Building Bigger Barns

If you're like me watching little kids doing Easter egg hunt is a pretty beautiful thing, but I always feel bad for the littlest of the pack. It always seem so traumatizing to see that little one run for an egg. She has her eye on only to have a bigger cadence sweep in and steal it at the last second Heights, Doug Hastings, with Moody radio and unfortunately the same kind of situation has become a traumatizing reality for families all across the country. Families are out searching and finding their dream home only to have it pulled away by another hunter at the last second, which is why I'd really like you to meet my friends at United faith mortgage. Unfortunately, this faith focused mortgage team can't scare off the other hunters but they can very quickly get you preapproved and make it look as good as possible to sellers. They specifically made a commitment to this podcast in our listeners to do all they can to help you. You can find the entire United faith mortgage story and especially read how their direct lender advantage can often save your family monthly and lifelong money@unitedfaithmortgage.com United faith is a DBA of United mortgage Corp. 25 Millville Park Rd., Millville, NY license mortgage banker for all licensing information, go to an MLS consumer access.org corporate MLS number 1330. Equal housing lender not licensed in Alaska, Hawaii, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah.

Today's version moneywise line is sort of phone lines and none of my favorite passages is in Luke chapter 12 parable of the rich fool, but do we still need to be concerned about the size of our farms. I am Rob Weston. The short answer is yes.

While very few of us even have guards these days Jesus message and that parable is every bit as important for us today to talk about that first then we have some great calls lined up but please don't call in today because we're pretty record this is moneywise live where biblical wisdom needs today's financial decisions. Okay, so let's look at the first part. Luke 1216 through 19. That's where Jesus says the land of the rich man produced plentifully and he thought to himself what shall I do for I have nowhere to store my crops and he said I will do this all tear down my barns and build bigger ones in there I will store all my grain and my goods and I will say to my soul soul. You have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, Mary.

Now there are people in the world who might read that and think a that sounds like a solid, practical solution. You've got too much stuff coming in your barns are big enough you need bigger barns.

What's wrong with that. Well, the rich man finds out what's wrong in the next two verses which read, but God said to him fool, this night, your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared foods will they be so is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

If that theme sounds familiar to you. There's a good reason that Charles Dickens no doubt borrowed it when he wrote a Christmas Carol.

Of course there Ebenezer Scrooge takes on the role of the rich fool obsessed with money and possessions.

But unlike the rich fool. Ebenezer gets his second chance and we do to that starts with understanding what rich toward God means it's an unusual phrase in God's word doesn't elaborate on it, but we can get an idea of its meaning. By contrast, it's the opposite of building bigger barns or laying up earthly treasure for yourself. Being rich toward God is acknowledging that were made for him, not for our own pleasure or possessions that are abundances in God not in our bank accounts rich toward God means counting God is greater riches than anything on earth and it means using earthly riches to show how much we value God. How do we do that by giving generously to his kingdom had the rich fool done that he might've heard these words from Matthew 25, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers you did it to me.

But the rich fool did not at that he thought only of himself and when he died he left his earthly treasure behind that Jesus is not saying that our works save us, but he is saying that not doing the good works. We were designed for will hurt our relationship with God and Jesus is teaching that money and possessions are dangerous because they can lure us out of love for God and keep us from treasuring him because of that some might think that money is bad but it's not. It's really a powerful tool that can be used for good or bad. While the proper use of money can store up treasure in heaven for you, the improper use of money can be hazardous to your spiritual health as it was in the case of the rich fool. The problem wasn't that he had become rich. The rich are no less godly than the poor that the problem was that the rich fool ceased to view God is his supreme treasure if God had been his treasure. What would he have done differently. Instead of saying soul. You have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink and be merry. He might've said something like this God. This is all yours. You made my fields prosper. Show me how to express with my riches that you are my treasure and that riches are not.

I arty have enough I don't need more luxury and leisure, then the ritual might have gone on to say, I do indeed want to make Mary but not with self-indulgent peers.

