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Money is never just about dollars and cents. It's a window into our hearts, a test of our faith, and even a testimony to the world. Hi, I'm Rob West. Few people have taught that truth more faithfully than Ron Blue. Today, he'll share lessons from his own journey from Wall Street to biblical stewardship and how the way we handle finances transforms us and our relationships with others.
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, it's always a special day when Ron Blue joins us. He's a financial teacher, an author, and co-founder of Kingdom Advisors. What makes his voice so powerful is that he speaks not just from theory, but from a lifetime of experience. Time and again, Ron has seen and lived how following God's financial principles can transform lives in profound ways. Ron, it is truly a delight to welcome you back to the program.
Thanks, Rob. Yeah. you again as always. Ron, would you share a bit of your own journey, how you came to see that God uses money as a tool to shape us in our walk with Christ? I know that truth has been at the heart of your teaching for many years.
Well, you know, I started out on Wall Street and learned a lot about finance there and I had an accounting firm for seven years and And did a lot of personal planning for entrepreneurs and professionals. And then, when I became a Christian and began reading. Uh Larry Burquette's work. uh really and some of Howard Dayton's I began to realize that everything that worked in the financial world. had its roots in biblical wisdom.
And so So over the last forty some years, I've just had a front row seat. to God's work of redemption and restoration in and through people's lives, And often that occurs as they handle money. I I believe that money Is a revealer of the heart and an entry to the heart, and is one of those. Kind of bottom line things when it comes to managing my life. According to God's wisdom.
Billy Graham.
So did it When you get your attitude about money right, the rest of life tends to fall into place.
Well, that's certainly been my experience as well.
Now, you mentioned the late Larry Burquette a moment ago. He often went a step further, saying that how we handle money is one of the clearest indicators of a person's spiritual life. Would you agree with that? Oh, absolutely. I think that almost every speech I give, I quote that and say that if you give me your checkbook and your credit card statements, I can tell you what your goals, your priorities, your values are.
And I can even see how you spend your time to some extent. Um I see. How often do you go to the grocery store and which grocery store do you want to go to that you like to shop at? And also, then it reveals. And how I honor the Lord from the wealth that he's entrusted to me.
So I absolutely agree with that, Rob. Ron, before we take our first break, what are some of the key lessons you've observed over the years as you've watched men and women put God's principles into practice with their money?
Well First of all, I think that they've come to the conclusion that God owns it all and that should be a good idea. Changes. Everything about the way that I shape life. I become a steward as opposed to an owner. of the things that I'm entrusted with.
I think that another uh thing that happens is that they tend to be content. And they are content because they have an eternal perspective and they know They know where they're headed. And they know that there will be ups and downs relative to this life and money. Yeah. Um but they're content with where they are.
Uh and they trust God and His wisdom. to give them the wisdom to make the financial decisions Uh are true to his word. They believe, in other words, that God is interested in their financial life. Will give them wisdom and guidance and direction. He will.
Uh always He says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Uh then that comes with uh money. Yes. I've learned that when uh husbands and wives talk about money, Um That it's one of those things that can be either a barrier to their communication and life together. Or it can be a unifier.
Yes. And once they learn how to talk about money, Yeah. They solve a lot of communication problems. That's exactly right. What you just described is what everyone longs for: contentment, peace of mind, and stronger communication.
And that's the result when we live by God's truth. We'll unpack more of this right after the break. You're listening to Faith and Finance. I'm Rob West, and we'll be right back with more from our guest, Ron Blue. Don't go anywhere.
Managing money doesn't have to feel overwhelming. or disconnected from your faith. The FaithFi app helps you budget with purpose, combining easy-to-use tools like digital envelopes with biblical wisdom and a Christ-centered community. Whether you're new to stewardship or We're looking to grow in generosity. The FaithFy app equips you to honor God with every financial decision.
Join over 70,000 others and start today by downloading the app from your app store or by visiting FaithFy.com and clicking App. That's FaithFi.com and click app. 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. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, every part of your life begins to change, sometimes in ways you don't even realize. And one of those areas is your approach to money, God's money, which He entrusts to us to manage. To share how that truth transformed His own life, we're joined today by author and teacher Ron Blue.
