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Episode 785: Is Savings Investing?

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Join us today for an episode about the pros and cons of savings and investing...

Today's episode is focused on the difference between savings and investing both mathematically and mentally....

In today’s episode about investing in others through stewarding your treasures, I talk with you about the difference between investing and savings.  I talk with you about why there is both a math difference and a mental difference.  I also share some tips on how you can move to an investing mindset instead of a savings one.

Join in on the Chat below.

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Episode 785 Is Savings Investing
[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 785 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Doug Norgen and I'm Carol thinner. And we're the authors of brazing your money savvy family for next generation financial independence. And we challenge you to really focus on becoming money savvy. One way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this, the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott Mader.
[00:00:34] so you can move from one mindset to the other, by looking at the goal that you have and actually thinking about, is this all something that I need a long-term. Proactive mindset. Is this something where I need to think about how this will change over a long period of time? Is this something that I need to participate in?
[00:00:57] Welcome and thank you for joining us on the [00:01:00] inspired stewardship podcasts. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent. And your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.
[00:01:30] In today's episode about investing in others, through stewarding your treasures. I talk with you about the difference between investing and savings. I talked with you about why there is both a math difference and a mental difference. And I also share some tips on how you can move to an investing mindset instead of just a savings one.
[00:01:49] Okay. As we talk about stewarding your treasures, wouldn't it be great. If you could support this podcast and do it without costing yourself an extra dime. It turns out you [00:02:00] can. All you have to do is use inspired stewardship.com/amazon. When you're ready to make a purchase via Amazon and a small commission, we'll come back to support the show.
[00:02:12] If you enjoy the show, when you're ready to buy from Amazon, just use inspired stewardship.com/amazon. One of the questions that comes up from time to time is the difference between savings and investing or the way that we use those two terms. We have a tendency to use them interchangeably. We talk about saving for retirement or investing to buy a new car, but there is actually a difference between those two terms.
[00:02:41] And there's a difference by around why and when you would want to use them as well. Yeah, the simplest definition is that savings is usually used for a short term goal while investing is used for a longer [00:03:00] term goal. As we talk about that let's first look at what is the pros and cons of savings versing as investing.
[00:03:10] Well savings. Generally, you're going to see the amount of money that you have steadily increase, but not necessarily by a large amount, unless you're continuing to add to that savings. And because of that, because it doesn't earn a lot of money in interest, it tends to lose purchasing power over time. In case you didn't know what interest is simply the idea that the prices of things go up over time.
[00:03:38] This is. Over simplification. And because of that, the dollar that you have today, won't buy as much in the future. So you can lose that ability. If all you're doing is savings. It less, the interest that you earn is greater than the inflation rate, which over a long period of time is generally not with savings.
[00:03:58] You can safely rely [00:04:00] on hitting your goal in a certain amount of time, because you can calculate, if I need to save up $6,000 and I've got. Six months to do it. That means I need to save a thousand dollars a month and you will actually get there. But usually because you're not earning interest, you have to add more money over time and you in investing.
[00:04:21] You potentially get higher returns than savings, but unfortunately investments go up in value and they also go down and value. And that means that as you add money to it, because they can go up in value, you often don't have to contribute as much money because that interest that you earn makes up some of the progress.
[00:04:43] But the problem is if they happen to go down in value, right, as you're reaching that goal, you may have to delay. Actually hitting that goal, all of a sudden the thing that you were investing for, you may not be able to do it right when you want to, because of the timing of the ups and downs. [00:05:00] So let's talk about what a long-term is.
[00:05:02] Anyway, I've used the term longterm versus short term several times throughout this. Usually you will see things between five and seven years. There's anything less than that is short term. Anything longer than that can be considered long-term. So generally, if you're young, you want to be investing. If it's a goal that's 20 or 30 or 40 years out into the future.
[00:05:27] And if it's something like just savings up some money to pay your insurance bill that comes due in a few months. Then you would just save, you wouldn't invest and you can see you when you think about the pros and cons, why that would be true. But the interesting thing is all of that discussion is about the math difference between savings and investing.
[00:05:49] It's about the finance part, but as I've talked about repeatedly on the show, personal finance is much more personal than it is [00:06:00] finance. There's also a mind. Part of this, a mental part of this, the idea of investing inherent in it is the idea that I can find things that over time go up in value. I can participate in the success of companies by buying stocks.
[00:06:21] By participating in mutual funds by investing in my 401k, by investing in a four Oh three B, by doing these sorts of things that give me investing long-term opportunities, I can participate in the success of those things are maybe it's investing by buying real estate. Because again in general, real estate tends to go up over time and you can sell a piece of property later, or maybe it's finding other ways to generate income.
[00:06:52] The point is investing has a long term mental outlook and it tends to be an abundance [00:07:00] outlook. It tends to have the idea that over time, I can find things that go up in value savings tends to have the mindset of a little bit more of protection, a little bit more of insurance or protecting against the future because you tend to save for either short-term goals or for things like emergencies that allows you to protect yourself against harm in the short term.
[00:07:27] Mentally, one of these is not good and the other is not bad, but they're used for different purposes. And the truth is if all you're ever do is focus on savings on protecting and doing the short term. You often won't provide for the longterm. And similarly, if all you ever do is think about investing, oftentimes you will have debt and large emergencies in the short term.
[00:07:54] So you can move from one mindset to the other, by looking at [00:08:00] the goal that you have and actually thinking about, is this all something that I need a long-term proactive mindset? Is this something where I need to think about how this will change over a long period of time? Is this something that I need to participate in in a way that allows me to take part in the growth of something?
[00:08:22] Or is this something that is more to protect against the short term? Where what I need to do is something that I can get access to relatively quickly, and you can flip your goals to match them with the proper mindset and math as well. Thanks for listening.
[00:08:46] So much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast, as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way [00:09:00] to live your calling. If you like this episode on the stewardship of treasures. You can sign up for our treasures tips by going to inspired stewardship.com/treasures or text in the U S four four two two two treasures tips.
[00:09:23] And we'll send you five weeks of our best tips on stewarding your treasures until next time. Invest your time. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world. .