I want to share your blessings and make Mary with the people who have been helped by my generosity. I want the fullest blessing of giving while giving all glory to you that he said that the rich man wouldn't have been a fool at all, he would've been a very wise man who was rich toward God he would've believed that as Jesus says in acts 2035.

It is more blessed to give to receive the rich fool learned that the hard way that we don't have to.

We can take God's word for word to pause for a brief break. This is moneywise live where biblical wisdom needs today's decision you're listening to an encore presentation of moneywise live. Today's broadcast is pretty recorded, so please keep that in mind back to the program I brought Wes and Roger along with us today.

Today's program is pretty recorded, so I would encourage you not to call in but I will tell you we have some wonderful calls all wind up in advance that I know you will enjoy. In fact, let's go to one of them now to Chicago, Illinois, and Georgianna, thanks for calling. How can we help them about 15 55,000 not a debt I've been able to pay every month without fail never been late and detail credit card debt. I have a home that may have about 50 $55,000 in equity and nihilism for sure if I should will. I also want to do some work in my home for sure if I should refinance my home to pants to get and also include some work to be done. What is the home worth perhaps maybe about $200,000 okay and you owe roughly 145 on yes lunch. What had very good you know I'm not a fan of that, Georgianna. I just don't like paying off debt with home equity for a number of reasons. Number one is were taking what is unsecured debt, meaning it's not collateralized by anything and were securing it to your home so I'm delighted to hear that you've been in a position where you been able to make those payments on time every month but if something happened you were unable to in the case of the credit cards they could file a judgment and you in courts and get you would have to acknowledge that, you know, the debt which you certainly would. And then in overtime. You could work on a repayment plan of that debt. But there is limited recourse, as opposed to you transferring that debt to your home, something happening and you being unable to make the payment, which is now higher because you got a mortgage of nearly 200,000 or hundred percent of the equity and now your home is at risk. They can foreclose on it inside. I just don't like that number two. Yeah, you've got to a decent amount of equity in this house right now. I would typically say we did, if at all possible, never want to go below 20% in terms of the equity that we have in the home and on the $200,000 home. That's 40,000 so I would not want that mortgage to go above hundred and and 60,000. And just because you know that's going to bring in private mortgage insurance, which is can add an additional cost to you and that does nothing for you that's just for the benefit of the lender and it's an added expense. Not to mention if we were to see the housing market. Take a downturn you know if you have or have financed in 100% or close to it. You could find yourself upside down where you actually owe more than the house is worth. Or then you'd been able to sell it for, which would obviously be really challenging situation and limit your flexibility. The third thing is that even though the interest rate would be much lower.

It's going to string this prepayment out over a much longer period of time. Let's say you go get a new 20 or 25 or 30 year mortgage. Even though it's a lower interest rate that interest over that to your three decades is can end up being a lot of money and then lastly, there is a cost of refinancing and it can be a sizable cost so I think the key for you right now is to make sure that your living on a spending plan a balanced budget and that you are able to stick to that every month so you're not continuing to add debt if you're not, that's great, but I would just really dial back into that budget and look for ways to cut back have a spending plan for your tracking the flow of money in and out.

To be sure that you are you staying on budget every month in our moneywise applicant help with that. In fact we were done here today and on the line and I'll give you a six month subscription that you can download your transactions into the app to stay on top of it. So where do you go with this debt well if you haven't already, I would look at a credit counseling program are friends of Christian credit counselors do a wonderful job will be able to come up with the payment for you little hopefully fit right into your budget. Get those interest rates down and people in credit counseling pay off their credit cards that debts 80% faster because of the consistent payment in the lower interest rates up but I've thrown a lot at you there.

Give me your thoughts. While I cannot agree what you said to Tristan, I just needed support. The other thing that I was thinking about this to immediate borrow from my 401(k), which is also lower with Nina.

