The Amazon Scam

Bonnie is the world's largest online retailer, Amazon probably does 99% of its business over the Internet you want to call them fall victim to try calling Amazon to become the latest way, artistry, getting your private financial information so they can steal your identity today host Rob West until it's done. Can avoid it were to be taking your calls at 800-525-7000 give that number one more time. 800-525-7000.

Incidentally, I'm Rick Trostle filling in today for Steve Moore not stealing his identity though talking about the Amazon scale meds today on moneywise live in Rob good to be with you today. Steve offer a few days of vacation, which is always well-deserved. It sure is rich but it's great to have you in the seat.

Looking forward to sharing the mic with you today. I appreciate that and I know you and Mark door did a lovely job yesterday.

So sorry I yeah well working to find different ways to test your your abilities of being host cohosting an end expert here on moneywise know this this camo that were talking about. I was reading up on this and it's especially devious because it's designed to get your guard down when you agree, I certainly would rich because it goes right to the heart of one of the safeguards we talk about a lot on this program actually and that is not trusting your private financial information to someone or something that initiates the contact that you know we've said many times that you can only trust the other party if you're the one making contact, but now it seems the scammers have found a way around that barrier you explain how this works now because this is unusual.

It really is like most online retailers, Amazon prides itself with being able to handle your customer service needs online. You can login your account and do just about anything you want to do by things return an item, change your account status.

You name it, but occasionally someone may want to actually speak to someone at Amazon. Imagine that.

And that's where the trouble starts. Do you know the number by heart, probably not. So what you do well, you Google something like Amazon customer service phone number would probably fit the bill. But when you do that fake websites are actually appearing in Google and giving bogus phone number so now what happens if I need to call customer service and I dial one of those fake numbers yeah well let's say you're calling because you want to cancel your Amazon prime membership, perhaps so your guard is down because you know your initiating the conversation you're not clicking a link in an email. You dialed the number yourself, but you've actually called the scam artist with a bogus number man answers saying online support and you tell him you want to cancel your membership. He of course then follows up by asking for your name and phone number and then tells you to enter support.me into a Google search bar.

Well, when you do a web form will appear asking you to fill in your information.

Some of it financial information. Now if you fall for it rich. As you know, you've now given them what they need to steal your identity okay but but let's be fair. What if I don't fall for now.

The webpage with the form appears and I notice it's not the official Amazon website so I refuse is that pretty much the end of it what you think so, but the scam artist isn't ready to give up just yet. If you refuse, he'll say there's another way to resolve the problem.

Cancel your prime membership and here's where they revert back to their usual bag of tricks. They'll tell you to sign into your Amazon account search for Google play card select a $100 gift card to sound familiar, and then click high button of the next step is a bit unclear, but you'd probably be told to sign the card over to an entity that might have the word Amazon somewhere in its name, but would of course be the scammers account now seriously the why in the world would anybody do that if I want to cancel. Why am I gonna pay them $100.

Yeah well because you are told that the virtual transaction will really go through and it's necessary to generate a code that he needs to process your cancellation. Obviously, most people won't fall for this, but some do. Unfortunately, so even if they don't get your financial information. Sometimes they end up with $100 payday while okay will so so what can we do to protect ourselves from the cited scam. Well first rich keep in mind this type of scam could work with any online retailer and Amazon customers aren't the only ones being targeted. Avoid falling victim to this latest scheme. Here's what you wanted to make sure you always visit the retailer's official website and then click the contact us link.

Don't just Google for a retailers contact page to a better option is to conduct your business online and again only at the retailer's official website. A legitimate retailer will not ask for your credit card information for anything other than buying one of their products never to cancel an account.

Also gift cards of obviously become a hallmark of all types of scams of someone tells you to buy one.

In order to complete some action like canceling a membership just hang up close the webpage of your online and never, never, never, click on the link in an email that sufficient that's great great information in our official number. The real 1-800-525-7000. Here's a great deal more about our money than most of us imagine anything.