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In today's episode, I talk with you about:

  • The difference between investing and savings... 
  • Why there is both a math difference and a mental difference...
  • How you can move to an investing mindset instead of a savings one...
  • and more.....

Savings, remember, is the prerequisite of investment.  - Campbell R. McConnell

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Some of the Resources recommended in this episode:

I make a commission for purchases made through the following link.

Let Me Know What you Think Below....

Episode 780: Is Debt a Sin?

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Join us today for an episode about answering the question of debt and sin...

Today's episode is focused on how being in debt isn't a sin but debt can act as a sin....

In today’s episode about investing in yourself through stewarding your treasures, I talk with you about how the Bible does (and doesn’t) describe debt.  I talk about so called “good debt” and “bad debt” and share why it’s not the debt that creates any sin but our response.  I also share why not having debt may be an important goal if you really want to live your calling.

Join in on the Chat below.

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Episode 780 Is Debt a Sin
[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 780 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Jennifer Lozado, author of inheriting chaos with compassion. I encourage you to find the ways to be loving with your family both before and after you pass. And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this, the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Mader.
[00:00:32] paying the debt off gives you options. It gives you choices. It gives you the ability to do things that perhaps you wouldn't have been able to do. If you have the debt's still there and that freedom, that ability to make different choices, that ability to do things that God is calling you to do that.
[00:00:56] Welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship [00:01:00] podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast. We'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.
[00:01:28] And today's episode about investing in yourself through stewarding your treasures. I talk with you about how the Bible does and doesn't describe death. I talk about good debt and bad debt, and I share why it's not the debt that creates any sin, but our response, I also share why not having debt may be an important goal.
[00:01:47] If you really want to live out your calling. As we talk about stewarding your treasures. Wouldn't it be great. If you could support this podcast and do it without costing yourself an extra dime, [00:02:00] it turns out you can. All you have to do is use inspired stewardship.com/amazon. When you're ready to make a purchase via Amazon and a small commission, we'll come back to support the show.
[00:02:13] If you enjoy the show, when you're ready to buy from Amazon, just use inspired stewardship.com/amazon. In Monday's episode, Marcus and I talked a little bit about debt and what the Bible describes debt as. And I wanted to go into that a little bit more, I've talked before, I've referenced it a few times about is debt a sin.
[00:02:36] And one of the things that I would say is it's not a sin in the terms of being something that's eliminated or shown in the Bible to be. One of those quote listed sins, but it could be a sin in your life in some ways. And the way I talk about it is like this, sin is anything that [00:03:00] gets in our way between us and our relationship with God.
[00:03:04] And so debt could certainly do that. So it's not the act of going into debt that creates a sin in that and using that definition. It's the fact that it could be something that blocks us from that relationship. But let's look at what the Bible actually says about debt. One way it describes debt is the debt we owe God and using that kind of definition, it's the debt that we can never repay.
[00:03:33] It's a debt that has to be paid for us. It's the debt of a covenant that we have with God. But there's other warnings about debt that are more about the kind of debt that you're probably thinking about. What'd I say debt debt of money from Proverbs 22 seven, the rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave of the lender.
[00:03:55] Now I'm not going to compare being in debt to being a literal [00:04:00] slave. Being a slave is a horrible thing. And the fact that has ever existed is one of those things that I can't. Really fathom. I couldn't imagine being a literal slave and what that must be alike, but it's using that analogy because it's saying if you owe money, you're not free to make decisions of your own.
