We chase money thinking it'll bring security. We seek success hoping it'll satisfy. But Ecclesiastes exposes the truth. Wealth alone never delivers. Lasting contentment isn't found in what we own, but in a personal relationship with Wisdom Himself.
Jesus. FaithFi study Wisdom Over Wealth will help you break free from empty pursuits and discover what truly lasts. Purchase your copy today or place a bulk order at faithfi.com/slash shop. Finding a job in today's economy can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to face it alone. Hi, I'm Rob West.
With interest rates staying high and the job market showing signs of slowing, now's the time to refresh your job search strategy. I'll share proven tips to help you navigate this season with wisdom and confidence. And then it's on to your calls at 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. This is Faith and Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial decisions.
Well, job hunting looks different in 2025. Competition is up, technology is reshaping how companies hire, and opportunities can feel scarce. But here's the good news: with diligence, adaptability, and prayerful preparation, you can approach this season with confidence. Let me remind you of Proverbs 27:12. It says, the prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.
Preparation is key, not just in life, but also in your job search. With the right strategy, you can steward your time, your skills, and your relationships wisely while trusting God to guide your steps.
So let's start with your resume. Gone are the days when a recruiter skimmed it for a few seconds and made a decision. Today, companies are using AI-powered applicant tracking systems, or ATS for short, to filter applications before a human ever reviews them. Here's the key. Those systems are looking for specific keywords and skills that match the job posting.
So instead of sending out the same generic resume everywhere, tailor your resume and cover letter to each role. Highlight the skills, results, and experiences that directly relate to the job. Yes, it takes more time, but think of it as stewardship, doing the diligent work to present your God-given abilities thoughtfully and effectively. And that effort often leads to faster callbacks and better conversations.
Next, let's talk about networking, because even with all this technology, networking is still king. Studies show that up to 85% of jobs are filled through referrals, and approximately 70% of positions are never publicly posted. The best networking isn't transactional, it's relational. Reconnect with old colleagues, reach out to mentors, and make new connections in your field. When you do, approach those conversations with genuine curiosity.
Don't just ask for a job, ask about their work. And don't forget your church community either. Brothers and sisters in Christ can be an incredible source of leads, encouragement, and prayer. Alumni groups, industry associations, even volunteer organizations. All of these can open doors.
Make networking a regular habit. Even one meaningful check-in a day can lead to unexpected opportunities. Another way to stand out is by being a lifelong learner. Employers are seeking individuals who are adaptable and willing to grow. Skills in areas such as AI, data analysis, digital communication, and project management are in high demand, and so are problem solving, teamwork, and emotional intelligence.
Affordable platforms like Coursera, edX, and Google Career Certificates make it easy to add new skills at your own pace. And when you do, don't just add them to your resume. Share real examples of how you've put them to work. It demonstrates that you're adaptable and ready to contribute even as the workplace continues to evolve.
Now, let's talk about your digital presence. More than 70% of employers check candidates' social media profiles, and nearly half say that what they find influences their decision.
So, clean up your accounts. Make sure nothing questionable is public. Then, go a step further and use social media, especially LinkedIn, proactively. Complete every section of your profile, request endorsements, and share thoughtful updates. It's like your digital business card.
When you stay visible and engaged, it becomes easier for the right opportunities to find you. And don't forget to practice for virtual interviews. Since the pandemic, remote work and online interviews have become standard, so test your setup, your lighting, your camera, your background. Dress like you would for an in-person meeting. Sit up straight, look into the camera, and smile.
Little details help you connect even through a screen. And when the interview is over, send a brief thank you email. It's a simple step that leaves a lasting positive impression.
Now, let me encourage you here. A slowing job market can stir up fear, but as followers of Christ, we don't have to be paralyzed by uncertainty. Preparation and diligence matter, but so does prayer and trust. Remember, God orders your steps, He knows your needs, and He promises to provide. All right, your calls are next.
That number is 800-525-7000. I'm Rob West, and you're listening to Faith and Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. Stick around. We work. We earn, we save.