Jesus is more about our use of money and possessions and about anything else, including both heaven and hell in managing God's money, author Randy Elmore and breaks it all down in a simple, easy to follow format that makes it the perfect reference tool if you're interested in gaining a solid biblical understanding of money, possessions and eternity managing God's money is available when you click the store moneywise live.org you have money in a retirement account for just a general investing. You know, the stock market sometimes possible to enjoy both profit and peace of mind and investing no matter what's happening. You can see a short video webinar on that topic. Sound mind investing.org since 1990 sound mind investing in stocks offer financial wisdom for living well sound mind investing.O RG on this earth is in gold scams are nothing. You combine common wood covered brass ring with the thin air of colludes. He then going to crash where it might be seen coming from inside the contact is retreat to bring the cleanness unless you will just, a great value for the sense of security fairly bad things when they seem to have everything taken because all dictators isn't gold team so that you can have life the way God intended forgiveness and peace satisfaction life forever in heaven or call 88888. You can even tap life with someone now needs him.org do you feel like your hands are tied with dad preventing you from serving God. If you have credit card debt. Christian credit counselors can help through our debt management program we can get out of credit card debt. About 80% faster while honoring your debt and so for more information on how Christian credit counselors can help visit Christian credit counselors.org Christian credit counselors.org or call 800-557-1985, 800-557-1985. The Bible has 2350 persons dealing with money and possessions and Rob West counts the mall each night to help me fall asleep but in the meantime were to do our best to help you apply all of those your life and finances, and if we can help you today. Please give us a call our number open now. We got several lines open 800-525-7000 again. 800-525-7000. If you'd like to join us today on moneywise live by the way, Robert. We were talking about this new Amazon scam that's out there are Facebook question of the day, which is quite often tied to our opening topic said if you know someone who's been the victim of a scam artist. What have you learned from their experience and if you like this. Go to our Facebook page. You'll find us at moneywise media coal did respond. He said he's learned don't trust everything on Craigslist.

I think we've all learned that probably by now. He said if it sounds too good to be true it probably is, but we'd love to hear of your experiences as well what it's exactly right.

And I would appreciate you weighing in, we do typically have a question of the day on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter. Just look for moneywise live moneywise media and way and you can also do that in our brand-new moneywise app. Not only is it what we talk about a transition. Not only is it what we believe to be the very best digital envelope system out there and we all need a digital envelope system right that's a you're going to track the flow of money coming in and out connect all your account savings and checking in.

If you use a credit card to pay it off every month. Download those transactions and get your budget set. It's all there, and that we've solved for all of the things that I've found over the years the other apps don't do build those that but here's the other pieces.

The moneywise community is there as well. Just two weeks ago we launched our new community tab and that's what you can get in there and interact with other moneywise listeners ask questions in their periodically and responding to many of your questions, you can share ideas with each other. It's the community tab and then on the Discover tab you can listen to this broadcast. You can even listen archives as well. And by the way, you can search for a certified kingdom advisor. It's all there in the moneywise app go to your Apple App Store or your Google play store and search for moneywise applicable finances downloaded today. Wow, what a deal going get it and try it out see which lines are. Let me give her number. Once again, 1-800-525-7000 and Heather is on the line with us today calling from Atlanta, Georgia what's going on with you and how can we be of help to carry out a loan out alone tonight because my credit was great. I'm trying to work on my credit not charge anything else on what it take me what land when I get out of her interest rate. Yes. Well Heather, it's a great question and I certainly know that that can be frustrating and feel like it's taking forever to seek that credit score improved. Generally speaking, and that's all it is because it does going to really come down to a number of factors, but generally speaking it takes you at least a year to recover from bad credit, assuming you do most everything right, but it does depend on your starting point, the length of your credit history and the moves you're going to make but if you make mistakes along the way, it's good, of course, take longer. So the key is to make sure you're on time payer with all of your active accounts were gonna want to work to get those balances paid off in full.

Eventually, but certainly below the 30% debt to limit ratio. Meaning if you have a limit of $10,000 on the Cal your make sure you don't owe more than 3000 on that account and that's a ratio that they look for obviously a number of other factors. What types of accounts do you have, how long is your credit history. All of these things are going to go into determining what that ultimate score is obviously there's any judgments on their or bankruptcy. As those get older and older, they will have less impact on use of the key is a time be being on time payer. See try to lean into some of these other things that I'm mentioning in terms of getting your credit limits our balances down and making sure you have the right types of credit design will make sense though to you.