Give me a lower rate that I can pay it off, but it's best friend Jake program can help me better and that sounds like an idea yeah I would start there is anything you might want to temporarily suspend new contributions to your 401(k), which would allow you to have more take-home income that you could then redirect toward debt reduction. I wouldn't borrow from the 401(k) because of something happening yet separate from your job that would all become taxable to you as income plus a 10% penalty if you're if you're under 59 1/2 up so I just don't like the idea of borrowing from the 401(k) so I leave that alone. And I can't contact Christian credit counselors@christiancreditcounselors.org and if anything in a reduced temporarily your new 401(k) contribution so you get more going to debt reduction each month through credit counseling so I give our friends a call there or contact them online Christian credit counselors.org and I think that'll be a real help to you. You stay on the line will get your information and get you that moneywise app subscription. We appreciate your call.

Let's move on to DeKalb, Illinois Nicole, you're next on the program. Go ahead and all life insurance on the reason for this would be have run into some health issues. I'm 48 years old and the last geneticist told me not to get any tax wise make sure that you have your life insurance in order because the plaintiff can prevent you from expanding your life insurance or making any changes to it in the future. Yes. Well, I certainly understand that.

I think the key is, though you is there really a need for permanent insurance deal.

Typically I only recommend permanent insurance. If you have a lifelong dependent. If you need to do it for estate planning purposes, you know if you need based on health challenges, which is obviously potentially the situation you'd want to know have something in place to offset a risk that would be incurred if something happened to you. The Lord calls you home and there somebody here that's relying on your income or there's an added expense that's created like ongoing childcare or something like that. As a result of your passing.

Would that be the situation here and is there really a need for life insurance beyond the term insurance policy that Yorty have and he would deftly need something I don't have any don't have anything to my children so I don't mind my entire life. No 401(k) like that pension from me and then is marriage. So here's their stepfather unite.

I feel a strong responsibility to make sure that my kids are taking care of its 14th so what I would be looking at Nicole is a is a new term policy. If anything you could give 30 year term policy that would cover the next 30 years of the Lord called you home there be a payout but for you to lock in a whole life policy is can be very costly, and I'd rather see you go get a new term policy shop it around with an independent agent is can get to the very best price for your age and health condition right now before you do this and then lock in that policy.

It will be there for the next 30 years if the Lord takes you all middle payout to your beneficiaries and if you have good health and the Lord Terry's it'll be around for a long time little expire, but you be saving all on the way. I hope that helps appreciate your call right back to moneywise live on Rob West. Your hosts we are not life today. We actually have the day off so don't call in suite you have some great calls all lined up you to enjoy in one of those comes from Las Cruces, New Mexico, Elliott, your next on moneywise live go-ahead hi I have a question about title lock insurance or what your opinion of it.

Yeah, you know I'm I'm not a big fan yellow folks often get this confused with title insurance, which is obviously different and it said generally is less. It's an owners policy. It protects the mortgage company from claims against your title title theft insurance will is a completely different product and essentially just monitors whether your deed has been transferred out of your name at the county records office. Now that might be helpful if you're able to react in time and challenge the deed transfer before the scammer takes out a new loan but that's a pretty big if. Also, no matter what you hear in those ads, there's really no way to actually lock a property title in any state. At least not yet. There's nothing to stop a scammer from forging your signature and transferring the deed out of your name and by the way that you can monitor whether a fraudulent transfer has occurred by yourself. Among the many counties now allow you to view the status of your deed online.

Some even allow you to sign up for automated alerts and that you have the challenge here is in terms of protecting yourself from home title theft.

You really don't need protection against it because it's fraud so if someone forges your signature and transfers your deed, it's still fraught at the end of the day of the con artist and legally own your property so the new lender doesn't legally have a claim to it so they tried to foreclose on it. It would be wrongful foreclosure so I just thinking of these products obviously are getting some attention as of late, but there's just not a whole lot behind them.

