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dot com slash cc. Or call eight hundred five five seven nineteen eighty five. Proverbs eighteen eleven says, "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city. They imagine it a wall too high to scale." Hi, I'm Rob West. Money can provide real protection, but it can also give us a false sense of security.
In First Samuel twenty five, a wealthy man named Nabal learned just how dangerous that can be. We'll talk about that today, and then it's on to your calls at eight hundred five two. Two five seven thousand. This is faith and finance: biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. Let's go back to First Samuel 25.
Naabal was extremely wealthy, owning 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. His wife Abigail is described as intelligent and discerning, but Naabal himself was harsh and badly behaved. As the story unfolds, we see how much confidence he placed in his possessions and status. At the time, David was still fleeing from King Saul, while David and his men were living. In the wilderness, they spend time near Nabal's shepherds.
Rather than taking advantage of them, David's men protected them. Later, one of Naabal's servants told Abigail that David's men had been very good to them and had served as a wall around them day and night. Then came sheep shearing season, a time of celebration and abundance. David sent several young men to Naabal with a respectful request: Would he share some provisions with David and his men? It was not unreasonable.
David's men had helped protect Naabal's workers and livestock, and now David was simply asking him. To share from his abundance, but Naboth's answer revealed his heart. Who is David? He asked. Who is the son of Jesse?
In other words, why should I owe you anything? Naboth had plenty, but his abundance produced no gratitude. It had produced arrogance. And suddenly, Proverbs eighteen eleven becomes remarkably vivid. Naboth had built his own fortified city of wealth and status, but remember how the proverb ends.
They imagine it a wall too high to scale. Notice that last phrase. They imagine it. Wealth really can provide a measure of protection. Savings can create margin.
Insurance can transfer risk. Wise planning can prepare us for trouble. Scripture commends prudence. The danger comes when practical security becomes ultimate security. Naboth seems to have believed that his status, possessions, and household made him untouchable.
Yet while he feasted like a King David prepared to come against him with armed men. The wall Nabal imagined was protecting him was not nearly as strong as he thought, and that's where Abigail enters the story. When she learned what happened, she acts quickly. She prepares food, goes out to meet David, and approaches him with remarkable humility and wisdom. She acknowledges the danger, urges David not to shed blood unnecessarily, and reminds him that the Lord.
Will establish his future. Her wisdom prevents a disaster. The contrast could hardly be sharper. Naboth had wealth but lacked wisdom. Abigail had humility, discernment, and a clear awareness that their household was not beyond danger.
And that raises an important question for us: What are we asking money to do for us? It is good to save, invest wisely, carry appropriate insurance, build an emergency fund, prepare. For retirement and provide for your family, but none of those things can bear the weight of becoming our ultimate security. A strong balance sheet can't guarantee tomorrow. A diversified portfolio can't prevent every loss.
That doesn't make those things bad. It simply means they're limited. Paul makes a similar point in First Timothy six seventeen, telling the rich not to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly provides us. With everything to enjoy, that's the biblical balance. Enjoy God's provision, manage it wisely, use it to provide, save, give, and prepare.
But just don't confuse the gift with the giver. And remember, this temptation isn't limited to people with great wealth. Whether we have a little or a lot, any of us can start believing that if we could just reach a certain number, earn a certain salary, eliminate every debt, or build a large enough. Then we would finally be safe, but financial wisdom can never remove our need for trust in our provider.
So yes, build margin, plan carefully, but hold it all with humility, because ultimately we're not in control. Everything we have comes from God, belongs to God, and is sustained by God. I hope that's an encouragement to you. And before we take our first break, let me also remind you: there's a great wealth of resources. Is waiting for you at faithfi.
dot com. You'll find more about the FaithFi app, which can help you manage your budget and stay on track. You'll find all of our great content, and you can jump into the FaithFi community. Again, it's all at faithfi. dot com.
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For licensing information, visit. At NmlsConsumerAccess.org. Thanks for joining us today on Faith and Finance. Our lines are open; the calls are coming in. We'll begin taking those here in just a moment.
We've got room for you, though.
Something going on in your financial life? Let's talk about it. Eight hundred five two five seven thousand. We're going to begin taking those calls here in just a moment.
So now is a great time to call with questions on anything financial. Eight hundred five two five seven thousand. Before we head to the phones, in the news. Why not? Parents for financial help can sometimes build maturity and responsibility, but without clear boundaries, it can also strain relationships.