You are very welcome.

We present got away. Heather just was just looking on bank rate.com which is a website we often refer people to and just to let you know how much your score might improve.

I don't know your score is right now, but if it's if it's down below 600 yeah you could be paying on a new car loan close to 12%.

You know, maybe around 18%. If you're buying a used car, but as you move up for every euro 5200 points improvement you get there. The rate drops down to about 7 1/2% foreign 1/2%. If you got a super great score that would be over 780 new car loan today could be 3.65% 4.29% for used car. So there. There is a lot to to gain from working on improving this and I don't think it'll be too long before you'll find folks willing to give you a much better loan than what you're looking at now, but we appreciate your call. Thanks so very much and let's head to Fort Ville, Indiana Susie hi welcome moneywise live. How can we be of help program. You Amazon prime rate, I got an alert when I tried to go Gmail and alert from you. I think we lost you there for secular government had continued okay I'm I hope I have Military will give it one more shot. And then if so, we lose Yahweh in on whatever this far. This I learned that I keep getting every time I try to my Gmail alert and that said something not tracking your fraud alert badly dictate immediately if you want to blah blah blah. Then I read to the bottom of it and I think fraud alert immediately get out of it, but I couldn't get my email without this fraud alert page that I finally figure out if I and I take my cursor and a break.

Delete everything in the search engine than I can type in I can go to my Gmail and call up my neck now that it's concerning to me because every time I get to my search engine that comes up interesting well. So many of these web browsers now or have security features built in where they look for spoofing type websites where they're trying to impersonate a legitimate vendor or company in their seeing that the URL for that particular organization doesn't match what it should. It's not coming from a secure webpage. Any number of things that will alert it and then it will pass that information on to you.

This is an ongoing issue. You may want to seek the help from somebody who can check it out. I think the bottom line here is that you, as we talked about. If you're ever trying to contact Amazon over the phone. Make sure you go to their website Amazon.com and click contact us as opposed to googling it and then just be on your guard about any unsolicited messages. Amazon will never ask you to provide personal sensitive information like Social Security tax ID bank account numbers, credit card information. Any of that through a form unless you're buying something they will ask you to make a payment outside of the website. They won't ask you for remote access to your advice and if you receive an email from somebody that perhaps looks like them asking you to login, don't do that go directly to the website and initiate that secure connection yourself so we just gotta be on our guard. We gotta take the extra step, not just to automatically respond to things that are in front of us go through the company's official website for everything so we can keep ourselves protected from the scams, which by the way, are becoming more and more frequent and more sophisticated. It seems rich all the time you indeed. They are Susie. We appreciate that couple other thoughts will quick go before you go. One would be.

It's possible that you got some malware on your computer running were not IT guys but you can download programs like Malwarebytes and there are several others that are free of charge and can do a quick scan of your system and help you get rid of a problem. If you have further problems and this keeps popping up. It's always worth a call.

I hate to say that because of talk hard to get customer service but it's it's always worth a call to your Internet service provider and they may be able to offer some help as well, but we we do appreciate appreciate your call and hope you can get that sorted out our number once again on moneywise live 1-800-525-7000 or she can also connect with us by email. That address is questions moneywise.again 800-525-7000 questions moneywise.I'm rich Roslyn for Steve Moore, Rob West as her host all buying a home is the largest most nerve-racking purchase.

Most of us ever make. It doesn't help that you're entering a maze of unfamiliar words and confusing options that can leave you intimidated frustrated and afraid. You can take advantage of navigating the mortgage mates by Dale Vermillion help you clear up the confusion on rack your nerves and make the best mortgage decisions possible with confidence navigating the mortgage maze available when you click the start button moneywise live.org is click, and powerful, and sharper than to actually here is click for comparable to the bank like to tell them to come prepared party is going you really want to come with me here in verse 5 to 10 new American care.

So many people know my way to work most couples. Talk about most money books expected. But how can you create a budget or pay down debt.

