8.18.23: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

8.18.23: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Speaker1:
Any examples used are for illustrative purposes only and do not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs and may not be suitable for all investors. It is not intended to predict the performance of any specific investment and is not a solicitation or recommendation of any investment strategy.

Speaker2:
Welcome to take point on retirement with your host, Eric Arnett. Eric is a fiduciary and licensed financial advisor who always places your needs first. The experienced team at Take Point Wealth Management takes pride in knowing they've helped so many pursue the financial future of their dreams. And they can help you, too. And now let's start the show. Here's Eric Arnett.

Speaker3:
So, hey, everybody, welcome again to take point on retirement radio. So glad you could be with us today. I'm so thankful for all of our listeners today. I think we have an amazing show. We've got some we've got some great guests with us today. And I'm super blessed to have Mister Joe Caputo with me today, a pastor at my church, Christian church in the Wildwood. And folks, I know, like we've been talking for a long time about kind of the pillars of success and and what we feel folks need these foundational legs to get them to and through retirement successfully. And so, Joe, one of the things that we do talk about on the show quite often is and this this may be right or wrong, I don't know, but it comes from me. It comes from my heart. It's like if we're not first and foremost, spiritually strong, financially strong, and then physically strong, then, you know, we're lacking something in life. And I know it's a challenge for everybody out there. But we did a show a couple of weeks ago. We talked about being physically strong, and if you don't have your health, how can you enjoy retirement? Like, you know, you could save your whole life. This whole life. Work hard, work hard, work hard. Save, save, save, save. Put money away, do all the right things. But if you don't take care of yourself physically, how are you going to enjoy your retirement? And you know, I've seen this in my life.

Speaker3:
I'm sure you've seen it. People all around us, if you know, they get they work their butt all the way up to retirement and they don't get to enjoy it because they they either pass away or their health fails and they're just not able to live that great life that God intended us to have. Right. And so I've always felt, even though I myself have lacked those pillars and at times and, you know, being a financial planner, full confession. You know, folks, I have made a lot of mistakes in my past financially. You know, I've certainly have not been the most physically sound person and done a lot of made a lot of poor health choices. I've I've fallen in and out with Christ and I've fallen in and out with God and have, you know, and that relationship is has been has been challenging through my lifetime as well. So not by any means in my, you know, we're here to say that we're perfect, but this show take point on retirement means a lot to me and it means a lot to our listeners in the sense that we just hope to be some give some type of guidance, give some type of education. We're here for the listeners. We're here to help folks. And I'm so thankful that you're all listening.

Speaker3:
Thank you so much from Punta Gorda all the way up to the villages. We are your financial planning team that you can lean on here on the Gulf Coast. And this show is for you folks. And I just I just want to thank you for listening first and foremost and truly blessed to be in honor to be able to to have this show and to deliver the message. But so. It's always been important to me and I think that is is bringing in the spiritual aspect. Joe I've I've thought about this for a long time and just didn't know really quite how to introduce this into my business, my show, my financial planning practice. Like how do you introduce spirituality into a secular, you know, a business or financial planning, you know, and, and so I've been praying on this, praying on this. And then and then here we are today. You know, here we are. We met about a year ago. And and, you know, I have an amazing connection with Joe. You know, Joe, I met Joe about a year ago. Well, actually started following Joe and saw Joe up on the stage preaching at my church, CCW. And I kind of, you know, reintroduced my wife and I decided to go back to church about two years ago. And so I've been kind of watching Joe from afar and really enjoying his preaching.

Speaker3:
And he's just an amazing minister and, um, and I thought to myself, Man, I really wanted to know this man, and I really want to learn from this man. And so in a sense, I felt. This calling to kind of seek you out and to develop a relationship with you. And it wasn't anything that you did or I did. It just kind of came together in a beautiful way. And and just for folks out there listening, just a little background to introduce our connection. You know, I had through some going to church and stuff. We built a relationship and met Joe and asked I asked and I joined. I joined CCW Christian Church in the Wildwood. And they have this amazing program called Foundations that you go through and kind of learn about the church and its design and its mission and, and then, you know, at the end, it's kind of like, hey, you know, we would like for you to consider recommitting and replenishing or revitalizing and, and, and and experiencing baptism. And and I had a I didn't even I thought the whole time leading up to this in a sense that I had it all right. And oh, you were baptized as a little kid, you know, in the in the Catholic Church. And and so I figured, oh, yeah, I was baptized. I didn't I didn't need to be baptized. But anyways, you taught me that how important that was.

Speaker3:
And so Joe and his amazing wife, Lisa, actually came to our home. They were gracious enough to come to our home about a year ago and actually baptized us in our own swimming pool in the backyard. And it was like the most amazing experience. Folks, I can only tell you that when I came out of the water, it was like it was just it was it was just an amazing experience. And so that's kind of and that's kind of our background, our connection. And and, you know, I'd I'd love for you to kind of share, you know, some things about CCW, you know, I know that, um, you know, we probably have, we have a lot of shared values and we talk all the time about different things that we want to do and things we want to accomplish, but. Today is about financial planning. Just take point on retirement radio. So I know, folks, I hope I didn't lose you out there already, but we are going to talk about financial planning and finances and and but I would love to introduce Joe and and have Joe tell a a little bit about yourself, a little bit about just how you ended up here and CCW and the mission and your mission and, and kind of talk a little bit about your life and just share with our listeners.