But is that all there is? The Book of Ecclesiastes gives us an entirely new perspective on money that impacts our day-to-day lives. Faith Phi's study, Wisdom Over Wealth, 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money, unpacks life-changing biblical truths about wealth, work, and contentment. This resource will help you grow in how you handle wealth with wisdom and deepen your trust in God. Purchase your copy today or place a bulk order at faithfy.com/slash shop.
Faith in Finance is grateful for support from Sound Mind Investing. For more than 30 years, they've offered financial wisdom for living well. SMI provides step-by-step guidance for do-it-yourself investors. from those just getting started to those getting ready for retirement. More information, including a short video webinar on profit and peace of mind no matter what's happening in the market, is available at soundmindinvesting.org.
Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. Wow, looking forward to taking your calls and questions today. That number to get in on the conversation: 800-525-7,000. That's 800-525-7,000. Listen, you have questions in your financial life.
We all do. And you might wonder: does God's Word, this ancient document, really speak to modern personal finance? And the reality is it does. God's Word is always right, it's always relevant, it will never change. And we see it as really the source of truth.
Now, when you take those 66 books, those 2,350 verses, and you break them down, and we've done some of this analysis. A big chunk of them are around God owning it all and our role as stewards. Another chunk are around this idea that there's a seductive nature to wealth and that our spending reflects our values ultimately and our priorities. And then, thirdly, this last bucket of verses really are around wise stewardship and the idea that stewardship leads to flourishing. That's a part of God's virtuous cycle, his design.
And those principles that we see in that third category are really what we apply to the decisions that you and I make today in our financial life: namely, spend less than you earn, avoid the use of debt, set long-term goals, have margin or liquidity, and give generously because that breaks the grip of money over our lives. There's other issues that are addressed in God's word, like spousal unity and co-signing. And we see this idea that wisdom and wealth are both good. Wisdom and wealth are both a shelter, but only one preserves, and that's wisdom. And we can see in the council of scripture what God says about how we should think about making sure that wisdom accelerates faster than wealth so we stay out of a danger zone.
You know, all of those ideas are there. And so, I want to help you apply those principles to the actual. Decisions and choices you're making in your financial life today.
So, if you have a question, you can call right now. The lines are filling up, but there's still a few available at the moment. That number is 800-525-7000. Again, it's 800-525-7000. You can call right now.
Let's go to Pennsylvania. Terry, you'll be our first caller. Go ahead. Yes, hi Rob. I am calling on behalf of a situation.
That I know concerning what is the statute of limitations for a collection agency to collect. Monies. Yeah, it's a good question, Terry. There are statutes of limitations for debt collection, but Depending on the state that you live in and the type of debt. They can vary substantially.
So, most of these statutes of limitations will range from three to 10 years, but some can be longer, such as with federal student loans. You'll need to determine which. Statute applies to your particular debt. If a statute of limitations expires, the debt is considered. Time barred, and that's a term, and you can't be sued to collect it.
However, a collection agency can continue to contact you regarding the debt with certain legal restrictions. For instance, they can't call you at work if you tell them not to. In most cases, they can only call you between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. There's actually a complete list of restrictions that you can read up on at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, their website at cfpb.gov.
You'll just want to look for the collection restrictions. But really, you know, what I would say is if the debt is legitimate, then you need to work to get on a payment plan with that collection agency, let them know how much you can pay back each month and be prepared to share your budget with them. But to your question, there are statutes of limitations, but they vary pretty widely based on your situation. It was for a person's credit card.
Okay. Yeah.
So here's the bottom line. I mean, I realize there's probably a lot of pieces and parts to this in terms of how it came to be and what your relationship is to it. I would say if it's a legitimate debt, I'd try to get on a payment plan to get this paid back. Obviously, that's going to help to repair your credit. But to the question about statutes of limitations, yes, there are statutes of limitations.
They do vary pretty widely.
So you'd have to explore that a bit more depending upon your state. But hopefully that's helpful to you, Terry. If we can assist you further along the way, don't hesitate to reach out. Let's go to Peoria. TJ, go right ahead.
So thank you for taking my call. I sort of a question. I'm considering uh Basically, uh considering a Applying for Social Security disability This is regarding of A physical condition That was exacerbated as a result of a job I had recently. And I'm just curious. What are the pros and cons of doing that?
Yeah.