A 2026 Wells Fargo study found that 64 of parents with Gen Z children still provide support. That's 64 still provide support, while 56 say, "Listen to this: it's hurting their own finances." Experts say support. Support is healthiest when treated as a plan rather than a permanent lifestyle. Families should clearly define what help is a gift or a loan, how long it will last, and what expectations come with it. Putting agreements in writing might seem like overkill; it's not.
It prevents confusion and resentment later. Young adults receiving support should also bring their own plan, a budget, savings goals, and a realistic timeline toward greater responsibility. Regular check-ins can help everyone see progress and adjust as needed. While accepting help can bring feelings of shame, experts note that parental support often serves as a bridge to future stability. Remember, family support is not a failure, but can be an expression of love, stewardship, and shared responsibility.
Scripture calls families to care for one another, but it also values diligence, wisdom, and maturity.
So when we're guided by grace and truth, families can use financial help not merely to solve short-term needs, but to encourage character, responsibility, and trust in God as the ultimate provider. Remember, when it comes to our kids, it's about transferring wisdom before wealth. If wealth accelerates faster than wisdom, we're in a danger zone. But if wisdom outpaces wealth, they'll be ready for whatever comes their way down the road. Remember that spiritual inheritance, that legacy of faith and character, is far more important than the financial capital that we have the ability to pass on.
Think about that as you consider your own plan for sharing with and leaving an inheritance to the next generation. All right, let's dive into those questions today. Call right now; we've got lines open. We're ready for you. The team is standing by.
Eight hundred five two five seven thousand to Mississippi. Hi, Marie. Go ahead. My question is: I'm a 57 year old retiree. Didn't want to, but for health reason, I had to.
I have a six year old grandson, and I need some information on where I can invest a little something for his future. You know, that I could invest in it stays there; it can't be touched until something happens to me or he reaches a certain age.
Okay, got it. But you, am I hearing that you want this not exclusively committed for college? No, just for him.
Okay, got it. So what you would want to do is you'd want to stay away from what's called a custodial account because he would legally gain full unsupervised access to that money the day he turns the age of majority in your state. Usually that's eighteen. In some cases, it's twenty one. But if he's not headed in the right direction, let's pray that he is.
But either financially, he doesn't. Have the maturity or the or spiritually, you know, you would not be able to avoid him getting access to the funds.
So the best way to do that typically is to keep those funds in your name, and just set them aside, maybe in a separate account that's you know is earmarked for him, but it gives you full control over the account to make sure that you're transferring the funds at the time and place of your choosing, and and for whatever purpose you want, and At some point, you'll say, "I feel like the time is right. He's ready for it. He's going to use it in a way that's productive, and I'm ready to hand it off." But your hand won't be forced in that.
So that means you would open probably either an individual or, if you're married, a joint account in your name or in your and your husband's name, and then just know that those funds, whatever you put in there and whatever you add to it, are set aside for your grandson for the future. And then, given his age and the time horizon we're talking here, I'd probably get.
Now you could do a couple of things. I'll give you two options. One would be open an account at Charles Schwab.
So you go to schwab.com and you're looking for their Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, and this is what's known as a robo advisor. It's a very low cost way to invest. It's going to use indexes, meaning meaning you're just going to capture the broad moves of the market, but it's going to be built in a way that's appropriate for the time horizon of This money.
So as you're setting up the account, they're going to ask a lot of questions, and one of those answers will be, "I probably want to use this money in the next ten to fifteen years." Because I would suspect you would imagine he, you'd be handing this off to him somewhere between sixteen and twenty years old, and so that's ten to fifteen years from now. And then the portfolio that's built through the robo advisor through the algorithm is going to be appropriate for that ten to fifteen year time horizon.
So that. That's option one. Option two is you open that same account at Schwab, but instead of using the Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, you check out our friends at SoundMindInvesting dot org, and they have a strategy they call Just the Basics. It's diversified, it's beginner friendly, it's very low cost, it's very easy to use. And again, the website is SoundMindInvesting dot org.
Thanks for your call. Let's go to Oklahoma, Daryl. Go ahead, sir. Great topic today, and thank you for taking my call. Sure, I'll be turning sixty-five here in about two weeks, and I've worked for a local city government for almost forty years.