Speaker4:
Thanks, Eric. Man, I appreciate you having me on the show and everyone here that's that's listening, participating with us. I'd like to think that we're not just talking at people, but you know, but with people and that you've got people that are in this with you. And that's really the beautiful thing about Take Point is you care about people. Eric And it's obvious your show is helping people and, and and you're helping people. So thank you. Thank you for doing that for the way you serve and love. And this is not just a job to you. It is a passion to you. You see the fruit all over your life and how you're being used, I believe by God to do this, but also our community and the people that that you've helped along the way. So anyway, I'll make this real brief. Um, yeah. I came to CCW Christian Church in Wildwood 18 years ago in 2005. Uh, good friend of mine named Dave Pardue was a senior minister there for, you know, Dave, uh, 35 years before he passed away four years ago. Just a special mentor and man of God. We love him very much and miss him too. But we came 18 years ago, my wife and I, Lisa, and my son Logan, who's 20, 28 years old, lives in Tampa. My daughter, Kaylee, she lives in our neighborhood. She's 32 and is married to Kyle, my son in law, and two grandkids, Aiden and Amelia. So, yeah, so the families, that's us, of course. My mother and father in law now live behind us and our in our neighborhood here in Spring Hill.

Speaker4:
And just a great family. We love being here. And. Love Hernando County. Love the fact that we've moved here and. And God put us here for a reason. And it's good. Before that, we lived in Orlando. Sanford, to be exact, and was there for 18 years as well. So 34 years of ministry and loving every minute of it. Um, you know, when God called. Uh, you know, I believe God calls us all to himself through Jesus, through the love that God has for us. And. And that's why I'm here. He calls us to to to Christ. And then it's like, okay, now what? You know? And for me, that meant going to Bible college, becoming a pastor, serving in the church. Um, for you it means doing what God called you to do in ministry. And this is it. You know, we're on the same. We're on the same team. And the really beautiful thing, Eric, about and you said this earlier. I was. Kind of making a mental note. There's really no difference between the sacred and the secular when it comes to God's interest and love for you. You are a sacred creation of God. You are made in his image, and God cares about your heart, your mind, your soul and your body, your strength. He tells us to love him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. He meets you where you're at in every single area of your life. God cares about you and he loves you. And and your finances are an extension of of those things. So you might you're probably not surprised that the Bible itself, over 2500 verses on money.

Speaker4:
I mean it's God knows we are attached to our resources. Biblically speaking, you know, money was a lot different. You know, I mean, it sometimes it had to do with agriculture, you know, and, you know, and crops and things like that. Some, you know, it was gold and, you know, I mean, they had a different financial system. But but the principles still apply today as well as they did back then. Old Testament, New Testament, the words of Jesus. Well, we could talk all day long about the parables of Jesus and about how Jesus cared about money. So I will say this. You know, my life verse, my favorite verse in the scriptures is found in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is talking. Matthew six and near the end of Matthew six, his listeners. And he was in again a society of people that were concerned, concerned about their about what's going to happen in the future, what they're going to eat, what they're going to drink, what they're going to wear, how they're going to get taken care of. And Jesus says plainly, do not worry. About what you're going to eat and what you're going to drink and what you're going to wear. Look at the lilies of the field and how they're dressed. Look at this. Look at the birds in the air and how God takes care of them. Look, God will take care of you. He says Seek. This is Matthew 633, says, Seek first the Kingdom of God. You seek his kingdom first and all these things will be added to you as well.

Speaker3:
It's amazing that you even started going down that path with what you were just saying, because one of the things that's been on my heart for a long time and I even wrote here. Been a little bullet point that's become even more prevalent in my practice than ever is, you know, and and even when I answer your phone calls and by the way, folks, this show is for you. If you know, I'm sitting here, I'm sitting here right now. It's you know, this this show is taped, but I'm sitting Saturday. You're probably listening to this show on a Saturday or Sunday. I have my phone in my hand. If you need to reach out, you have any questions, any concerns? If anything we talk about today strikes you just pick up the phone and call me. It's 35261605113526160511. I just want to get out there so and then also folks if you just go in the if you Google take point wealth it'll come up on your phone and in the upper right hand corner, you can just click on there and you can get right on my calendar. Just type in a few notes, pick a time and date. Just say, Hey, Eric, I need to talk about this. I have a concern about that. But. One of the things that really is heavy on my heart all the time in my practice and it's been even more prevalent than ever because of what's going on in the world today.

Speaker3:
And I think with the prevalence of the media and the social media and and we're constantly bombarded and all we ever hear about is the evil right, the darkness, the bad things. Right. And and then even going through Covid was this was this crazy experience that people sheltered and hunkered in and got even more fearful. And the levels of anxiety have gotten worse and worse and worse, like I've never seen it before. And I talk to people all the time and there's so much fear, right? And fear, more than anything has been getting in the way of people reaching their retirement goals lately. Because, you know, I can go back to when the markets crashed in like zero four, oh five, and and people were so fearful to take that leap of faith or that step to trust somebody, to trust the financial advisor, to trust the financial planner, to maybe stay in the game or stay in the market or reinvest in the markets. They left the market out of fear and they never came back and therefore their money never grew and they were never able to reach their retirement goals. So I saw that happen already once in my tenure when working with working with folks in my practice. And I started I started to see it again over the last couple of years. And even my clients, like folks like my clients text me all the time.