If you can even talk about spending or saving. If you get tense about your just plain avoid many conversations altogether thriving in love and money like Chante and Jeff felt hot news for you and it's your screen when you donate $25 or more to moneywise live.org thriving in love and money for a better relationship not just a better project listening to moneywise live moneywise media is always Rob West Steve Moore normally sits in his ritual and as best I can and trying to steal his identity talking about that'll program.

So far I've ordered some really nice things off of Amazon, but I don't know whether he's going to go forward and well in the height just gives it away. Rich the height and the facial hair but that is a whole other issue you actually you know you don't you don't know if this is really me. I could've assumed someone else will.

And let's get back to some calls. What I what I think we do better and that's at 800-525-7000.

Cindy is going yesterday from Cleveland, Ohio hi Cindy will moneywise live in great thanks. Recall trying to meet don't get credit company charging 72 get like negative things on credit report and get something to himself absolutely hear you're on the right track their Cindy. It may or may not be a scam but the bottom line is it's completely un-necessary.

These companies can't do anything that your son can't do himself rebuilding credit is not something that's done and you know it's kind of a secret fashion that's really all in plain English in terms of the steps and it has to do with really being in on time payer managing your credit wisely and doing that for a long period of time. If he's got some negative information out there just about the only thing he can do is challenge it if it's inaccurate because the fair credit reporting act gives him the ability of feathers in accurate negative information on the report to challenge and it has to be either verified or deleted. But if it is in fact accurate, even if it's negative. No company can get it removed. The whole reason that it's there is it supposed to be a record of the actual history of his accounts and the good news is if he's made some mistakes in the past. Perhaps he's had some late payments or went through a difficult season that resulted in negative information that has led to poor credit that will repair itself over time, but it doesn't require you to pay $70 a month to anyone.

I'd rather that $70 a month go to debt reduction so I would just pass that along. And if he wants to do couple a little bit of research on the web.

He'll find that one of the things to look at would be the criteria that the fair Isaac uses it's called the FICA score if you just Google's percentage breakdown FICA score calculation he'll find the percentages of how that score is calculated, the largest of which is his payment history. Next is his debt to limit ratios and then the types of credit on down from there. So I would encourage them to cancel that and just being on time payer and manages money well Cindy, we appreciate your call and certainly wish your son the best on getting out of that next to Dalton, Georgia Lisa hi welcome to moneywise live what's going on with you here and okay but look at that lot dollars to retire when I'm without the need to keep my money to pay that condo start or what you think the key lease is you will see all kinds of rules of thumb out there in terms of multiples of your income. You should have in the bank in a retirement account by certain ages. In order for you to be on track, and here's what they're getting Social Security was only intended to provide at the most 40% of your pre-retirement income and so you've got to have other means by which to supplement that if you're going to maintain your lifestyle. Now most people live post retirement on 70 to 80% of their pre-retirement income. Why is it less well hopefully you're targeting a period of your life or your completely debt-free. By the time you reach retirement if you have kids there. Hopefully off the payroll. By then, and you know we can simplify our lives were also not saving for retirement so that comes out of the spending plan.

Among other expenses. And so it allows us to keep our lifestyle lower than it was during our working years, but even at 70 or 80% of your preretirement expenses. You're still most often going to need more than you could expect to receive from Social Security. So the question is how much do you need to have saved so that you could pull out most advisors will say about 4% a year, which is the number on a conservative basis, you should be able to make up without taking too much risk and without you having to pull out any principal just living on the interest in the stock appreciation from that portion of your portfolio, but at the end of the day.

It really comes down to your unique situation. Those rules of thumb. That's all they are. It's a what I would encourage you to do. Lisa is spend some time thinking about what your budget will look like when you get to that season of your life. I would also try to target the payoff of your condo to your retirement date so that you can hang on to the cash now, but when you get to that point make sure that you don't have that added expense to factor into your budget and then just save as you can between now and then pray the Lord gives your little vision of what he has. Lisa, thanks so much for your call. More calls. How should we as Christians think about investing. What if we could invest our money in a way that aligns with what we believe that Eventide we believe it is possible to love God and love our neighbor in the very practice of investing redesign investments for performance and better world so you can invest for the future with a sense of wholeness and purpose. We call this investing that makes the world rejoice.