Ron, just before the break, you were talking about the reality that when we recognize God owns it all, it changes everything, not just how we view money, but also how we relate to the Lord Himself. One of the themes you've emphasized for many years is answering the question: how much is enough? And that's such a crucial part of this journey. Would you share with us what happens, the fruit you've seen when someone embraces that truth and begins to define their financial finish line?
Well When you step from uh Finish lines. You know when you've arrived. And if you don't set finish lines, you never stop. And I think the two biggest areas of finish lines. Uh and financial freedom really Or what's the lifestyle that I want to choose?
You know, we mentioned a time or two the two Harvard MBAs that set finish lines on their lifestyle before they left Harvard. Uh they did this. They did it right. And consequently, when uh they receive rewards for what they do, they know how much to keep and how much to give. I think fa uh setting a finish line even on accumulation.
uh is important so that I know I know when enough is enough. In fact, from a worldly perspective, Uh enough is never enough.
Okay, from God's perspective, there is an answer to the question: how much is enough? Yeah, and it will give you great freedom. when you set those finish lines. The truth is, when you start walking by faith, including in your finances, it changes your goals, even your financial goals.
So Ron, how have you seen the goal setting process shift when someone truly embraces God's ownership?
Well, when you recognize God's ownership and you Establish a lifestyle, and then you begin to think long term about what you would like to do financially. You find, first of all, that uh you can't accomplish anything. unless you have some financial margin in your life.
So when you Recognize that you're handling God's money and that He has plans for you. It changes the way that you manage the money that he entrusts. You to have. It changes perhaps even your thinking relative to education. I think one of the biggest decisions that parents have to make.
is do they provide a Christian education? or send them to a Christian school or do home school or public schools and and public schools not long by any means. But Money is just a tool. to be used to accomplish God's purposes. And he calls me to be salt and light in this world.
Uh and therefore When people look at me, they should not see someone better. But they should see someone different. different priorities, different values, different goals, different objectives. with the resources that God has entrusted to me.
So everything changes. And you mentioned a moment ago that it can even transform communication in marriage. But what about when only one spouse has embraced this? Maybe one has invited the Lord into their financial life while the other isn't on board, which creates real tension around money. How have you counseled couples in that situation to move forward together?
First of all, my mentor, Dr. Hart Hendrix, said God did not give you a spouse to frustrate you.
Okay. And what he was reflecting was the fact that we're two different people. We've been raised differently and uh our values are different and So we have to learn to live together, and we live together out of one checkbook typically. Plus it changes a lot of other things. Yesterday I got a call, for example, from somebody that I've known for years.
And she said, you know, you changed my life by the advice you gave me when I. I was in my first marriage.
Well, when you gave me counsel. I said, Well, what did I say? And I said, Look, God needs your marriage to Work more than he needs your money. She wanted to tithe, he wasn't saved, he didn't want to tithe.
So I said you need to uh honor your marriage. as probably the higher priority. Uh god has all the money he needs. And she said, he still gives testimony to how that changed his way that he viewed. the savior.
So It can really change everything in our marriage relationship. You know, if you had Judy. She got saved before I did, and she wanted to tithe. Off the income that I was earning, I'm not sure I'd have ever even looked at the gospel because it would have been such a threat. And to what I was attempting to achieve.
Even though Judy was a believer and you shared the same faith, Ron, I have to imagine that over the years, even as you were writing all those books that now sit on people's shelves, you two didn't always see eye to eye on money. I'm sure there was some growth and learning along the way. Maybe even mostly on your end, that had to be a part of your journey, right? Yeah. No, you couldn't.
Couldn't be more true. Judy and I we've communicated But we we have a financial advisor And the reason we have a financial advisor is I required all of our client managers in the auto blue company to have an advisor. And the reason is A third-party facilitator may not tell you something new about money, at least in my case. But he sure did help the communication between Judy and I. No.
And it just having him sit in on a meeting where we talked about money really facilitated a better uh relationship when it came to money. And I always counsel people: it's not his money, it's not her money, it's God's money. Yeah. The way you spend money and the way you communicate about money says an awful lot about your marriage. Oh.
It can be a great help to your marriage or it can be a great barrier to your marriage. That's right, Ron. We've got just a couple of minutes left. You've written in more than one book that money is a tool, and you touched on that earlier, but you've said it's a test and a testimony. Can you briefly explain what you mean by those two?