Speaker3:
I give If you become a client of take Point Wealth Management, you get my personal cell phone. And some advisors think I'm absolutely nuts for doing that. And I will get phone calls, text messages on Christmas Eve. Sometimes it's kind of crazy, right? But I have people text me on Sunday. On Saturday, my wife's like, really? Like we're trying to, like, enjoy the weekend. It's okay because I, you know, that's, that's the difference in what we do here at take Point. You truly become somebody that we care for. You truly become family and we do our best every day to help you achieve your goals. But. Well, one thing that's been so heavy on my heart lately is the fear. The fear, the fear, the fear. And to the point where, you know, people are losing faith, they're losing trust. And and, you know, so it it hinders them when you have that fear block hanging over you, it's like dampens you like a blanket and you can't get out from under it. And therefore you can't take the first step. You can't proceed like or you've done, you know, really, I mean, I've, I've shared this with folks on the show before. I'm I'm no rocket scientist. I'm not, you know, Warren Buffett. I'm not a Charles Schwab or, you know, I'm not this oracle of finance by any means.

Speaker3:
But what I have seen is I've been doing this for 25 years. So I've seen a lot of mistakes. And and by the way, folks, I've made a lot of mistakes myself. So I've just learned from those mistakes. And then I try to help folks. Now I've got some gray hair. I'm 52. I've been doing this for 25 years. So I'm my whole my whole experience is just to try to help people not make those same mistakes that I see being made over and over and over again. And one of those mistakes is that fear, that fear blocks them from, you know, taking the right steps, seeking counsel or having faith in some time tested programs and plans that have worked. Right. And it just a lot of times it just takes patience and consistency, patience and consistency. Um, you know, and I basically like this morning in preparing, I kind of, I didn't really realize it, but I have this app on my phone. It's in folks. You may have it too. Or if you, if it's a pretty cool app, if you're listening, you can download on your phone. It's called Youversion, the Bible Youversion, which I think I was introduced to at CCW. And it's amazing like and so you can just search in there like a Google search for any topic that you are hoping there's something in the Bible to relate to.

Speaker3:
And by the way, that's the amazing thing about the Bible and God's Word. Every you can find everything that pertains to life and the mysteries of life in there. It has all the answers are there. And I was it was shocking to me because for the first time, I really, truly dug in and tried to seek it out. There was thousands of references in scripture to money. There was thousands of of of of references in the Bible about planning. And, you know, if you are a good planner and you have faith in in God that everything's going to be okay, folks like it's going to be okay. And so I try to tell people every day, I basically my job is like just telling people it's okay. Like it's going to be okay. We're going to get through this, have some faith, have some, some consistency, some and trust and trust somebody to help you. Because that's the other thing is most people not only have that fear because the the world, the ugly world is constantly just bashing them, that they lose trust in people. They lose trust. Maybe you had a bad experience with a past advisor or whatever, and so now you're like trying to do it yourself, trying to do it yourself. I'm going to do this on my own. I can do this on my own. And we make a lot of mistakes.

Speaker3:
And folks, I have to share something with you because I had this amazing experience this past weekend. I went to a retreat called The Way and it was a three day event. And man, I'm telling you, it it brought me to my knees. It was transformational, but and it was amazing. But what it what it some of the things that I took, I took a lot of things away from it. But you're kind of sitting there all the time and you're kind of reflecting on your life and, and, and reflecting on a lot of things. But what was what was what I was hearing was that, you know, if if we don't trust in God and we don't trust that he has a plan for us. Then we're going to live in that fear and have that level of anxiety every day that's just going to eat us alive. And and, you know, we we have to have a plan. We have to trust. And guess what, folks? Here's what I'm here's the point is you can't walk life alone. And that's what I thought I could do. I thought I could do it on my own. And I didn't have to rely on anybody. I could rely on myself. And I got this right. I got this. And and there's some there's some analogies and some plurality to the fact that it's no different in planning and financial planning.

Speaker3:
We're trying to build a solid retirement plan that you can you can just relax and enjoy life and you don't if you do the proper planning, you start today, folks. It's like there is at some point going to be that relief and that end of the rainbow where you can just enjoy life and take it all in and you don't have to worry about the fear of money, the fear of finances, the fear of making the right decision. Do I put it in a stock? Do I put it into a bond? Do I do. Do I buy this mutual fund? Or who do I trust? You know, do I try to do it on my own? And what I realized through this retreat that I went to this past weekend was I can't do it on my own. I can't walk life on my own. I need God. I need the Bible. I need the word every day. And guess what, folks? We need guidance. That's okay to trust somebody and open up and seek that help. Right. And so just like we can't make that walk of life alone, I really don't think folks should or I know there's a lot of people out there that can do it themselves and they're very intelligent, don't get me wrong. As far as doing their own financial planning. And you might be sitting there thinking, if you're listening right now, I've got this and you know, I'm happy everything's fine, but maybe a second set of eyes, you know, maybe another perspective, maybe someone else just looking at things might optimize things for you, might bring some new ideas, maybe things that you maybe never thought of.

Speaker3:
It's nice to have a team around you. Um, I, I really. That's the other thing that I took away from the way this weekend was. I wasn't alone. I wasn't alone. I thought I was alone in a sense. Like, I'm a man on my own. I've got to raise my family. I got to provide. I've got to do all these things on my own, be this strong, tough guy and make all the right decisions and be Mr. Perfect, you know, and what I realized through this weekend is that like, wow, that was so far from the truth and I can't do it on my own. And so I guess that's a long winded kind of. Whatever you want to call it, just spilling my guts and saying that I'm urging folks to just seek the help, seek the wisdom. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and ask for some help. If it's not me, it can be somebody else. Just go out there and and build some trust with somebody. Surround yourself with a team that's going to help you build a solid retirement plan and financial plan for you.