[00:04:20] You're not able to make your own choices because you've entered into an agreement to pay it back. And in fact, it goes on later in Proverbs, 22, 26 and 27 to say, but not one of those who gives pledges, who puts up security for deaths. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?
[00:04:41] In other words, the idea is if you don't pay back your debts, they can come in and take property of yours, your a you're at the mercy of someone else able to do that. It also says in Proverbs 17, one who lacks sense, gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his [00:05:00] neighbor. Basically, it's saying, if you go into debt, that's foolish.
[00:05:05] It's a lacking of wisdom. And of course, Romans 13, eight says, Oh, no one, anything except to love each other for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The idea being that we shouldn't be in any sort of debt other than the debt of relationship. And in that way, that's why I would say that debt isn't and is a sin because the truth is if you go into debt, If you go into that dead and it keeps you from being able to live out and do what you want to do in terms of your relationship with God, it keeps you blocked off from that relationship than it is acting as a barrier.
[00:05:47] It's your response to the debt that creates the sin. You'll hear people talk about good debt and bad debt. How, if you are using other people's money to [00:06:00] finance something like buying rental real estate, that's quote good debt while something like a consumer credit card debt is bad debt because there's no asset to stand for it.
[00:06:11] And I would argue that. All of these things are debt, whether they're good debt, whether they're bad debt, it doesn't really matter to me. There's not a value statement of good or bad. That makes sense. Instead, you want to look at what the debt is doing in terms of your relationship with others. What is it doing in terms of your relationship with God?
[00:06:33] Is it blocking you. From being able to do that. Is it blocking you from being able to live out your calling? Is it blocking you from being able to do what God calls you to do? If it is, then it is indeed bad debt and so-called good. Debt could still do that because if you've got a lot of money that you owe one, two or three rental houses, [00:07:00] you are forced out of certain decisions and into other decisions.
[00:07:04] Now you still have great options. You still have things you can do, but. You don't have the same options of somebody who owns those same rental places completely free and clear. The debt creates a change in your relationship. And I think that's important because think about it. If you had a ton of debt and you're working a nine to five job that you hate and your ability to go on a mission trip.
[00:07:32] Or to be able to give towards something that you're called to give towards. Would it be limited, would you be able to do and give as freely? Would you be able to take time off work and be able to travel on a mission trip and do good deeds for others? And of course the answer is no, if you're completely debt free, would you be able to do that?
[00:07:53] And the answer is you'd be much more likely to be able to. So it's not so much that [00:08:00] you don't do good things while you're in debt and it's not that debt makes you a bad person or a good person. It's that paying the debt off gives you. Options. It gives you choices. It gives you the ability to do things that perhaps you wouldn't have been able to do.
[00:08:18] If you have the debt's still there and that freedom, that ability to make different choices, that ability to do things that God is calling you to do that is why debt can act as a sin. Even though going into debt is not a sin. Thanks for listening.
[00:08:45] Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live [00:09:00] your calling. If you like this episode on the stewardship of treasures. You can sign up for our treasures tips by going to inspired stewardship.com/treasures or text in the U S four four two two two treasures tips.
[00:09:22] And we'll send you five weeks of our best tips on stewarding your treasures until next time. Invest your time. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world. .

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In today's episode, I talk with you about:

  • How the Bible does (and doesn’t) describe debt... 
  • So called “good debt” and “bad debt” and share why it’s not the debt that creates any sin but our response...
  • Why not having debt may be an important goal if you really want to live your calling...
  • and more.....

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. - Proverbs 22:7

Click to Tweet

Some of the Resources recommended in this episode:

I make a commission for purchases made through the following link.