So I would encourage you to pass this that make sense though Elliott yes I just wanted to see what the risk was involved and if I had to touch a challenge title change. I would have to give an eternity to do that, but ultimately, I would not be in know at risk for anything except attorney fees that correct yeah. I mean, that would pretty much be the case because again it would be done fraudulently so there would be anybody with that would have an legitimate claim to that property, other than you, which again is different than title insurance, which is protecting you or protecting the lender.

Unless you get an owners title insurance policy which I would encourage you to do from somebody who has a rightful claim to the to the title, but if there's a clear title on it than anything else. Were talking about would be fraud and that would be really something that you would just have to be able to demonstrate to your legitimate ownership. But beyond that a policy is not going to protect you from that. I think that's going to be the court's job so we appreciate your call today. Hopefully that's helpful to you, sir. Let's head now to South Carolina. Mike, your next up on the program during mother and her XRT rate, wondering what your take on that little bit of research and not mount financially but don't let that great. Well let me just say first Mike we don't actually give specific recommendations, I wouldn't be able to give an up or down vote on any particular investment. But XRT is the stock symbol for ripple, which is a technology that acts as a crypto currency in a digital payment network for financial transactions. They offer an alternative platform as well that facilitates cross-border payments in and that's kind of their place in this crypto currency space if you will. You know that the challenge with the crypto currencies. They obviously getting a lot of attention.

I think the technology behind the crypto currencies is here to stay in our global digital economy where we want instantaneous and secure transactions, even cross-border, but they tend to be quite volatile and the only investing I would encourage any of us to do including myself is investing this long term that's properly diversified. That's not speculative and are trying to capitalize on the short-term moves of a particular investment is just too much risk with God's money, it from my viewpoint, so I'd rather you be across multiple asset classes with a properly diversified portfolio. That's long-term. It's not gonna be as exciting perhaps for because you want to necessarily you know have a concentrated position and something that could be a highflying stock, but again I don't think that's the prudent investment strategy for us as believers, so I would just respectfully say that mom. I believe this is a little too volatile. You know, for prudent investing in and see if you can move along at that point, we appreciate your call very much today let's take a quick email before we head to our next break. This email comes from Kathy and Jim and they write. Hey Rob we're looking to refinance our property where wondering what the rules are to determine whether or not refinancing right now makes sense and Kathy and Jim, a lot of people are looking at this right now. We have historically low interest rates and my rules are simply that's number one.

You want to try to save at least a point and 1/2 on the interest rate appointment quarter would work appointment half is better. You want to make sure you're gonna stay in the home for at least 5 to 7 years.

I want you to match your remaining term or shorter so you have 25 years left.

I wouldn't go more than 25 years on the new loan if you could drop it to 20 and still allow that payment to fit in your budget even better. I get three bids don't just settle for the first one from your bank I get three bids and I'd probably get to those from at least at least two of those from online lenders and then I would want to make sure that the cost to refinance is not more than 2% of the loan. If you find it's higher than that they may be asking you to buy the rate down and that's going to add up quickly and in this low interest rate environment. You shouldn't have to do that so hopefully that's helpful to you, Kathy and Jim, thanks for writing in today and if you'd like to post a question in our community and our moneywise and I would love to have you do that or coaches stop by. I'm in there periodically, as well. Just download our app in the in your app store today. Search for moneywise biblical finance question they were to pause for a brief break that with much more stable to moneywise live on Rob West hey were prerecorded. Today we have the day off so don't call Lynn but we have some great calls all lined up like this one in Fort Lauderdale for me being your own moneywise live, go right ahead. Thank you for taking my call requesting I will be turning 65. Inmate may and I was told that I need to find a Medicaid and I was wondering why that's something that I would not be using the company have insurance to my hungry stop and I always had insurance job. Yeah I possibly mean Medicare instead a Medicaid. I'm sorry it's copy Medicare okay yeah no problem no prompts. Well here's the thing, you don't have to sign up for Medicare. If you choose not to, but Canada the big if there is if you want to later you could incur some penalties. The exception is, and this may be what exactly applies to you based on what you just said if you have group health insurance from an employer for which you or your spouse actively work after 65 then you can in fact delay enrolling in Medicare until the employment ends or the coverage stops and in that case you would not incur any late penalty when the employer tied coverage ends then you're entitled to a special enrollment period of up to eight months. Nadine to go ahead and sign up for Medicare so you can't delay Medicare enrollment without a penalty. If your employer-sponsored coverage comes from retiree benefits or cobra which don't count as active employment, but if you're actively employed, then you should be all set in the way does that make sense so I have been on inquiring they make me find out why can't can't can't hear anything. When I turned 55. I'm just a cop. I just well on that. Yeah, you would need to check with the company just to make sure that you are going to continue to have active group health coverage based on your husband's employment, and as long as that is continuing then you don't need to enroll in Medicare because you're covered under another policy as long as there's no lapse or disruption in that and that would be a question you want to post them, then you should be all set.