Speaker4:
I mean, we're here together today and kind of bouncing our lives off each other and, you know, and seeing how God interweaves, you know, I mean, the spiritual aspect of our finances is inescapable. You just can't I'll come back to it over and over again. God's on your side. He is on our side. Um, a lot of people grow up with the perception of God, maybe through the church or through bad experiences, good experiences, whatever. But but our creators on our side. And we need to know that going into Scripture so God's not taking from us, He wants to give to us. James says He's the giver of all good things. He's a giver of gifts. So when Jesus talks about and I'm thinking of as you were talking. Three specific parables right off the top. One actually has to do with with fear, where he gives talents to three different people. You might remember this, Eric and. Two of them invest the talents and Jesus says, good job like that kingdom perspective. I mean, because one day we're all going to let go of this stuff, you know, it's all the things we can't leave behind. And what's most important, you know, that our relationship with Jesus, the people, the relationships. But here he is. Yeah. Good job. You invested this great job. Kingdom perspective. Um. Then there's another servant who he gives these talents to And what's he do with them? He buries them. Doesn't. That is fear. That is, I'm going to lose this. I'm in trouble. I'm going to get man, if I lose this, I'm in, you know, And Jesus, in the parable, he does this through the through the master who gives these talents out, rebukes him.

Speaker4:
He just is like, what are you thinking? And it's a lot more harsh than that. Like, like he don't want anything to do with this dude. So, uh, so, yeah. Fear. Planning and investing in. And I believe in kingdom things, the things of God. Because God is on our side. We need to be on his side. Being generous, looking at the good we can do in the world. I through the church, through different charity organizations investing in the lives of of people. We just can't can't put a price tag on that. You can't. And Jesus knew that. And he said, look, this is the most important thing. And if you hide it, if you bury it, if you don't use the talents God has given you the finances, God has given you the thing, you're going to be in trouble. So investment, don't be afraid. There's another parable where actually it's it has to do with with the builder who's about to build a tower. And he tells the builder who actually won't get into the whole thing, but he basically the point of the thing is, who goes into building a building without counting the cost first? Yeah. So if you if you if you start a building project without counting the cost, without a budget, without without knowing what you know, who pays who and what goes where, then you're going to run out of money. At the end of the day, everybody's going to laugh at you and you're going to look like an idiot. So don't do that plan. Count the cost, create a budget, look at the future and what it might look like.

Speaker4:
And we're not guaranteed tomorrow. Let's just, you know, come on. But we can we can be responsible, which the Bible calls stewardship with the resources that God gives us. Plan. Don't be afraid to invest. Look at the good that money can do for the kingdom. The Bible also tells us to care for our families, you know, and. You know, I believe that's Paul talking to Timothy says you know that we are to to to to to to financially provide for and care for our families. And. We have to do what you have to do and trust God to do his part. And you're going to do your part. And then you bring people around you that are going to help you and direct. And there's just synergy when we're pulling together in that way. And you said something about fear and immediately I want to go to, well, have faith, you know, not fear. That's look what I believe most people need. Christ followers need is confidence. You want to help me not be fearful? Come alongside of me. Put your arm on my neck. And let's walk together through this. Give me confidence, because I don't know a thing about money. You do? Uh, I'm not sure what. I don't know how to raise my kids. I've never done this before. I've never done that before. But you get somebody next to you giving you that confidence and. Fear. Just kind of. Okay. We can go through this together. You know, let's be afraid together, you know? But we got this, and there's just value in that. That's why what you do is important.

Speaker3:
So, folks, please stay tuned. We'll be right back here on Take Point on Retirement Radio.

Speaker2:
You're listening to Take Point on Retirement. To schedule your free no obligation consultation visit. Take point on retirement.com. At Take Point Wealth Management. We know you've worked hard to earn your money and you've worked even harder to save it when it comes to wealth management and planning for retirement. Trust Erik Arnett and his team of experts who have been helping individuals, families and business owners find financial freedom for more than 20 years. Let us help you protect and grow what you've worked so hard for. Schedule your free no obligation consultation now at take point wealth.com.

Speaker5:
I'm here with Eric Garnett of Take Point Wealth Management. Eric, these last few years have been a time of change for a lot of people. Some have left their old jobs and started new ones. What if they still have a 401. K or other retirement plan from their old employer?

Speaker3:
That's a great question. If that's you. You've got options. A lot of work based retirement plans come with high fees. We can show you options that are a lot more affordable and don't eat away at your retirement savings and investments.

Speaker5:
What about if I'm getting close to retirement? Do I still have options?

Speaker3:
Yes. And this goes for anybody with an employer based retirement plan. You have more options than you think. Did you know you can roll over some of those funds into an IRA with more favorable investment options and lower fees?

Speaker5:
I did not know that.

Speaker3:
Now you do. We can help you navigate it all. Just go to take point wealth.com and schedule a free no obligation consultation with me today.

Speaker5:
That's right. You heard him folks head on over to take point wealth.com today.

Speaker2:
Welcome back to take point on retirement. Schedule your free financial consultation now at take point on retirement.com.