Well, uh it's a good question and the pros would be that uh you know it provides a monthly income if you can't work due to a qualifying disability. After a waiting period, you can also receive Medicare coverage potentially, and it may protect your eventual retirement benefit since your work record is frozen during that disability period. In terms of the downside, the only ones I can think of are perhaps that the process, the application process, is lengthy and difficult. Many people are denied at first because you have to reach or meet their strict definition. Of disability, unable to perform substantial work, and there's a clear definition around that.
Your benefits may be less than your prior income.
So, budgeting is really critical. And you usually can't work much while receiving it.
So, it limits your income flexibility. But the bottom line is: if you qualify for it, it could be really helpful to you while you bridge the gap, either while you recover and then go back to full-time work or recover enough to go out and look for another source of income that could replace this and perhaps provide a higher monthly income to help you more suitably meet your living expenses. Does that make sense? It does. It does.
Some of that I already did know, but there were a couple of. You mentioned some things that I was not aware of, that I'd not been aware of. Um I do have A referral to a local attorney who deals specifically with that particular subject. But I haven't had a chance to get a hold of that attorney to schedule an appointment. When I do though, What questions?
Would I ask that attorney? Yeah.
Other than maybe the ones I've already asked you. Sure.
Well, are you talking about specifically about how you qualify for it or questions around what particular aspect of this?
Well I'm guessing Yeah, I okay. Basically it would be how I qualify for it. And the other questions that I come that I think of, probably I wouldn't No, to ask until I actually meet with that attorney. Yeah, I mean, some things, the categories of topics might be first and foremost, eligibility.
So, based on my work history and medical condition, do I qualify for Social Security disability? You know, what medical documentation will I need? That would be important. You could ask how the application process usually goes. How long does it take?
What are my chances of being approved on the first try? You could ask about appeals because if you're denied, you would want to know what the appeals process looks like and how successful they often are.
So, I think those would be the primary issues. You could also ask, just one more thought came to mind: you know, how will going on disability now affect my Social Security retirement benefits in the future? And what happens if I recover and go back to work?
So, those would probably be the most important issues. Yes, I did think of the one about, okay, will this negatively if I am eligible.
Now will it negatively impact my Social Security in the future. Yeah, exactly right. I think that makes sense.
Well, listen, I hope you recover quickly. Thank you for being on the program, TJ, and call any time.
Well, folks, we still got a lot more to go, only half the broadcast underway so far, which means plenty of room for more questions. You have a question today. Looks like I've got one line open: 800-525-7,000. Stick around. A lot more to come just around the corner as we apply God's word to your financial decisions.
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Investing involves risks, including possible loss of principal. Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. We got lots of phone calls today. We've still got half the program remaining, so we'll get to as many calls as we can. Let's head to Chicago.
Gladys, thanks for your patience. Go ahead. Thank you.
So my question is, I owe $31,000 on our mortgage. and I've been paying an additional two thousand every month.
Now, I was told that I should not be in a rush to pay my mortgage because that's what I could use for taxes. And my interest rate is pretty low. I think it's like 375. What do you recommend? Oh, yeah.
No, I wouldn't agree with that. I think it's great to pay extra toward the principal. It's going to reduce the debt faster. It's going to save interest long term. Most people don't take advantage of a mortgage interest deduction anyway.
90% of taxpayers, especially under the current tax law, as of 2017 and now in the new One Big Beautiful bill, most people just take the standard deduction.
So you're not going to get any benefit from that interest anyway. And even then, you're only going to get the benefit equal to the nominal tax rate that you pay. And so I'd rather you own your home outright and get the peace of mind that comes with it. You know, the only case you could make, I... potentially is that if you were to take the same money and let's say you're you know that two thousand a month twenty four thousand a year and if you were to drop that into a You know, a high-quality mutual fund and put it at the risk of the stock market.
Could you make an argument that after you pay the taxes on the capital gains, that you could do better than 3.75 or whatever that interest rate is on your mortgage? Yeah, you could, because the market, on average, over the last 50, 7,500 years has annualized returns significantly better, more than double that interest rate. But that's just the financial side of it. You have to weigh the non-financial side. And if your goal is to be out of debt, By the time you retire, or if you're already retired as soon as possible, because that's going to eliminate your largest expense in that season of life and allow you to live more modestly, then I would say that's a perfectly appropriate goal.