You could delay it in again. When that ends so that ceases to be available then you would have a special enrollment period of up to eight months to sign up for Medicare so we hope that's helpful to you, Nadine. We appreciate your call very very much today and let's head next to Indiana and welcome Abby to the broadcast Abbey you're on moneywise live sure. Thank you, are where farming family and were to the point where we allow the stock market and are saving the starting to grow and it bothered me that it's not doing anything at the mercy of something coming up for sale and tending to the calling to ask what options should we consider as far as using our money wisely in the waiting. Yes, what's the timeframe on this money, Abby, and how much do you have sitting there parked the timeframe and basically when when something would come up for sale. No timeframe.

Sure and hopefully stand, but we've been waiting eight years now and point were talking about three 300,000 okay where's that money parked. Currently in a specialized money market. You know what you're earning on that right now right at 1%. You're getting 1% okay that's great you know as much is I hate to say this is the key for this money because you want to be able to move quickly and you don't want it at risk, meaning you know if you were to put it in any kind of marketable securities you were to put it into stocks even very high quality conservative stocks are you to put it in the bonds as interest rates headed up those over the next year, those bond prices are going to fall in the you could lose principal and you certainly don't want to do that because even though it's been eight years.

The Lord may provide the right property a week or a month or six months from now.

So I think just given the nature of this money. The first thing that's key is it's about the return of your money, not the return on your money. Meaning you want it protected you want it safe and yes is a good steward you want to limit learn a little bit interest in your certainly doing that. I'm in the prevailing rates right now. High-yield savings is around .5, perhaps even .6% to little better than one half of 1% at 1% at that's in fact you know what they're paying you in the monies completely liquid and you have FDIC insurance it which you may or may not, depending on what kind of money market.

It is, then that's a great thing because you know you're at least you know, getting a good bit of money every year for that 300,000 as it sits there not as much as you could, and I realize that can be frustrating, but I think the key is you just want to make sure you're ready to move because in a market like this and I realize this is in a single-family home you're looking for you're looking for a farming land but I suspect, given the fact that you all haven't found anything in eight years.

Others have in either so the ability to build a move quickly with the money being readily available and not having it at the risk of principal losses really key, so I'd probably just stay right where you're at. Does that make sense though absolutely clear and are our bought out by their dictation. I will be in a year or something, and I'm afraid that that right all and that the security will still be there but yet that does make that okay yeah I think that's exactly the way you need to approach this. Just recognizing that is much as you'd like to be making some more money just have the peace of mind to know that that money is there it safe. It's ready to go and then it's just up to the Lord's timing so I'm sure you have already but you and your husband just make this a matter of prayer and asked the Lord to give you the right decision and the right to wisdom to know when to move when that right thing comes and we appreciate you calling it today, very, very much. Let's take a quick email before we head into our next break. This one goes to Sally and Sally is in Atlanta Georgia and she asks that when I have credit cards that are open but unused, how do I know if I should close them and it's a great question is one that a lot of people have regularly especially when we get caught into that trap of opening store cards because were getting that 10% discount that they promises which we did.