Speaker3:
So, hey, everybody. Welcome back to Take Point on Retirement radio. I'm your host, Eric Arnett. And of course, we have an amazing show today. We've got Joe Caputo, lead pastor of CCW Christian Church in the Wildwood. And, you know, we're just having an awesome time and awesome discussion and weaving God's word into financial planning. And so something that. You know, we were talking about earlier, is that the fear factor? And that's one of the things that's heavy on my heart is it really does hinder folks. It's like this wall, this block that just hurts people from taking that next step or or even not even taking that next step, but maybe looking at something different than what they're currently doing. You know, I don't know, something as simple as an example of, you know, I've got all my money sitting in the bank because I'm afraid to take any risk at all, even knowing that I'm probably not making an earning enough on my interest there to to reach my goals. But it's just a safety thing. I feel good there. But so we're talking about fear and and how that can really hinder us and hurt us from from true growth and true success and retirement planning. But one of the things we were talking about before Break Joe was, was, was just that, like trusting God. And and I have to I have to I have to make a true confession here because I'm you know, for my listeners, you know, you think, oh, they listen to me all the time. And, you know, he must have it all down.

Speaker3:
He's a financial planner and he's been doing this for 25 years. And this guy must really get it. But you know what? I'm not perfect, folks, and I've made all the same mistakes. And one of the things that. You know, one of the things that I've I've, I don't know I don't know if the word failure is or one of the things that I have fallen short on and one of the things that has been eating me alive and even has hindered me from actually even reaching my own personal planning and wealth management and retirement goals is not trusting, not having that trust that God will take care of it and provide like, um, you know, when, when I was baptized last year, it was a renewal for me. I had always had Christ in my heart for a long time. And I'm not going to go into my whole story, but I was always kind of like maybe one foot in, one foot out or just kind of, I don't know. I like to think that I was 75% in 25%. I'm a numbers guy, so I have to have equations in my head. And so. My dad always said, you know, if you're going to do something, do it well and and put your best into it. And so that's what I thought I had to do in life. So I was always a hard charger. Everything I did, I had to be the best, the best, the best, and, you know, and and then I went in the military and some my listeners know that story, you know, And it was always like, be the best, be the best hard charger, hard charger.

Speaker3:
And I was, you know, I had no time for God. I had no time for Scripture, the Bible for church. You know, I was out there fighting in in training. And but one of the things that, you know, most recently is once I made this new commitment and this recommitment to really try to walk in the faith and to trust somebody other than myself, because I was struggling with some things internally that I didn't even share with anybody, not even my wife. And it was like these demons just eating me alive every day. And it was I was almost becoming unhappy because. I have folks I have I you know, I chase I've been chasing wealth myself. I've been chasing possessions. I've been chasing the almighty dollar. You know, I need to work harder, make more, make more, make more. And that's going to bring me happiness. That's going to bring me, um. That's going to bring me happiness. You know, that's going to calm all my fears. Because if I have enough money piled up over here, then I have to worry about my family or finances or. And I can have everything that I want. And. And yeah, you know, that's I've been selfish in a sense as well. But but that was a worry and a fear and a level of anxiety in me that I had to be in here every day working 60 or 60 hours a week, just grinding, grinding, grinding, trying to make money, Make money.

Speaker3:
Make money. And what it was what it was was it was what it was pulling me away from my family. I was like trying to achieve these goals. But it was I wasn't spending the time with my wife, wasn't spending time with my family. And it was, you know, you could tell it was starting to bother her, too. And when I came out of the water, it was like all that was. I wasn't going to do that anymore. I was going to get more balance in my life. And what it boiled down to was, I guess I didn't have faith and trust God that he would provide and that all those things weren't important. You know, And then I started thinking, well, okay, the money and the wealth and and the things that I do, um, that I do build and grow, I'll use that as a vessel to do good and to pour into the community and, you know, do things like that. But then I was like, you know, when I really when I really dove in deep and searched that, it was like that was just another excuse to work. I don't want to say I'm a workaholic, but I'm kind of a workaholic. Like all I do is focus on work, focus on numbers. And and I take this business and I take the care of people's money and wealth so seriously that I treat it like my own. And that sometimes.

Speaker3:
That sometimes isn't isn't healthy but but always want to do my best. I don't want someone to not get my best, you know, I want to do my best. And so and it's hard for family to understand. Like, you know, I'm going to be at the office tonight late because I got to do these things in my clients accounts and I got to handle things for them because they trust me to do that. So please have some patience with me. Family, you know, or wife. And but at the end of the day, it was like I was losing that balance again. Only like 3 or 4 months out of the water. I was losing my commitment to God again. I was chasing, chasing, you know, things like, oh, I want to pay off my house, I want to pay off these vehicles. I want to pay off that. I want to be you know, I want I was focusing on my self, my self, my self again. And I think that I think maybe a lot of other people out there experienced the same thing. And it doesn't truly bring you happiness. It really does not. If anything, you know the digits in your bank account or the digits in your investment statement, it's like at the end of the day, it doesn't really bring you happiness. Right? And for some people, yeah, I think they enjoy like seeing those and yeah, it's nice to see those digits multiply because you get a feeling of maybe more comfort and relief. And for me, it was just like I wasn't really, you know, concerned about being like the next, you know, Donald Trump of the world or the amassing all this wealth.