Let Me Know What you Think Below....

Episode 775: Don’t Do What You’ve Always Done

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Join us today for an episode about the reason you may not want to do what you've always done...

Today's episode is focused on recognizing that to improve you must change...

In today’s episode about impacting the world through stewarding your treasures, I talk with you about why the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.  I share why not doing what you’ve always done isn’t the same as being inconsistent.  I also talk about how to balance consistency and not wasting your efforts.

Join in on the Chat below.

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Episode 775 Don’t Do What You’ve Always Done
[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 775 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Scott Brookens from Scott brooklyns.com. I encourage you to find the way to be inspired to start your dream business and find freedom. And one way to do that is to be inspired by this the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott Mader.
[00:00:30] the gaining control the consistency part. And once you have consistency, then you can worry about optimization. But the funny thing is what we often try to do is we try to put in automation and optimization at the beginning because we think that will somehow create a new result. But the only thing that changes things is you welcome.
[00:00:54] And thank you for joining us on the inside fired stewardship podcasts. If you truly [00:01:00] desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true call in the inspired stewardship podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact.
[00:01:18] The word.
[00:01:26] Today's episode about impacting the world through stewarding your treasures. I talk with you about why the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I share why not doing what you've always done. Isn't the same as being inconsistent. And I also talk about how to balance consistency with not wasting your efforts.
[00:01:48] As we talk about stewarding your treasures. Wouldn't it be great. If you could support this podcast and do it without costing yourself an extra dime, it turns out you can't. All you have to [00:02:00] do is use inspired stewardship.com/amazon. When you're ready to make a purchase via Amazon and a small commission, we'll come back to support the show.
[00:02:10] If you enjoy the show, when you're ready to buy from Amazon, just use inspired stewardship.com/amazon. One of those expressions that gets given to a lot of different people as a quote, Tony Robbins, I've heard it, Mark Twain. I've heard it for others. Einstein is this idea that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and then expecting different results.
[00:02:39] The truth is that is one of those things that. As human beings, we do a lot. We hold onto things and expect that if we keep doing them this way, because we've always done it this way. Somehow this time it'll work. When it comes to our money, we do this. We'll spend money or we'll set up [00:03:00] a budget or we'll do certain things on patterns of behavior.
[00:03:03] But this time it'll work I'll willpower my way through it. I'll focus more and I'll get it done this time. But the truth is it doesn't work that way. The truth is that if you do it the same way over and over again, typically you get the same or similar results. And when it comes to our money, that means whatever it is we're doing will continue to happen that way.
[00:03:31] Until you make a change, you've got to change your behavior. You've got to change something about what you're doing. You got to change something about your plan. You got to change the way you're executing that plan. You've got to put a new routine or a new structure in place. Something has to change or else you can't really expect different results.
[00:03:54] And a lot of times the pushback that I get from folks is they say I don't want to change all the time. I don't [00:04:00] want to change too much. It's being inconsistent and that's true. It's true that if you just bounce from goal to goal and thing to thing, and you don't focus, you don't make much progress.
[00:04:12] This is one of the reasons that techniques like the debt snowball or the debt avalanche work is because, or the baby steps that Dave Ramsey
[00:04:19] shares
[00:04:19] Scott Maderer: [00:04:19] or the refocus gain control and set a plan methodology that I use with clients, all of these things work because they give you structure and they allow you to focus on one thing at a time.