And I wouldn't worry about what you can make on that money. You keep paying toward that principle and let's get it paid off. I love it. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for that answer.
It's perfect. Thank you.
Thank you.
You're welcome, Gladys. Thank you for your call today. Lord bless you. 800-525-7,000. She was sweet.
Let's see. We're going to stay in Chicago. Svetlana, thank you for calling. Go ahead. Thank you for taking my call.
Sure.
I'm 70 years old. I live in the city of Chicago, and I live in the area that is called Albany Park. It is very heavily populated. And unfortunately, with that comes a lot of accidents that happen here. And I'm looking for a car insurance.
And when I talk to people that are offering different insurances. They're telling me that because of my zip code, number one, And the heavily densed area and number of accidents that happen, my insurance will be a lot higher. And it does reflect that with the numbers they're giving me. My question is: Is that against the law? Also, somebody told me that is really.
against the law for them to ask me how old I am. And so how do I go about getting the best insurance for the dollar? My credit score is like eight hundred and twenty three. And I'm very responsible, respectful person in the community. I don't know what else I can do to change that.
Yeah.
Well, I appreciate that, Svetlana. You know, the challenge is that auto insurance rates are based on what they call risk factors. And those risk factors include where you live, your driving record, and your age. And so, if you're in a zip code, to your point, that has a lot of accidents, it's more dense, you're in an age bracket with higher claims, insurers will charge more. It's legal and it's very common.
So it's not discrimination, despite the fact that it feels unfair to consider those factors. It's called actuarial risk pricing. And that applies to both geographical location as well as age. Statistically, and that doesn't mean that's true in your case, but statistically, younger drivers and meaning very young drivers like just starting out and older drivers tend to have more claims.
So insurers price accordingly. And it's not considered unlawful age discrimination because, again, it's actuarially based, meaning they have the data to back it up.
So what do you do about that? You're not going to move. And you are the age that you are.
So you can shop around because different insurers will weigh factors differently. They don't all treat age the same. They don't all treat zip codes the same. You can ask about discounts, bundling, safe driver, low mileage. Maybe you don't drive as much.
Defensive driving courses for seniors, you know, you could raise deductibles.
So maybe you put a little more in your emergency savings and you go with a higher deductible to get the price down.
Some states have programs for seniors with safe driving records. It sounds like that would be your situation, certainly.
So unfortunately, they are able to do it, but it doesn't mean you can't do your homework and see if you can find something that fits your budget.
So then, in addition to that question, would it be better for me to shop on my own and call these individual companies? Or should I find an agent? Currently, I have an agent that really hasn't done anything for me. Just every year the insurance just goes up and I'm a little bit perturbed with that because I think they should do a little more of the, you know, legwork for me. Are you comfortable using the Internet?
Yes.
Okay. Well, I mean, you can quickly compare rates online and shop around. And that's not a bad idea. And so, you know, the sites that I would recommend, I could give you a few of them if you want to write some down. But I would do that.
That's never a bad idea and see what you come up with. I don't think it's a bad idea to use an independent agent. Where they represent multiple companies they can shop around for you. If you go with a captive agent like a state farm or all-state, they only work for one company, so the options are limited. You get more personal service, but you've got to do the legwork and get the different quotes.
And I think that's where these websites can do a lot of work for you in a short period of time. Or you could go find an independent agent, or you could, alongside those other two options, go directly. You know, some people prefer to pay a little bit more for the service and the reliability and the claims processing that comes from a state farm or an all-state or a farmer's. But if you're really just looking for the lowest price, You know, that's where these sites like Policy Genius or NerdWallet or Insurify can be really helpful. Does that make sense?
Policy genius. Policy Genius, another one, NerdWallet. Another one is called Insurify. Um and then um There's another one that's kind of a silly name, it's called the zebra. Yeah, so any of those I think could work pretty well for you and allow you to do a little bit of homework.
Folks, that's gonna do it for us. Big thanks to my team today: Devin, Taylor, Sandy, Pat, couldn't do it without them, and everybody here at Faith Phi. Enjoy the rest of your day, and come back and join us tomorrow. We'll see you then. Bye-bye.
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