More information is available@investeventide.com Christian healthcare ministries enables believers to show love for one another by sharing each other's health costs through CHN's voluntary health cost-sharing programs members uplift each other spiritually and financially. CHN was an eligible option under the affordable care act and a Better Business Bureau accredited charity interested. Learn more by calling 800-791-6225 or online at CH ministries.more hi my name is William, a communications major Bible Institute radio verse of the leak is found in Proverbs 10 45/hand causes the hand of the diligent makes rich, he who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings that's Proverbs 10 425. The radio verse, you probably don't often consider your interactions with others is an invitation to a bench with God I'm true.

Dick hosted Moody publishers waiting for change podcast in their new book sent Heather Holloman and her husband share how you can live out your true identity being sent to share Jesus with others.

Learn practical strategies to teach those in your community conversations. It can lead to gospel transformation growing intimacy with Christ and with others by reading sent now available@moodypublishers.com many people are experiencing financial challenges such as credit card debt downsizing that in jobs, savings, more than half of all divorces are the result of financial pressures at home, but there's hope your money counts biblical financial expert Howard shows that the Bible is a veritable managing your finances will discover the profound relationship with God, your money counts is available when you click the start button moneywise live with answering news on Paul Agnew in Washington White House as Pres. Trump will proceed with appointing a new Supreme Court justice to replace Ginsberg despite pushback from Democrats. Meanwhile, one key Senate Republican was holding out is not backing. The presence plan to quickly name a successor for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at his Utah center Robin sales of existing homes rose 2.4% in August of the highest level since 2006 as the housing market continues to recover from what was a huge spring to client all brought on by the coronavirus outbreak tight supply also puts the median price of existing homes sold in August will record high 310,600 Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up by 140.2 NASDAQ was up by 184 S&P 500 34. This is SR and moneywise live on the radio and know our goal is to make you wise with your money. Money problems can either make or break other things aside from just our wallet and that includes our relationships only mention a resource that we have available and moneywise live website. It's called thriving in love and money.

It's a great book by Chante and Jeff build Honda you might call it a money book, but it actually isn't a money book. They say you can uncover issues that cause many money conflicts and learn truths that our relationship game changers and we could probably all use that well the good news is you can request your very own copy with the gift of $25 or more to moneywise media and moneywise is a listener supported organization. So we would greatly appreciate any help you can offer us and is our way of saying thanks would like to give you a copy of thriving in love and money.

More information is available on our website@moneywiselive.org meanwhile back to the phones at 800-525-7000 metal line is calling from Nashville, Tennessee hi Medline, how can we help today my property and went to live in and plan like the payback.

My husband and looking for loans without the code found a company willing them and I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the business Quicken loans is the company yeah you know I don't weigh in specifically say one company is good or bad. I will say Quicken loans is getting a lot of press lately because they're doing a time of Advertising and you might often see them under the name rocket mortgage but it's powered by quick Quicken loans and they're all over the web, doing a lot of TV advertising right now. All indications are nothing out of the ordinary that would be negative. That's pretty reputable company rated pretty high by JD power and the Better Business Bureau. But what here's what I would say though metal line is that you really should always shop around when you're looking for a mortgage.

A study came out a couple years ago that was just fascinating. It was a government study that showed that 47% of homebuyers don't compare lenders when they're looking for a mortgage loan and you this is the largest purchase, we will make and so were going to shop around for a car. Why wouldn't we shop around to finance a home so I would direct you to bank rate.com it's not the only website but certainly a good one where they would be able to look at a number of different lending options and not only do you want to know it's a reputable company and they been around a while, but obviously you want to make sure that the costs are going to be in line and that you're getting a good rate. Good annual percentage rate attached to that mortgage so I don't have any problem with Quicken loans or rocket mortgage at face value, but I would say make sure you shop around before you select ultimately who you're going to go with all 11 Lord 8.0 laptop like couple thousand dollars to learn your weathers.

Yeah, there's always going to be cost send their called different things you can might have an origination charge.

You may have points where there using those points to buy down the rate I would try to avoid paying any points and if you did, I would pay very little to keep in mind were in a historically low interest rate environment right now with even 30 year rates sitting around 2.8% in some cases even lower.