Speaker3:
But for me, it was just like I wanted this total, total feeling of financial freedom where I never had to worry about. I wanted to get to this point where I never had to worry about finances again. But. But. Selfishly, I still wanted all the nice things. The nice things were important to me. And even so. And honestly, folks, that was probably the one thing that I just wasn't working on enough and fell short of when I really examined my life. It's like I'm doing pretty good, you know, as far as sin and all these other things I'm doing, I'm doing pretty good, you know? But that one thing is was always lurking and was always hindering me from truly trusting the Lord and having and building a relationship with him and saying to him, All right, maybe I can just only work 20, 30 hours a week and pull back and spend more time with my family and God's going to take care of everything. And so that's what I've been working on. And even going through the way this amazing transformational experience that that I had this past weekend, um, helped me get grounded again and realize that being a workaholic and trying to, you know. Amass more money or make more money. Myself personally was so empty and I would rather be broke and live in a van down by the river with my beautiful wife.

Speaker6:
And like.

Speaker3:
I know, like now I'm going to lean on you a little bit because I haven't got there yet with the biblical scriptures and stuff. But I know because I've read the stuff, I just can't quote it verbatim, but I was like, There's so much scripture in there that says like, Don't worry, God will provide the basics for you, like food, water, clothes, like you're going to be okay. And we've seen this, I'm sure you've seen it in the church. And when I say the church folks, I don't just mean the churches. We're all the church. We're all God's church. But we've seen it all the time. Had a really good friend that was a very, very, very wealthy man. But he was so broken and so dead inside that he drank himself to death and died a lonely man. And guess what? All that money was still sitting in his bank account. So for someone else to enjoy. So, yes, we've got a plan, folks. Absolutely. We've got a plan to do the right things and put together a good, solid plan. You got to save you got to get out of debt. So taking that first step might be just calling today, you know, giving us a call and we can talk and have a chit chat. You know, I'd be I'd love for some of you out there who are listening to just click on that upper right hand corner and just send me a text, send me an email and just say, Hey, this is what's on my mind, on my heart, and I'd love to talk to you about it. But, um, you know, I'm sure you've seen the same things that we're talking about and how it can destroy a family, you know, and some of the destruction there. But, you know, getting rid of that fear and trusting God that he's going to have the plan for you just makes a lot of sense to me.

Speaker4:
One of the key principles in scripture that. Between the Old Testament and the New Jesus. The apostle Paul goes back to over and over again. Eric is contentment. A friend of mine once told me, You want to get rich quick? Find contentment. Yeah. Yeah. And you got everything right. So what does it take for you to be content in your life and think at the. Most of us would admit that if we. We just spent a lot of money and a lot of time and energy chasing things that sell us a false bill when it comes to contentment. Like if we just had this, if we could just see this, if we could just go there and all, that's fine. And there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, we'd love to experience life. We want to. In fact, I believe God does, too. He wants us to see see the his creation, see what he's he's made for us to and experience it with him. But if we sacrifice contentment for those things, we're going to be in trouble at the end of the day. And. Fortunately, unfortunately, I think what God teaches us about our about money is you take this however you want to, but Jesus says really plainly, you can't serve God and money at the same time. You cannot. So something that will continue to you know, this this comes up in our home on a weekly basis. Something that we we really believe as a church. But. Uh, is that you're either going to worship money and use God. Are you going to worship God and use money? But it's really you can't worship.

Speaker3:
That's. That's good.

Speaker4:
You can't worship both. And, you know, in what you're in the business of doing is and, you know. You know, obviously not everyone that's listening is is a Christian or, you know, might even have the same faith as you do. But but it's very clear, Eric, you're worshiping God and helping people to use money because it's a resource. And one day we all get fired from this life. Every one of us. If you lost your job today, you would be. Oh, my goodness, I'm gonna lose my home. I'm gonna lose, You know, what am I going to be? I can't pay for this. I can't pay for that. Look, one day you're going to lose it all anyway. It just isn't going to last. So how do we have that eternal perspective? Hold on loosely to the things in this world. And at the same time. Understand and value that they are gifts from God that we can use for good, that we can be blessed by. And as read in Psalm 128 the other day and two days ago, my wife and I were getting ready to go. We anyway, I'll talk about that, but we take a Sabbath day once a week. Where. We just get a loan and we spend the day in silence, maybe, or worship or whatever. And we have one one day a month we call our. It's a Colorado day, we call it.

Speaker4:
It's a getaway day. And God was like, okay, you showed me one Psalm 128, and it was just clear that to me that. Enjoy. And in fact, I believe I've got to remember it. But I think it says to enjoy the fruit of your labor. Like you work. You work hard, man. Take your wife, Go enjoy the day. You know, go see some pretty things. Go taste some good food. You know, go drink some good drink. Go enjoy. Be in the moment. But don't worship those things, worship me in those things. And, you know, and it's it really is beautiful to do. And I think retirement you know we can get misguided there. Bible doesn't teach us anything about retirement. What it teaches us is to take care of the things God's given us and. To be responsible. Again, that word stewardship. With the gifts that he's given us, the resources he's given us so that we can be a blessing to other people. I hope you don't have to work the rest of your life. I don't want to, you know, have to get a paycheck the rest of my life. I would like to see that, you know, I still want to work for the Lord. I do. I still want to work and make the world a better place. You know I do. The retirement doesn't mean that we stop and give up and cash it all in.