So you can imagine that retirement is like right down at the next intersection for me, as it were. I own my own home; it's paid off. I own two cars; one's paid off, one will be paid off by the end of the year. The city that I work for has really good insurance through Blue Cross and Blue Shield. To which I pay in some portion of that, but I'm afraid it could be expensive when once I separate from the city.
So my two questions are: Should I look for a more affordable plan? And then I've also heard about these health sharing ministries. But how do they work? You know, are they a viable option for me? Yeah, great questions.
I appreciate you asking those because this is important to navigate. I mean, this is one of those critical pieces for your long-term retirement plan to be able to have something in place to protect you, offset this risk, but make sure it fits into the budget. Let me start with the health sharing because I'm a big fan of this. We partnered for a long time with the oldest. In this space, Christian healthcare ministries over 40 years they've shared over 13 billion dollars with a B in medical costs.
So it's the largest and most established of the Christian health sharing ministries. It's not insurance, but members voluntarily share each other's medical bills, and it's a community of of God's people. It works. You pay a monthly share, like a premium, but it's not because it's not insurance. You go to any doctor.
You want there's no networks. You pay the bill often at a discount as what's called self pay. You submit the bill and then other members' contributions are used to reimburse eligible medical medical expenses. You know it could run, you know, hundred dollars to three hundred dollars a month per person depending on the plan. There's also a personal responsibility amount similar to a deductible, and then you know they do allow those who Are in Medicare to have what's called the senior share option.
At sixty-five, you'll be eligible for Medicare, which should be you know the baseline, and then they use CHM on top of that as a supplement, but one that's very cost-effective. And that's the real pro here: freedom to choose your providers, a faith-aligned approach, and a lower overall monthly cost. Let's do this. I want to get your follow. Up questions, we'll do that after the break.
Stay with us. We'll be right back. Are you a financial professional looking to grow your practice while offering advice that aligns with your Christian values? By becoming a Certified Kingdom Advisor, you'll gain the biblical wisdom and professional credibility to serve clients who are seeking faith-based financial guidance. Each year, more than seventy-five thousand people search for a Certified Kingdom Advisor.
Join our community and share your expertise with clients looking. For someone who shares their faith and values, start your journey today by going to KingdomAdvisors.com/slash/getcertified. 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 towards. Financial freedom today. Visit faithfi. dot com slash ccc or call eight hundred five five seven one nine eight five.
Thanks for joining us today on Faith and Finance. Lines are open. We're taking your calls today on anything financial, paying off debt, giving wisely, saving for the future, investing. We'd love to help you navigate that. Eight hundred five two five seven thousand is the number to call.
It's eight hundred five two five seven thousand. Let's go back to the phones. Daryl's in Oklahoma. Daryl, you know we were talking about just kind of your options here as you head. Toward retirement, you've got a great plan.
It sounds like with the city, I know your concern is: is it going to be cost effective when I get to this season of life?
So, I love the fact that you're considering a health cost sharing ministry. I mentioned our friends at CH Ministries, Christian Healthcare Ministries, and you can learn more at chministries.org/slashfaithfi. But most folks will either go Medicare plus traditional insurance, like a Medigap or Medicare Advantage. Manage, or they'll go Medicare as the base, which pays first, plus CHM Christian Healthcare Ministries through Senior Share, which helps with the leftover costs using their faith-based cost-effective model. But give me your thoughts on all that.
Well, that that all sounds good. I understand. I think the plans.
So you think that the health sharing. Ministries would be better than going with a more traditional and provide more security than going with a more traditional plan like Blue Cross or United Health or something. Yeah, I mean it's it's not insurance, but what I can tell you is, you know, like I say, they've they've been around forty years, shared thirteen billion dollars, and the key is what works for you. I mean, I love the flexibility that comes with it because you've got no networks, and you know, it can work alongside Medicare to take some of those expenses that Medicare doesn't cover. But it's incredibly cost effective, and I think that's why a lot of people love it.
You know, if you're looking for You know a more you know guaranteed insurance approach, and you can squeeze it into the budget. Then there's nothing wrong with either the Metagap or the Medicare Advantage if you're relatively healthy. But I think the Senior Share can work as a nice complement to Medicare and be very effective. And we've seen a lot of people do it and save a lot of money in the meantime that they can you know sock away into something that you know they can access if they need it or more giving. You know more lifestyle spending things like that.
