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God's Word says a husband and wife become one flesh, but it doesn't say anything about prenubs. I am Rob West. It's true, you won't find prenuptial agreement in your concordance.
So does that mean a Christian should never have one? We'll talk about that first today, and then it's on to your calls and questions at 800-525-7000. This is Faith and Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. A prenuptial agreement, or prenup, is a contract couples agree on before marriage. It outlines how their assets, money, property, and other possessions will be divided if they divorce.
Who gets the house? Who gets the car? How will the finances be split up? All of these questions are answered in a prenup. Many argue that such agreements make practical sense, ensuring that difficult financial conversations happen while couples are still, quote, in love.
But as a Christian, should you consider getting one?
Well, God's design is that in marriage, two become one. Genesis 2:24 lays the foundation for this principle. A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Paul expands on this in 1 Corinthians 7:4, teaching that even our bodies are no longer our own in marriage, but belong to our spouse. In God's plan for marriage, everything is to be.
Be shared. There's no mine or yours, only ours. The pursuit of oneness is central to a thriving marriage. Further, God views marriage as a covenant relationship. Paul compares the nature of marriage to the covenantal relationship between Christ and his church.
In Ephesians 5:31 and 32, he writes: Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I'm saying that it refers to Christ and the church. God's design for marriage is meant to be a picture of his love for his people, a relationship built on love, sacrifice, grace, and mutual respect. When centered on him, it is a gift that reflects the message of the gospel to the world.
Now, while prenups might seem practical, it's essential to consider the potential harm one might do to the unity of a Christian marriage. Frequent faith and finance contributor Dr. Art Raynor shows. Shares three possible messages that come up from a prenup being brought into the equation. Number one, distrust in the relationship.
A prenup often suggests someone feels the need to protect their assets, which can imply a lack of trust. This can hurt because it reveals that one partner may not feel fully comfortable entrusting their life to the other. Number two, doubt about the marriage's longevity. Prenups can reflect concern that the marriage might not last, essentially preparing for a divorce before the marriage even begins. This uncertainty can undermine the covenant commitment God intends for marriage.
And third, one partner isn't fully committed. In a biblical marriage, everything, including finances, should be shared. A prenup may indicate that one partner is not fully committed to the oneness God desires, leaving room for mine and yours instead of ours.
So now that we've established what a prenup can communicate when proposed, does that mean that a prenup always indicates disunity? Or are there ways that a prenup can actually foster unity? Let's look at an example. If one or both spouses have children from previous marriages with inheritances at stake, a prenup can actually communicate to the children that you are pursuing marriage for the right reasons and that you seek their highest good when it comes to doing what's best for them. Of course, this decision should be made with much prayer and wisdom from godly counsel and advice to see if this legal arrangement suits your situation.
This helps ensure that the hard questions are answered about the marriage and that the husband and wife's intentions are carefully examined before moving forward. Ultimately, marriage is a covenant that reflects Christ's relationship with the church, which is built on trust, sacrifice, and unity. While there may be legitimate reasons to use a prenup, it should never replace the church. The trust and commitment that are foundational to Christian marriage. Both spouses should prayerfully consider their motivations and seek to align their relationship with God's design for unity and oneness in every area of life.
The process should involve open conversations about finances and trust, ensuring that any agreement serves the marriage rather than undermines it. As you both ponder whether a prenup is right for your situation, we hope that we've provided you with some things to consider as you pray about this decision. All right, your calls are next. The number 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000.
I'm Rob West, and you're listening to Faith and Finance biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. We'll be right back after this prayer. FaithPhi is grateful for support from One Assent. One Assent believes that your values inspire why you invest and how they can inspire how you invest. One Assent'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 slash FaithFi. Rising health insurance rates are pricing millions out of the market, and Christian Healthcare Ministries is here to help. CHM is affordable assurance, allowing believers to share the burden of medical bills together. You get simple, low-cost pricing regardless of health history or location.
Plus, you can enroll at any time with no contracts. Break free from the huge costs and hidden fees of traditional health insurance. Learn more at faithby.com/slash CHM. Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. We're taking your phone calls now for the remainder of the program.
We've got room for you. If you have a financial question, call right now, 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. Out to Texas. Hey, Paul, go ahead.