[00:04:34] And that focus is important, but it's also important that you measure the results that you run experiments or tests, or do things where you set out and you look at them. And then if you aren't getting the results you want, you either change or tweak until you do get the results you want. So shifting things because [00:05:00] of information.
[00:05:01] Is not inconsistency it's adaptation. And the truth is you want to balance this. If all you do is try something new every single week, every single month, every single day. That's not enough consistency to really know what's going on. You have to make a commitment to do something for long enough. And with enough consistency to see if you get the results.
[00:05:28] And you can balance that so that you end up not wasting your efforts. I've had folks that when we're doing the monthly review or the annual review right now, and you're looking back at the year before you find that you've changed directions financially 20 or 30 or 40 times in a year. And that's way too often, you can't get any sort of traction.
[00:05:50] You can't really make progress on any goal. If you shift goals that often. But I have other folks that have fought tooth and nail [00:06:00] about making changes to their behavior. And when they look at it at the end of the year, they're more or less exactly where they were at this time. Last year, they haven't made any progress on their goals.
[00:06:10] And by the way, COVID or no, COVID, you can still make some sort of progress on your goals, even if you've lost your job. There's things that you can be doing, your goals would shift, but you'd still be making progress on those new goals. You can be in control. You can take responsibility, you can make a change in the goal.
[00:06:31] You can shift the experiment, but you do it based on information. You don't just do it based on Willy nilly. You don't just do it based on a whim. This is how you balance consistency, doing something over and over again so that you can see what results you get. That's consistency. And then when you find something that you're consistently getting good results, you may want to look at how can I tweak it or [00:07:00] improve it?
[00:07:01] How can I make it even better? But it's no longer about just throwing it out and trying something new. It's no longer about burning it all down and starting over from scratch. Usually instead it's about modification, tweaking, improving refining. And the truth is when it comes to your money. Those refinement optimization is what I call it.
[00:07:24] That comes second. The first thing that has to come is the actual foundation, the gaining control, the consistency part. And once you have consistency, then you can worry about optimization. But the funny thing is what we often try to do is we try to put in automation and optimization at the beginning because we think that will somehow create.
[00:07:47] A new result. But the only thing that changes things is you, you are control of you. You are the one thing that you have control over and you are the one thing [00:08:00] that you can really control. And that means that is the thing that fixes your life. You are the thing that fixes your life. Not who's president, not who's in your local office, not whether or not.
[00:08:16] COVID is going on, but you, and that doesn't mean it's easy. Trust me. That doesn't mean it's simple. That doesn't mean it's fun. That doesn't mean that only good things happen to us, but it does mean that whether something good is happening or something bad is happening, you have control over your response to those things.
[00:08:36] And out of your response is where the good things come. How are you going to respond to 2020 in your finances? What are you going to do different so that you get a different result in 2021? And that different result could either be a better result because you already got a good one or it could be a good result where you've had a bad one.
[00:08:59] Thanks for listening.
[00:09:06] [00:09:00] thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you like this episode on the stewardship of treasures. You can sign up for our treasures tips by going to inspired stewardship.com/treasures or text in the U S four four two two two treasures tips.
[00:09:43] And we'll send you five weeks of our best tips on stewarding your treasures until next time, investor time. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world. [00:10:00] .