Speaker4:
What what it means to me is, is that we can begin to enjoy the fruit of our work. All these years. And I don't think there's anything I mean, we can go all kinds of great places. And I got some bucket list things I want to see and do with my wife. But there's. I don't know that I would enjoy any of those things more than seeing and being the. Generosity given in a way seeing other people blessed by it. So there's some chemistry there probably of, you know, enjoying ourselves and giving it away and providing for our family. Yes, All of those things work together to bring this. I want to tell you, I think it's supernatural. I think it's beyond this world. But there there's something in that mix that brings godly contentment. Like first Timothy talks about this godly contentment, and it's the same passage that says that that passage that says that it's the love of money. You know this, but the love of money is the root of all evil. Yeah. That's not saying money is evil. What that saying is, is you start loving money, you're going to start. Loving other things less. And that could include your wife and your kids. And the things that are most important. Unfortunately. Yeah we've we've both have stories of. Of chasing that and and the collateral damage that comes.

Speaker6:
With.

Speaker4:
Working, not having those boundaries. Working too much, whatever that might be. And we leave our family in the wake, you know, and it's just not healthy. But at the same time, we're called to provide for our family. So again, there's that mix, there's that balance, there's that.

Speaker6:
Which.

Speaker4:
You your team at take point. You have a healthy idea of what that means and you can help people walk into those situations with confidence. Said earlier, I don't know a thing about money. I've been taught about money. What I what I don't know much about is long term planning, investing, understanding, you know, how to help it work for me, you know, And I was taught probably like you were and you teach people. To tell your money what to do. Don't you know every dollar has a job? So you know. I took a long time for me to learn that, you know. And when you're borrowing other people's money, you're working for them. You know, it's.

Speaker3:
But it goes beyond that because it's not just about saving and having a good budget. Now you're going to know where to place your money, where's the best place to place it. And that's where the confusion comes in. And that's where people the fear comes in. There's thousands of places you can put your money, right? There's thousands of advisors out there. And and we're all kind of doing the same things, but we all might have a little different twist to it. So finding that right advisor that aligns with you is really important to build that relationship. And that's the first thing we always do here at Take Point before we even talk about finances. I sit down and I ask people, The first meeting is going to be just us getting to know each other, and now let's have this beautiful vision. Let's sit here and think and take a break and just and and now people kind of look at me like I'm a little weird at that point. They're sitting over there and the the on the conference table and those two chairs, husband and wife or whoever is in here, single person or and I say, okay, let's just let's, let's just. And they always want to jump into like, well, what, what you got up your sleeve, you know, what kind of investments you got for me? I'm like, hold on before we go there.

Speaker3:
Let's take a deep breath and just enjoy and let's envision for a minute. What does retirement look like to you? What does it feel like? What are you doing in retirement? You know? So let's have that vision first and that, you know, and then that's that's a nice thing to talk about and discuss because then it can kind of even in a sense, gives me more insight on how I, you know, where I need to go to guide to build this plan. But there's all kinds of basic stuff in the Bible that talks about basic planning, you know. But and that's the thing, like you had said before, I kind of started going on my tangent. It's like kind of in a sense, like get quick, rich schemes. Like people just, they don't, they just want to like, Hey, what's my return? Can I make a 20% overnight? Can I do like everybody thinks that there's kind of some kind of get rich quick scheme out there and it's just not I wish there was folks, but it takes patience. It takes consistency. It takes timing. And please, please, I'm not preaching to you. I've made all these same mistakes. I'm 52 now. I just have some gray hair and I have a little more wisdom to share. But yeah, that's so important that.

Speaker4:
Something that worth contemplating we're thinking about is and this has been a reality. Something just in the front of my mind lately. And I know yours too, but. We talk a lot about the what's. And it's going to sound like I'm not trying to get too philosophical, but we we have to understand the why before the what. Before we start talking about what you're going to do with your why, why is this important to you? So you're talking about you can say, oh, what do you want to do when you retire? I want to travel or, you know, I want to leave an inheritance for my kids. And by the way, the Book of Proverbs, we talked about this earlier, but it's a crash course in life finances. In fact, you mentioned Dave Ramsey earlier. I would I would probably say Dave Ramsey would tell you his number one mentor is Solomon, Right? The Book of Proverbs. So he just there's popcorn verses everywhere. But so anyway, yeah, he talks about leaving an inheritance for your children. In Proverbs. It talks about not spending everything you have anyway, it's a, it's a, it's a really great. So you want to go there. But, but but the key I think where God gets where we really the spiritual meat where God meets us is in the why.

Speaker6:
Are.

Speaker4:
You've mentioned your experience over the last few days at the retreat and think think God is excavating in Eric Arnett who who you really are. Who is this man? Because for years you've had this persona, right? Yeah. That you've invested in that's got you far in life that's helped you, you know, and but underneath all of that is who you really are. And then in the mix, there is the why. So, Eric, why is it important that you you want to get rich? Great. What's that mean?

Speaker6:
Why?

Speaker4:
What are you trying to accomplish by getting rich? What's that even mean? You know, most times, because of our culture and our country, it's getting experiencing.

Speaker6:
Why?

Speaker4:
Why is it important to you to have $1 million in the bank, you know, or to drive that car? And now you're going to.

Speaker6:
Start.

Speaker4:
Getting serious about who? Well, because you know what? For the last 35 years, I've been trying to I've been driving to please my dad, who I never made amends with, you know, who was always telling me to do this and do this and do this. And I'm always trying to prove myself. For example, you know, I mean, you could go all, you know, all in on that, but. Sometimes we are we're chasing the what so hard and so fast, like you said earlier, hard charging towards the what we forget.