Yes. When I use a credit card that's got points, some of them are the rotating category ones, you get like even five percent back. My question is When they have these programs, 2%, 5%, whatever. When I like go to a restaurant and use that card, Are they charging extra fees to the merchant? And the reason I ask is just a sense of fairness.
It's like if the big mega bank wants to Throw me some extra cash, that's one thing. But if they're taking it out of the hide of the merchant, then I'd just prefer to, you know, use a regular credit card. Yeah, good question. I would say yes, but not directly. It's really indirectly.
And here's how: the merchant doesn't pay For your points directly, they pay card acceptance and processing fees.
Now, where could they in part or indirectly be paying for these premium rewards cards?
Well, the premium rewards cards often carry higher interchange costs than some of the basic cards.
So, the merchant's actual cost depends on its processor and pricing arrangement. And so, therefore, some of these premium rewards cards, you know, the issuer may charge higher fees or take a larger percentage from the merchant to, in part, offset it. But it's not a one-for-one in the sense that it's being billed back directly to the rewards that you're receiving, if that makes sense. Yes, thank you. Yeah.
So rewards are funded out of the general economics of these cards, which includes the processing fee, which includes the interchange costs, but also, of course, includes interest and certain fees like annual fees, which is why a lot of times the cards that have the more rich benefits will charge an annual fee. The idea being that you're getting far more benefits than the annual fee, which is why largely business owners will pay these big annual fees, like for instance, Amex Platinum. I mean, you get access to the airline clubs and you get premium status with hotels and rental car companies, but you're paying $350 a year for it.
Well, most business owners are putting that in as a business expense, writing it off, and then enjoying all the benefits that come with it. But at the end of the day, you kind of have to put it all together. And in part, those fees do support that reward. ecosystem. Hey, Paul, we appreciate it.
Thank you. Appreciate your call. Yes, sir. Call anytime. Let's go to Cleveland.
Hi, Barry. Go ahead. Rob, how are you? Great, thanks for calling.
Okay, I'm calling about long term insurance.
Okay. My wife and I took out a policy way back in nineteen ninety nine, Genworth Corporation or whatever they they were called. At the time, it was reasonable we were paying about one thousand five hundred dollars to two thousand dollars a year. And history showed that they haven't had any increases in premiums for many years. But now in the meantime, the premiums keep going up and up and up.
Last year, it was six thousand and some, and this year it's eleven thousand.
Now we're wondering wh whether really is worth continuing to keep it because We have gotten to the point now where We're about to be able to use it. I'm 83 and a half, and my wife is 81 and a half.
So we're getting close to being able to use it. But the company is pressuring policyholders and want them to sell because We have a closing there whereby if one of us dies, The other one will not have to pay any more premiums the rest of their life and so on.
So it's getting costly. But now I'm trying to figure out what you know, what we should do. Yeah.
Yeah.
No, I appreciate that. And obviously, that's a dramatic increase.
So, do I understand that it's now $11,000 a year in premiums? Is that right? Yes, it is. Yeah, well, that's significant. You know, here's the reality: ultimately, this is going to come down to your ability to continue, you know, to afford this.
So, talk to me about that piece of it. I mean, I realize it's a lot of money, and you have to decide: is it worth it for me to continue paying? Although you've been paying it a long time, and now you're getting to those years where it's you know, the likelihood of you actually collecting on this policy and being paid back for all the money you put in is much greater than ever, just as you age.
So, I'd be really hesitant to just drop it at this point in your eighties. At the same time, if it's creating a financial strain on you, what you may need to do is consider, even before dropping it, do we need to dial back some of the benefits just to make it more affordable? But how comfortably are you able to afford the premium at these levels? Right now we can, but the thing the thing about it is this, okay? we share it, both my wife and I share it.
If one of us use it alone, we can use it for four years. If not, we can split it. One half two years, the other one have the other two years and so forth. They have proposal each year now when they renew the policy, They have propositions on how you can reduce it and so forth and so forth. I wanted to choose one of them, but then they have a performer policy that they show you and there are a few variations of wording in there that we are not comfortable with.
Because we think if we Go ahead and take that. We'll lose That protections, if one dies, the other one doesn't have to pay anymore. That's the thing we're trying to protect. And I'm not certain that with Have the pro forma. you have that in there.