Okay, okay, that answers my questions. Thank you. Absolutely appreciate your call today. Thanks for being on the program. Eight hundred five two five seven thousand is the number to call.
It's eight hundred five two five seven thousand. You know, Christian Healthcare Ministries is a great option. We've got a number of our team members here at FaithFi that use it personally and have loved it. And what they find is, you know, whether it's alongside Medicare or you know, it's just their their primary health cost sharing that it can be just. A super effective way, especially if you're relatively healthy, you can take the additional money you would put toward traditional insurance and just sock it away, put it into maybe a separate savings account beyond your emergency fund, just for medical expenses.
So you're able to cover those routine visits as a cash pay, getting a discount. You've got the money there, and once you build up enough of a nest egg. For the health expenses, then all of a sudden you're recapturing that in your monthly budget, and that could be a game changer, especially just given how expensive health insurance can be, and it's only getting worse. And so perhaps this is a great solution for you if you'd like to check it out again. That website, faithfind.
dot com slash chm. We'll head to Texas, Marcus. We've been talking about health cost. Sharing today had a couple of questions on that. I know you wanted to follow up on that.
Go ahead, sir. Thank you for taking my call. My question is: the health cost sharing ministries. Do they have anything for the Part D for for drugs? Because I understand that's something that that all the the Medicare supplements have a like a a drug part of it.
Yes, and if they don't have it, is that something you have to buy extra or what? Yeah, that's a good question.
So, CHM, for instance, offers limited pharmaceutical sharing, meaning they cover only the cost of incident-related prescriptions.
So, might be a temporary antibiotic for a sudden illness for up to ninety days. They don't cover routine maintenance medications for chronic conditions, though they do provide free discount cards to help you find cash prices at. You know local pharmacies and so forth. Regarding Medicare, though, there is absolutely a penalty for lacking proper drug coverage.
So, if you go without what's called creditable prescription drug coverage after your initial enrollment period, after a certain period of time, the government imposes a permanent late enrollment penalty, and that adds one percent of the national base premium to your monthly Part D bill for every. You know, uncovered month for the rest of your life.
So, because it's not health insurance, CHM, it doesn't, or any of the health cost sharing ministries, it doesn't count as creditable coverage, which means you need to buy a standard Medicare Part D plan to avoid the penalty. And then, a lot of times, folks will just, you know, use the again, CHM becomes optional and secondary alongside Medicare.
Okay, that's a very good answer. Thank you so much. Absolutely, Marcus. Lord bless you, my friend. Let's finish up today in Chicagoland.
Hi, May. How can I help? I'm calling regarding my estate planning, and I remember somewhere in the Bible it says we are required, or we should, leave something for our children and our grandchildren. How much for our grandchildren? Hmm.
Yeah, it's interesting what you're referring to, and we could spend the whole program on this, and maybe we should here sometime soon. But you're talking about Proverbs thirteen twenty two. A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children.
Now, keep in mind, anytime we read God's word, we need to do a little bit more digging to understand what is the general truth this verse is stating, and so we need to look at the verses immediately surrounding the verse in question. And verses in Proverbs are regularly coupled. Together with other verses to express a broader truth, I think the idea here is the good man in quotes spoken of is good because he's righteous, and as such, we can then ask what kind of inheritance a righteous person in Israel during this time would be able to leave to his family. Because remember, this verse was written to mostly poor farmers living in a land-based society, and I think the one thing that every righteous person could pass along to his family. Is wisdom.
He did this by teaching his family how to worship the giver of the land, Yahweh, and how to honor him by not squandering the land through laziness or unrighteousness.
So, I think we need to focus on that as being the primary idea here.
Now, does that mean we shouldn't leave an inheritance? No, I think we absolutely can because part of your role is to say, as the steward of these resources, who is the next steward, and are they prepared? Let's do this. Hopefully, that gives you a few things to think about, and I want to send you a book called "Splitting Errors" by Ron Blue that I think will help you navigate this. May it'll be our gift to you.
So stay on the line; we'll get that right out to you. It was a great question. I wish we had more time for it, but hopefully that helps, folks. Thanks for being along with us today. I hope today's been a blessing to you as well as very practical and helpful.
Big thanks to my team today: Taylor Standards, Sandy Dickinson, Devin Patrick, and everybody here at FaithFi for the entire. Entire team, I am Rob West. We'll see you tomorrow. Bye bye. Faith in finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you.