Speaker6:
Why.

Speaker4:
And there's a lot of songs and poetry and, you know, biblical verse, you know, all that kind of stuff about that. Got to be really careful. Sometimes we work so hard chasing the what we forget the why.

Speaker6:
It's.

Speaker4:
Baby steps. A lot of times it's doing the right thing consistently. When I'm on my knees and I'm praying and I'm asking God why? Or, you know, like it's usually because of unforeseen things. I you know, you and I, we've been praying for for like the tragedy, the fires in Hawaii, you know, you can't control those things. Those people are devastated. They can plan all day long. You know? I mean, life happens. Okay, We know that, um, we have to trust God in those times, too, And.

Speaker6:
And know that.

Speaker4:
That he's still God and we're not. And. When someone goes through those kind of circumstances, are we going to go through them alone because they're happening, or are we going to go through them with the Lord? Being directed by him, who created us and knows us. And to be honest, will we'll spend the rest of eternity with if we make the right choices when it comes to Jesus, Or are we going to go through it with friends, family?

Speaker6:
You know, and.

Speaker4:
And even in those times, even in those hardest times, they become, you know, not everybody has a happy ending. I'm not going to be I can't you know, I'm not that that preacher that. But. God can make even the worst times and redeem even the hardest of times for his good and really create a great story.

Speaker3:
Man, that voice that speaks to me. I'm sure it speaks to everybody listening. You hit the nail on the head for me like that was right there in my heart. Boom. And yeah, that was awesome wisdom you share with us. And and unfortunately, I have to have you back on the show. We're going to do this more because I enjoy this a lot. And unfortunately, we're running out of time. I'll just wrap up, folks and just say this. I think the general message that was on my heart today and I think Joe even kind of tied it together nicely, was to just allow yourself to let go of that fear, trust in God, trust that everything's going to be okay and try to turn off all this fear and noise that's hitting you every day from all these different perspectives and media and all this thing. And and and at the end of the day, just open up and accept some help from somebody. Trust in somebody. One of the devotionals I was reading that tied to proverbs was basically this. It said, you know, seek help. You know, have somebody else help you plan, you know? And so that's why I'm here. Take point. Wealth management, take point on retirement.

Speaker3:
The reason I called it take point was because I want to take point. I want to lead you every step of the way. I want to lead you to and through retirement and and at the end of the day, you are going to have to trust somebody. And I hope I hope that it's take point wealth. I hope that it's me at some point in time. And if it's just a question, don't worry about it. You can just call me and ask me a question. That's fine too. There's no obligation for you to do anything with me. That's not what I'm looking for. I love doing this show. It's just a passion for us. And I love, you know, helping folks. And folks, thank you so much for listening. To take part on retirement radio today. I hope you have an amazing weekend. Get out there, enjoy life, enjoy, enjoy the beauty Florida has to offer. And then when Monday rolls around, pick up that phone and call me because we got to get a plan in place and we got to do it now. But thank you so much for listening and tune in next week to take point on retirement radio.

Speaker2:
Thanks for listening. To Take Point on Retirement, you deserve to work with a private wealth management firm that will strategically work to protect your hard earned assets to schedule your free no obligation consultation visit. Take point on retirement.com or pick up the phone and call 32526160511. That's (352) 616-0511. Investment Advisory Services offered through Brookstone Capital Management, LLC, BCM A registered investment Advisor. Bcm and take point Wealth management are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BCM, but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Past performance cannot be used as an indicator to determine future results.

Speaker1:
With soaring inflation continuing to wreak havoc on everyday budgets, there's never been a more important time to cut costs. But do you know where to begin? I'm Matt McClure with the retirement radio Network. Powered by a mirror life. There is no question costs have been soaring.

Speaker7:
About one third, 34%, say they are worse off financially this year than a year ago. Almost half, 46%, say they've had to cut household spending due to inflation.

Speaker1:
Cnbc correspondent Sharon Epperson recently reported on a survey that sheds more light on how inflation has been impacting us all. Even those who earn six figures a year.

Speaker7:
These high earners say the first expenses to go are dining out at restaurants, entertainment outside the home and travel and vacations. More than half also say they'll delay big household purchases.

Speaker1:
That high inflation has led the Federal Reserve to respond with interest rate hikes. The goal is to increase costs to tamp down demand. Esther George is president of the Kansas City Fed.

Speaker8:
Already we've seen the committee's policy actions lead to a very sharp tightening of financial conditions.

Speaker1:
But it hasn't done enough yet and costs still keep rising. So what should you do? Well, we have a free resource called 23 retirement cost cutters for 2023. It's full of ideas to help you make the most of every penny. Things like take advantage of senior discounts, eliminate unnecessary subscriptions and cut back on clothing expenses.

Speaker7:
Look at your needs and wants, Figure out what's optional and what you can cut out.

Speaker1:
The last one on the list of 23 retirement cost cutters for 2023 is perhaps the most important. Seek advice from a trusted financial professional. That's the best way to get in-depth financial advice in retirement planning that's customized to you and your goals. Just make sure whoever you consult for financial advice has years of experience and credibility you can verify. So do you know the best way to cut costs in 2023? That's a key question to consider as our budgets get stretched to the max with the retirement radio network Powered by a Life, I'm Matt McClure.

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