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In today's episode, I talk with you about:

  • Why the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result...
  • Why not doing what you’ve always done isn’t the same as being inconsistent...
  • How to balance consistency and not wasting your efforts...
  • and more.....

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein

Click to Tweet

Some of the Resources recommended in this episode:

I make a commission for purchases made through the following link.

Let Me Know What you Think Below....

Episode 770: Financial Return is a Result not a Cause

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Join us today for an episode about the reason its more about what you do today...

Today's episode is focused on creating a result by focusing on what you do now that creates that return...

In today’s episode about developing your influence through stewarding your treasures, I talk with you about why having a return is a measure of what you’ve done not the cause.  I also share how recognizing this allows you to focus on the right things first.  I also talk about how you can use this to grow yourself.

Join in on the Chat below.

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Episode 770 Financial Return is a Result not a Cause
[00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 770 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Rob Berger, author of retire before mom and dad. I encourage you to find your own journey to true financial freedom. And one way to be inspired to do that is by listening to this, the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Mader.
[00:00:28] favorite expressions is oftentimes doing the hard things today. Makes it easier in the future while doing the easy thing today makes it harder in the future. And I would say that's true more often than it's not. Being able to recognize that and recognize that what you do today is the cause of your own future.
[00:00:51] Welcome and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God [00:01:00] wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast. We'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you.
[00:01:15] Can impact the work
[00:01:23] and today's episode about developing your influence through stewarding your treasures. I talk with you about why having a return is a measure of what you've done, not the cause I also share how recognizing this allows you to focus on the right things first. And I also share how you can use this to help grow yourself.
[00:01:44] As we talk about stewarding your treasures. Wouldn't it be great. If you could support this podcast and do it without costing yourself an extra dime, it turns out you can't. All you have to do is use inspired [00:02:00] stewardship.com/amazon. When you're ready to make a purchase via Amazon and a small commission, we'll come back to support the show.
[00:02:06] If you enjoy the show, when you're ready to buy from Amazon, just use inspired stewardship.com/amazon. One of the principles that comes about when you look at investing, when you look at making money for the future is about measuring your return, looking for a return on investment or R O I, and I think this actually applies broader than just a money investment, but let's talk a little bit about what happens with money.
[00:02:37] If you invest in. An asset, something that goes up in value, let's say buying your house, you buy a house. And over time, that house goes up in value. And as long as you've been paying down on the debt that you owe for the house, assuming that you have a mortgage on it, eventually when you sell the house, you make more money than you paid into it.
[00:03:00] [00:03:00] And if you can do that in a wise way, you can make enough money that you can even buy an even better house. And you can do this again and again, it's a measure of the result of having a larger house or a better house or a house in a better neighborhood comes from wisely in buying real estate in a good place, holding onto it for a long time paying on it.
[00:03:25] If you owe a mortgage. And the asset appreciating and value. This comes, whether you're talking about investing in the stock market, investing in other assets of different kinds. If you look at rental real estate and all of these things, it comes down to this sort of wisdom. And one of the things about real estate that I've been told is the real truth is the money is made at the buy.
[00:03:49] Scott Maderer: [00:03:49] It's how well you buy a piece of real estate. How low do you get it for? How much do you invest in it? How little debt do [00:04:00] you have audit? All of these things affect what you make over the long-term and the same is true of the stock market or Bitcoin or anything else. You see it when everyone gets excited about it and then everyone buys into it.
[00:04:13] But that's buying in when the item is already at a high value. It has to keep going up before you can get a return, but in this case, a lot of times it's better to buy it when folks aren't buying it and then hold onto it. But other times, if you buy something that everyone's not buying, it's because it's not a good product, it's not a good stock.
[00:04:34] It's not a good company and you lose money. This is what makes investing so difficult and so challenging for people. But I think the idea here to focus on is. Doing your research, doing your work up front is where the real win comes from it. It's not just holding onto it over time and it's not [00:05:00] just buying something that's cheap.
[00:05:02] It's about. Finding things that are really quality things that are in alignment with what you really know and what you trust and what you want out of life, and then investing in those things. And it doesn't matter whether it's a stock, whether it's a piece of property or whether it's other things like investing in yourself, spending money on your own education, whether it's building your own company, whether it's investing in.
[00:05:27] Your children and helping them, whether it's investing in your own retirement and the other things, insurance, all of these things are about having the wisdom to recognize that what we do now matters a lot for where we are in the future. Paying off debt today helps you in the future. Saving money today helps you in the future, not spending everything that you make helps you.
[00:05:57] In the future, but it's [00:06:00] all too easy to sacrifice our future so that we have a little bit more pleasure today recognizing that the real win the return comes after you've done. Something allows you to begin to focus now on doing those things. This allows you to recognize that when you begin to put effort into something, it's not going to come easy.
[00:06:27] When you begin to work on yourself, it's not going to come easy when you work on changing your behavior so that you can get out of debt. It's not going to come easy when you work on changing your behavior so that you can invest for the future. It's not going to come easy. None of these things come easy.
[00:06:46] But you can use them to recognize this and to begin to grow yourself over time, you can use this to do the hard things today so that you can have more success in the [00:07:00] future. One of my favorite expressions is oftentimes doing the hard things today, makes it easier in the future while doing the easy thing today makes it harder in the future.
[00:07:12] And I would say that's true more often than it's not being able to recognize that and recognize that what you do today is the cause of your own future. It gives you power. It gives you control. It gives you the ability to do something, even if you're in a really difficult situation, even if you're in a really challenging situation, they're still action.
[00:07:36] You can begin to take today. That makes it better tomorrow. Not perfect, but better and improvements, slow and steady improvement is what we're after. We're not after perfection. We're after progress. That allows you to begin to invest so that your future is always better than you are today. [00:08:00] Thanks for listening.
[00:08:06] thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively. Listen. But act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you liked this episode on the stewardship of treasures, you can sign up for our treasures tips by going to.
[00:08:32] Inspired stewardship.com/treasures or text in the U S four four two two two two treasures tips. And we'll send you five weeks of our best yeah. Ups on stewarding your treasures until next time. Invest your time. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world. [00:09:00] .

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In today's episode, I talk with you about:

  • Why having a return is a measure of what you’ve done not the cause...   
  • How recognizing this allows you to focus on the right things first...
  • How you can use this to grow yourself...
  • and more.....

Habits are like financial capital – forming one today is an investment that will automatically give out returns for years to come. — Shawn Achor 

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