So this is not a time where you should be paying points discount points to buy down the rate and I would try to push for as low an origination cost if any as possible. There's so much competition out there right now you should be able to shop around. Make sure you count the cost get that truth in lending statement or get that good faith estimates you know exactly what you're going to be paying and make a decision based on who the company is but also what the total cost is going to be in the end, 1-800-525-7000.

I mentioned the number again because we do have a few lines open again 800-525-7000 two Chicago, Illinois hi Joyce, you're next on moneywise live, what's up hi I'm calling service contract for my client air conditioner went out on me. I had to pay $100 for service person to come out with this client policy. I have paid $49 a month. They will not fix it atheist previous existing condition when I get a contract with Pam LinkedIn. I am so sorry when I get the contract with Dan. I had had a young man to come out to actually serve this my air conditioner and it worked briefly and went back in the meantime I had get this contract with Pam. So when I called them at the 30 days they said it would take a month contract to go into effect, maybe 40 someday.

Something like that and being when the man came out they didn't honor the contract to fix it or replace it. And I'm hearing that they are actually in breach of contract well is a couple of things you can do here Joyce and I'm sorry to hear about. That's what you're going through here because the denial of a home warranty or service. I know this is very very frustrating. We've always got to start with the documents that really were behind this in the first place, not only the documents outlining the scope of service that you been paying for, but the condition of the equipment that you had going into it and whether there was any notes made about whether certain things were not covered based on whether or not they were functioning properly at the time you took out the obviously the steps you need to take with the warranty company to appeal a denial should be listed right there in the document and that really is your next step.

I think you will then want to contact your home warranty company. If you can rebuild kind of a log of all the dates and times you spoke to somebody if possible, even who you spoke to, but at least what happened that's going to be required paperwork when you appeal that denial and then perhaps you want to have this reevaluated by 1/3 party. You could have a local contractor repairman somebody come out and give you written estimate for what is needing to be done to get it back into working order, you're gonna have to follow that companies appeal process. At the end of the day. You know you could contact your attorney general's office and you know the other recourse, progresses from there.

Hopefully they'll do the right thing. I would probably try to get somebody a little higher up in the organization on the phone so you can make your case, but I think the key is let them know that you're serious about this.

You have the proper documentation you were have reviewed the warranty documents you're willing to follow the right protocol, but you're not satisfied with how things have unfolded and I keep us posted along the way.

Let us know how that turns out that Robbie don't we get calls about these home warranty policies quite a lot and I'm just curious your thoughts on in general because based on the numbers. Joyce just gave her she's paying $588 a year.

She said $49 month so she's paying that already.

And then there is, I believe, in her case was $100 per event. You know service charge goes on that.

Do you think it's a worthwhile thing to have. Is there ever a time where you would get one yeah well they're not my favorite rich. As you know, you know I have in exchange for the peace of mind.

There's just so many, loopholes and so many of these where you have to choose between certain repair companies. Certain repairs are excluded, they may recover cover repairs instead of replacement. When a replacement is really needed. You may not get the level of service you're looking for in your catalog tend to some specific options in terms of who is actually doing doing the work so I would just say go to Consumer Reports if you're thinking about it and read up on it probably surprised great idea Joyce. We appreciate your call. Thanks moneywise. Life will be back with more. Many people adopt an attitude toward marriage and finances that it will all work out somehow.

But sadly, it often doesn't financial woes can devastate a marriage but there is a better way.

God's way, money and marriage God's way by Howard Deaton will help you discover God's approach to growing your finances strengthening your relationship with your mate and cultivating godly joy, money, and marriage God's way is available when you click the store and moneywise live.org hi I'm very glad I'm here to help you understand how urgent it is to share your faith every opportunity to the eyes of a layman.

Most Christians rarely experienced joy, fun and being happy coming all day long, but joy comes in the morning and stays all day long even on bad days. So how are you doing on your dad's is actually a form of returning every day into a good day into a joyful day. If you're interested. It's called loving God by keeping his commandments, including loving your neighbor as yourself that you heard that all of your life.