Well, like Paul said, I've learned to be content. I've learned how to have A little and I've learned how to have a lot.
So, a lot of times God uses money to test, actually, I would say to build my faith. Um And so it can be a test. Um Secondly, it without question is a testimony because. What it's How I live, how I treat money, how generous I am. How content I am.
Yes, I Incredible testimony to the rest of the world. And I think right now, in the culture we live in. If I can demonstrate contentment, confidence, peace. joy, good communication, the world would look at that and say, wow. Uh money must if money speaks to somebody's life like that and it works.
And does it speak to all of my life? And so I look at money as maybe being an evangelistic and discipleship. To all. It's also a testimony to the next generation as our children watch us hold money with an open hand and discover the joy of biblical financial stewardship. Ron, thanks so much for being with us today.
Oh, always a joy. Thank you for having me. If you'd like to dig deeper into how biblical financial principles can transform your life, check out Ron's best-selling book, Master Your Money: a step-by-step plan for experiencing financial contentment. You can find his books wherever you buy books, and you can't go wrong with any of them. Your calls are next.
800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. And if you prefer not to call, keep in mind, you can always send us an email at askrob at faithfi.com. That's askrob at faith. The letters fi.com.
I'm Rob West, and this is Faith and Finance: biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. We'll be right back after this break. FaithPhi 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. OneAcent'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. Are you feeling overwhelmed by credit card debt? As followers of Christ, we are called to be good stewards of what God has given us. That's why our trusted partner, Christian Credit Counselors, is here to help.
Their debt management program can help you pay off your debt 80% faster while honoring your commitments in full. take the first step toward financial freedom today. Visit ChristianCreditCounselors.org or call 800-557-1985. Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. We're so thrilled that you've taken the time to join us today.
We're going to be taking your calls and questions here in just a moment.
So, if you'd like to get in on the conversation today, perhaps there's something you've been wrestling with in your financial life, we'd love to tackle it. Just go ahead and call right now, 800-525-7000. Again, that number is 800-525-7000. The calls are coming in, but at the moment, at least there's still some lines open.
So, go ahead and get that question in the mix today. Let's go to Amarillo, Texas. Tim, go ahead, sir.
So My question is: My wife is retired. I am 59 and I'm wanting to retire next year.
So our house is paid off. vehicles We have some rent houses. They're almost paid off. When should we take or try to take our Social Security. Yeah, it's a great question.
I mean, I would definitely not take it before full retirement age. And so that's probably for you going to be 67 at this point. The reason being that you're going to have a reduction of about 8% a year for every year you take it early. And it doesn't sound like you need the income. I mean, you all have done a great job.
You're living modestly. You've prioritized paying off debt. I love the fact that not only do you have, you know, completely debt-free on the house and the cars, but even with your rental properties, it sounds like you're headed in that direction.
So I suspect they're throwing off some good cash flow.
So here's the reality. If you're in good health, relatively speaking, and you don't need the money, and it sounds like you don't, then I'd just let that money grow as long as possible.
So for instance, if you waited all the way until age 70 versus starting it at age 67, let's say, you'd get a check that's about, well, with three years, about 24, 25% higher than you would have. At full retirement age.
Now, you would have given up those checks for three years.
So it's going to take you about 12 years in the form of those higher checks, about 25% higher. It'll take about 12 years of checks to be paid back for what you gave up. But once you get to about age 82 on average, you will have been paid 100% of what you gave up between 67 and 70. And then you've got a check 25% higher for the rest of your life. That's a pretty good deal.
You're going to get that roughly 8% a year added to that check guaranteed. You're not going to get that in the stock market.
So that's why, for folks who aren't kind of counting on this money and aren't desperate for it, you know, as soon as they can possibly get their hands on it, I generally advise folks who are in relatively good health to wait if you can. But give me your thoughts on all that. Yeah, that does make sense. And you know, I'm just kind of semi-retired, so I'll still have a part job. you know, and my wife is a school teacher, so she brings home about twenty seven hundred a month.
