money back to you incrementally by adding it to your monthly benefit until you're caught up. But it will reduce what you're getting in Social Security in the meantime. But you may not be planning to earn that much, so that may not be a factor.
Well, I can. What the lady told me was that earning limit is, since I'm self-employed, is after expenses.
So it's not gross. It's net after expenses.
So, you know, I could ramp up the business and cover that. But what I was looking for is, you know, from you, and you explained it extremely well, like you always do, the ins and outs of, you know, doing this, absent of the absent of the emotional component of it. But yeah, I am D-U-N done. You understand? I sure do.
Yeah. So I think the only question would just be kind of run these scenarios out with this financial advisor where you say, okay, if we're going to count on, you know, the basically a little less than $1,900 a month for the rest of my life with the cost of living adjustments and my small business, what does that look like? And what other assets do I have? How long is your wife going to work? And begin to run some of those cash flow projections out through, you know, Age 90 or 95, and just kind of understand the implications of all of that before you make that call.
But it sounds like you feel set that you need to make the change. I get that.
So, the question is: just how do we solve for that income? Is it a combination of your business plus Social Security early? Or can we find a way to delay Social Security and let that check continue to build, which we'll appreciate when we get to that, you know, that higher check, but you may not be wanting to work as hard as it would require for you to fully replace the income that you've been receiving from your current job. And I get that.
So, you just need to factor that into the planning. But I think you're thinking through this well.
Okay. Sounds good. I've got $165,000 in a 401k also, and I'm not planning on even touching that at all if I can do the Social Security with my personal business and get up to the $2,240 a month mark because that's where I'm at now. With virtually, you know, we're virtually debt-free with the exception of our two automobiles, which will be one's December and one's the next December. And their interest is dirt cheap.
So after that, we'll be free.
So.
Okay, great. Yeah, now SSA is going to look at your net business income after expenses.
So you're good on that.
So yeah, I like it. And I'm glad you're meeting with an advisor to kind of review all of this in detail.
So Mike, call anytime. Thanks for being on the program today.
Well, folks, we covered a lot of ground today.
So thankful to have you along with us here on Faith and Finance. Our heart, that you would understand your opportunity and mine as well to be faithful stewards. Everything belongs to God. He entrusts it to us. We're to be his household managers.
Our goal, manage it faithfully over our lifetime, give it generously, save it appropriately, spend it wisely. We want to help you do that each day.
So come back and join us tomorrow. We'll do it all over again. Big thanks to my team today. Taylor Stanrich, Sandy Dickinson, Devin Patrick, and everybody here at Faith Vi. We'll see you tomorrow.
Bye-bye. Faith in Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you. Yeah.