But here's what it means if you love your neighbors everyone around you as yourself is concerned for their salvation. If you are your own individual start coming to the Lord. When that happens you're very fruit in Romans 1115 shows that when you bear fruit. God gives you his joy, your joy will there is nothing more exciting than knowing God is using you to move people closer to join is not America.com very famous Lewis and Clark winding was to its source and drink from satisfied customers to feel all that restlessness and proceeds from the I never felt less like the present. Soon afterwards Mary. When Lewis died of suicide you drink the sweet water of success and can't get what you wanted in the Bible you creators created by and for ourselves instead missing Jesus died to pay for every wrong thing done so you can finally come home void if you come to see Jesus on want to begin your relationship with call 888888 and experience what it means to be thirsty. Many people adopt an attitude toward marriage and finances that it'll all work out somehow. But sadly, it often doesn't financial woes can devastate a marriage but there is a better way.

God's way, money and marriage God's way by Howard date will help you discover God's approach to growing your finances strengthening your relationship with your mate and cultivating godly joy, money, and marriage God's way is available and moneywise live.org this is moneywise live Heinrich Trostle in today for Steve Moore by the host of our program. Rob West and your call 800-525-7000 we go next to Tampa Florida.

Mike welcome to moneywise live. I understand you got an insurance question for us. I know I work with the amount of time and in my age I'm retirement eligible so I just went ahead and said okay, got it in time to hire. I have a variable life insurance policy cash value of around thousand dollars and I owe $5000 on my home so I'm wondering if I surrender life insurance policy cash value and eliminate my monthly mortgage mortgage expected payout. Well, it's an interesting idea Mike and I'm not necessarily opposed to its couple of thoughts. But first a question. Do you need the death benefit associated with this policy. Is there somebody depending upon you where if something were to happen to you then that would create a hardship either in a loss of income or added expense know I don't know. I live and $300,000 face value, which is minuscule really in the overall aim of my portfolio. Okay well you know I like the idea of entering retirement completely debt-free. As we talked about with the previous color today. You know that's can put you in a position where it keeps your lifestyle. The fixed and discretionary spending that you'll have to cover on a monthly basis as low as possible, which means that you'd have to draw hopefully less from your retirement assets to supplement something like Social Security or any other guaranteed income sources you have and that's a good thing because it gives you more flexibility gives you more money to continue to grow while you're in these retirement years in the Lord's, directing you to whatever he has for you next, and if there was a major expense down the road and that typically in this season of life is can be medically related, then obviously it preserves your cash for you to tap into later or gives you perhaps additional money to give away.

Be generous with but regardless I love the idea of you entering this season debt-free and so the question is where to pull that from them. I think pulling from a life insurance policy with cash value is certainly one great option. You have to recognize depending on how much you pull out and this is why was asking if he needed the death benefit that withdrawal could either chip away at or wipe out that death benefit entirely. Some policies are reduced on a dollar for dollar basis with each withdrawal. Some of the death benefit is actually reduced by a greater amount than even what you withdrawal and eventually could collapse the policy. I would also just be looking at any tax considerations, typically with cash value withdrawals that are not taxable up to your policy basis that the basis of what you put into the policy unless certain exceptions apply, so I would talk to your agent. Make sure you understand the implications both from the tax side as well as just the death benefit side, but this idea that you would use that money to pay off and become completely debt-free is your entering this season of life I think is a great idea Rob.

I'm just curious about this Mike brings up a very good point and or rather, you brought it up and talking to him and that is the fact that if your entering retirement you've Artie saved appropriately for retirement. You may not need life insurance at all.