Yeah, no, no, that's really helpful. And, you know, the clause that you're talking about really is a game changer. And most joint policies, which is what you likely have just based on your description, do in fact drop the premiums after the first death, you know, while covering the survivor's care.
So that's a big incentive to hang on, especially in your 80s when the odds of needing care, you know, think nursing home or in-home help shoot up. A year in a nursing home could run you 90 to 100,000 a year or more. And if one of you needs it even for a couple of years, then the policy could pay for itself and then some. And to your point, it sounds like you could have up to four years of this policy paying out, which could, you know, run $400,000. And so, you know, it really is all going to come down to your daily benefit.
But let's say it's $200 a day for four years. You know, that's a good bit of money. You know, that's going to be $73,000 a year times four. I mean, that's almost $300,000. And you know, double that if you both use it compared to the premiums you'd pay before one of you passes away.
So, you know, ultimately, it comes down to just your health status and ultimately whether or not you can afford this. But to the extent it gives you peace of mind knowing that you've got it and that, again, we've got this clause that kicks in if one of you were to pass away, you know, can be, I think, a real benefit to hanging on with this thing, especially if we don't see continued dramatic increases. But we won't know that until we, you know, each year, you know, you'll find that out.
So I would be inclined to say, at least for right now, hang on to it. Perhaps what you could do would be to connect with an advisor who could evaluate this for you in light of your overall financial condition and even run some pro formas for you just to see how would this and any other increases impact your cash flow into the future. Because if you can hang on to it, you know, I think you'll be glad you did. But You know, the extent to which it becomes a real financial burden, you know, that could be problematic. And it may mean that you need to start looking at ways to cut the premium, which means starting to drop some of the benefits.
Let's do this. I've got to take a quick break. Why don't you and I finish up off the air? What I'd like to know is whether you have an advisor, and if so, I'd really like this person to get in that conversation. If not, I can recommend you connect with the CKA.
Barry, stay right there. We'll talk a bit more off the air. We'll be right back. Money always seems to ask for more. More income.
More savings. More security. But what if the better question is, how much is enough? This Faith Phi Field Guide isn't just a book to read. It's a practical guide that helps you prayerfully answer that question for your own life.
one step at a time. Order your copy of How Much Money is Enough today at faithfi.com slash shop. That's faithfi.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 the 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.
We've got room for you. So, if there's something going on in your financial life, we'd love to hear from you today so we can chat about it. The number to call is 800-525-7000. Again, that's 800-525-7,000. You'll get right through at the moment.
We've got our team standing by and any financial question today, again, 800-525-7000. Let's go to Alabama. Arthur, how can I help you?
Well, hello. Brother Rob, how are you, sir? I'm doing well. Thanks for your call. God bless you.
I've been a little long time listening, listening to Howard Dayton back in the day, but um I had questions about Fund stock, and recently, um. Cash app on my um app that I have started off a way you could purchase stock on it. And so I did purchase some smaller stocks for $140. But I wanted your advice on who could we get in contact with about Well, and um you know our understanding of buying and purchasing stock. Ah, yes, sir.
How much do you have? And first of all, thanks for your kind remarks about the program and Howard. By the way, be praying for Howard. He had a triple bypass, doing well. But if you know and love the ministry of Howard Dayton and you think about him, pray that the Lord would restore him to complete health.
In terms of the investments you'd like to do, Arthur, what do you have available on a monthly basis that you would want to put into some investments?
Well, right now it's just very small. I mean, I like I said I just recently. With the cash app, I purchased five smaller stocks.
Okay. With that total. Of $140.
So I let you know how small they were. Yeah, that's okay. We got to start somewhere. And, you know, those small, what I'll call micro-deposits are going to add up over time. And maybe you get to a place down the road where you can bump that up.
Yeah, I think you mentioned Cash App. I'd probably use one called Betterment, B-E-T-T-E-R-M-E-N-T Betterment. It's a robo-advisor. I'd rather you not be buying individual stocks. I'd rather you be buying indexes through exchange traded funds.
So basically, I don't mean to throw a lot of terms at you, but essentially, an index allows you to buy the entire market, like the SP 500 or the Russell 2000.