Yeah, I I just kind of wanted to get your thoughts on that. As far as our investments, And pensions, do we need to? roll that over into something Other than what our companies have that in now, or yeah, what would you? And whether you do that now because you've already separated or if you haven't separated yet and you've got to wait and do that a little bit down the road, I'd go ahead and get that person lined up that you're going to work with to manage that money. I'd recommend you interview two or three certified kingdom advisors.
These are men and women who've met high standards in character and competence, and they've signed a statement of faith and they've had a pastor and client reference and a regulatory review, and they've been trained and passed a university curriculum around integrating biblical wisdom into professional financial decision making.
So you put all that together, and that's the CKA designation. There's about 1,600 men and women across the U.S. and Canada that have earned it. You can head to our website, faithfi.com. That's faithfi.com.
Right there at the top of the page, it'll say find a professional, and you can do a zip code search. If you want to ensure that your investments are aligned with your values, As well.
So, you'd want to screen for faith-based investments. You can't even indicate when you're searching for a CKA that you want a CKA who specifically works with faith-based investments, and it will limit the list accordingly. But all of that available at faithfi.com. Just click find a professional at the top of the page. And what you'll do, Tim, is you'll decide who that person is, go ahead and establish that relationship, do the discovery, some of the planning around it, and then you'll be ready when you want to roll that money over for that advisor to take over the management right away.
Thanks for your call, sir. God bless you. Thanks for your kind remarks about the program. Let's head out to Virginia. Hi, Roy.
You've been very patient, sir. Go ahead. Hi, thank you. I have a son that's considering bankruptcy. He has more than just credit cards.
debt and I'm concerned what that will do with Taking the bankruptcy. what that will do with his Credit and how long would it take him to recover? He's hoping to be able to buy a house. in the near future. Yeah.
Well, Roy, I would say he wants to avoid bankruptcy if at all possible. If he does go through bankruptcy, the impact on his credit, to your question, depends on the form of bankruptcy. If it's a Chapter 7, it's going to stay on his credit report for 10 years because the debt is completely wiped out. If it's a Chapter 13, it's going to stay on for seven years because he's going to agree to make at least partial payment on the debt.
Now, either way, the credit score is going to begin to improve after a few years. It won't be back to where it was until the bankruptcy disappears from the reports at seven or 10 years, but it certainly improves along the way if all other payments are made on time. Because the way the credit scoring algorithm works is the most recent information is the most significant in terms of how it factors into your credit score.
Now, I would say, just kind of from a biblical worldview, you know, the Bible is clear: the wicked borrows and does not repay.
Now, if he's forced into bankruptcy for legal protection, you won't find the word bankruptcy in the Bible. But I think the idea is that, you know, as he has the ability, he should make a plan to repay, whether that's through a 13, where it's through the courts or on his own. But to your question, you know, there is a way out of this in terms of repairing the credit. Over time, it's not going to happen quick, but it will happen, and it'll start a few years following the bankruptcy.
So how would that How would you be able to do it in another way?
Well, I think, you know, I don't know his situation, but I think, you know, really dialing back his lifestyle as best he can, contacting each of his creditors, trying to work out a payment plan, you know, I mean, leaning into this in a way that does everything possible apart from being forced into bankruptcy, which may happen if they're seeking judgments and he just doesn't have the ability to pay.
So I would just say, again, without knowing the situation, the next step would be to contact each of those creditors and try to get on a plan. That keeps it out of bankruptcy because nobody wants bankruptcy. He doesn't, they don't. And so, if it's at all possible to work something out outside of the courts, that would be ideal. It may not be.
And even then, he could still work on repaying it through either Chapter 13 or just negotiating directly with them following the bankruptcy. And they may say, We can't take it. The debts have been discharged, but he can make every effort to make restitution.
So, hopefully, that helps, Roy. We appreciate your call today. Folks, what a privilege it is to be able to help you navigate your financial lives in light of biblical wisdom. Goal here is to be hopeful and encouraging, but always to give you wise counsel rooted in biblical truth. Here on Faith and Finance.
Big thanks to my team today. Certainly couldn't do this without them. Devin Patrick, Pat Montague. Also thankful for Jim Henry and the great work he does, and everybody here at FaithFi. Have a wonderful weekend, and we'll see you on Monday.
Bye-bye. Faith in Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you.