Beyond that point. Yeah exactly right. And I think often times we think what we just need always have life insurance. Remember, the purpose of it is to offset a risk during our working years, most commonly with a husband and wife where one or both may be bringing income into the household that's used for expenses in their using that to save for retirement or save for college or whatever that might be in the unexpected untimely death of one spouse there would might be a real hardship placed on them and so that's where the life insurance offsets that loss of income or covers an added expense like caring for dependents and small children that are now in daycare and that was not a part of the family budget, or any number of things could be a lifelong dependent situation with a child that has special needs or making sure you have life insurance to cover the payoff of the debt, something like that. But eventually, if you're saving that's why we recommend term insurance of your saving separately. You get to the place where your essentially self-insured and you have the asset you need in the life insurance goes away, that's great. Let's move on now to Muncie, Indiana Deborah, I understand you got a mysterious well something mysterious stuck in an Amazon package received last week with what was going on there but failed annually on gift card in the envelope just like they did not want inside the box but it was sitting like on the bottom flap and bid me. I went into my account and put in the get card numbers to see if I could figure out what the deal was now after hearing what you are talking about. I'm concerned if I had given a scammer a way to get into my Amazon account get my debit card numbers. Luckily there was no money but I thought on my data card not be till the third back if they see as though Deborah so you said there was a gift card and there was an Amazon gift card that was in the box and how does that relate to okay how does that relate though to your debit card because the Amazon gift card have its own numbers and I went into my my Amazon account and put in the card numbers and quite on my account had access tonight. It has all my information on their yet concerned about okay yeah you know I don't really see a riskier so you went directly to the Amazon website you went to the page on the Amazon site where you can redeem a gift card and you just typed in the numbers that were on the Amazon gift card correct. Well, you know, our team is really not finding anything on this situation in terms of the known scam and I really don't see how this could be used against you would certainly mysterious.

Maybe it was dropped in by accident and you could certainly go to the chat feature on the Amazon website and asked them about it though. Provide some assistance. But the bottom line is, it was an Amazon gift card you type that into your Amazon account to redeem it. There was nothing on it. There's really not a way that I can think of Deborah where that could have in any way given anybody access to any kind of information that you have so I wouldn't be concerned about it if you're curious and want to know more over to Amazon.com and asked them about it, but I suspect they'll say it was probably just done in error on accident and that is really nothing to be concerned about. Although if you do learn something new.

Please give us a call back. We liked to find out about this and if anybody else receives an Amazon gift card with thousands of dollars but we don't know how much her as well so I don't think there was much there but anyway will I will see how this plays out. Feel free to give us a call back. I let's see we can squeeze in one last call to round rock Texas Laurier last on today's moneywise live. How can we help I Laurier it weathers well.

I am sorry that's okay Karen I know my racked with terrible if you ever think he moved here were really trying thousand dollars out and I'm wondering what you babies and heartfelt having fight all the time I get really trying to figure out were not what you do with the money now yeah yeah well being one room with small children. I can understand will add to a stressful situation. No doubt Laurier you all actively looking for your next home. Given that this one fell through and I would certainly concur with the idea that if you uncovered some real foundation problems.

That's a telltale sign that you need to move on, but are you actively looking for perhaps what God has for you in this area on will not wait yet not right right now because I the company that we are on the builder that we can know the low rate. No miracle. How many of the rate right well you're right that felt right. I thought it didn't work out well you yeah I like the fact that I hear you're starting with the budget to make sure you're not trying to buy a house you can afford because that would create a real ongoing pressure situation because now you're having to pay for something that really doesn't fit into the budget so we want to make sure ideally that principal, interest, taxes and insurance payment is no more than 25% of your take-home pay but I wouldn't be overly concerned.

To me that's what the inspection process is for you can hire a very reputable inspector to come out to look at not only the foundation but all of the wiring and you know the roof and I mean all of it. The appliances in the floor and you name it and make sure that you are in fact buying something that's of good quality that does fit into your budget and I would make this a matter of prayer asked the Lord to perhaps use this as an opportunity to reveal himself to your husband.

That's obviously our primary objective, but I would just continue to press on asking the Lord to show you what he has in this area in terms of the next home and just recognize that you don't have to get into anything that doesn't check out and that's why people buy homes every day using inspectors so I would stay at it. Don't get discouraged and it will ask her moneywise. Live community will be praying for you and Rob am always reminded that if we truly believe that God is our provider. Then, in this case. In every case when it's the right time the right house will be available at the right price. Our challenge is having the patience for that Rob think so much will come back and do it again tomorrow. I look forward to rich. They surveyed and indeed our host is Rob West, I'm rich Rosalind for Steve Moore reminder that moneywise live is a presentation of movie radio and moneywise media Lord willing, will be back tomorrow and I hope you will be to moneywise live