So you're getting wide diversification. Even with $140, you might own hundreds or thousands of companies by buying an index. And that's going to make sure that you're diversified and you're not putting all of your eggs in one basket. Betterment is one of the RoboAdvisors that's very easy to use. They have a great smartphone app.
And every time you make a deposit of $50 or $25 or $100, it'll automatically reinvest it for you and put it into an appropriate mix of indexes that make sense for your age and risk tolerance. And the way they're going to determine that is by asking you a series of questions when you first get started. But that would be the direction I would go. Thank you so much. I appreciate that.
That sounds great. All right. Hey, Arthur, I'm going to send you a gift. I'm going to send you a book called The Sound Mind Investing Handbook. It was written by our friends at Sound Mind Investing, Austin Pryor.
And I think it'll help introduce you to some of these terms and give you an overview of investing from a biblical perspective that'll be a blessing to you. I'm going to send it as our gift to you, my friend.
So stay on the line. The team will get your information and we'll put the Sound Mind Investing Handbook in the mail. Thanks for your call today. Let's finish out today in Texas. Maria, go ahead.
All right, I just retired. And I'm 70 years old. I still owe $11,000 on my house and about $11,000 to $12,000 on my car. My interest rate on my house is six percent, and the car. And it's like five or six percent too.
So the interest is not real high. And I have a $50,000 gold RA Mm-hmm. And I have about maybe one hundred and twenty in my 401k. I'm trying to determine that I'm going to live on. what I get from Social Security.
So I'm not trying to count the four one K. in my budget. And I wanted to tie it. And my other question is So I was going to estimate that I would still be tithing off of just what I get in Social Security, which is going to be after they take our Medicare Part B and then I have to get D, It's going to go from two thousand probably to around nineteen hundred.
Okay. So I want to keep timing. And I've also heard that you should roll over your 403B from Catch a Cat, because a part of that 403B, I have a money market in there. Yes, ma'am. Partisan cash and partisan stocks.
Okay. Okay, there I go. There's a lot there, but let me give you my thoughts, and we've got just a short amount of time. First of all, I think having 30% of your total retirement in gold is too much. At the end of the day, you need to make that call, but that's a significant concentration for someone in your stage of life, really for anyone.
And the reason I mean I'm saying 30% is I'm saying if I'm taking 120 in your 401k and adding 50,000 from your gold IRA, you essentially have a retirement total retirement assets of $170,000, and $50,000 is 30%. I would recommend no more than 10% personally. I love the idea that you'd live on Social Security alone. It's really going to take you putting a retirement budget together to make sure you can do that. I'd be happy to provide one of our certified Christian financial counselors.
To help you build that budget, because you're right. If you can leave the gold plus the 401k invested and maybe roll it over to an IRA and have an advisor manage it, I think you'd be in great shape. That could grow for the future, keep it invested in stocks. I'd have very little in the cash portion, maybe use bonds, but that would give you a nest egg that could continue to grow and you wouldn't have to touch it because you'd live on the Social Security.
So I'm going to give you a couple of sessions free with a certified Christian Financial Counselor, if you want it, to help you work on that budget. And then if you want to find an advisor to manage the gold portfolio, which I would reduce to only 20,000 at the most, not 50, and the 401k that you would roll to an IRA with bonds and stocks, you'd want to go to findacka.com to find a certified kingdom advisor in your area. That's my best advice, Maria. All the best to you. Thanks for calling today.
You know, we've covered a lot of great. Ground today. You know, before we wrap up, money management can often be confusing, a seemingly endless number of decisions that we have to make. And yet, if we think about it, we can actually reduce our money management just to five uses of money. There's the money we live on, the money we give, the money we owe for debt and for taxes, and the money we grow.
Live, give, owe for debt and taxes, and grow. And God's Word speaks to all of them. You know, when we pull the principles from God's Word out and apply them to our financial decisions, we can have confidence because they're timeless. They don't ever change. They transcend the tax code and actually allow us to move forward with peace of mind.
That's what we're after here on this program every day. I'm so thankful for my team on behalf of Amy Rios and Tahira Haynes, our call screeners, and Jim Henry. We couldn't do this without them, but we also couldn't do it without you.
So thanks for stopping by today. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day, and we'll see you next time. Bye-bye. Faith in Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you.