But we can end up with a bunch of open accounts and here's the thing I like for you to close those probably no more than two every six months.

But over time, I'd like you to close those unused accounts and parent back to something that's more manageable and more simple.

Why you ask. Well, if there's a zero balance. It's not affecting your credit utilization and it's not affecting your repayment history because the bottom line is there is no payment being made with a zero balance. But it is open and active, and therefore if it was compromised in any way and somebody charge something on that account without your permission. That's fraud, but it still be a real hassle. If you didn't call catch it because if you don't reported in time you could be responsible for it and when it goes unpaid which it would if you didn't know about it. That's going to be reported to the credit bureau and it's gonna take you quite a bit of work to get that all cleaned up. So how do you go about closing those cards well first of all, I just call the customer service number on the back of the card and let them know that you like to close it, I'd follow up with something in writing and then is 30 to 60 days later I would check your credit report and annual credit report.com to make sure that they follow through on it.

Maybe have the moneywise app. If not it's it's the best digital envelope system out there, plus a community of believers and the best content on biblical advice. You can find it in your app store did a search for moneywise biblical finance. I'm Rob West on moneywise live right back after this back to moneywise live on Rob West.

This is where God's word intersects with your financial life. So glad to have you along with us today for our team is taking some time off today. This program is pretty corded, so don't: today we too were live in the studio but we do have some great calls all lined up ready for you today. I'm sure you'll enjoy them working recovering how you find a stock certificate if you been perhaps inherited some stocks but you don't have the certificates you claim those will also talk about nontraded REITs, what's that what's a real estate investment trust will talk about that with Randy first.

Working ahead to DeKalb, Illinois, Wendy, what's on your mind today, my car sure I can Wear it down and come vacantly right ascension record and now were down again because now the shortage is that make each chip and acquired.

I parked. This actually wondering why gift receipt cobra papers and I know they cobra make their insurance.

This and that the president get yes okay let's tackle the economy first. You know obviously you know the economy is recovering quite strongly as it reopens were expecting gross domestic product to be stronger than it's been 20 years as we move forward. And as we see a general reopening but that's of course relative many factors determine how well the economy is doing and hold is doing as a whole and in various regions of the country were to see significant differences especially when we look at individual sectors of auto industry would be one hospitality would be another field is just certain industries that have been affected. More significantly than others. And we've also got continued covert shutdowns.

We got supply chain interruptions.

We got weaker worker shortages in some areas, so you know it's really hit or miss and extended unemployment benefits. Frankly, made it difficult for some businesses, especially restaurants, to stay open as much as they've like. So I think all in the key here. Wendy is just to stay the course in terms of if you'd looking for additional employment.

Being diligent in doing that. The good news is we are seeing the economy rebounded quite well as long as you're in the right sectors of the economy and it's always good to come down to how are you managing what God's entrusted to you in during a season where its lien, especially if you're out of work you're starting with the bare minimum. Going back to that spending plan to look at it we call the big four you want to keep food on the table and keep a roof over your head. Keep the mortgage of the rent paid, keep utilities on and keep gas in the car so you can get to work, but deal beyond that everything is discretionary and on the table to be cut so that you can manage through a difficult season.

So I think we've got to certainly your stronger economy ahead and and were seeing good signs right now in terms of the economic data that's coming. But you gotta stay the course, so hopefully that's an encouragement to you as you look forward to the years ahead in your area and in your industry. With regard to the insurance you know I think the key is your just to keep that insurance in place. Cobra is a great way to do that so that you make sure you know that you don't to go without any protection because that could be a huge risk for you financially ill moving forward. If you'd lose that protection altogether and cobra as a stopgap is a great way to to handle that. I would also look if you need to. If that's not gonna work for your budget because you having to assume that cost fully.

I look at Christian healthcare ministries is a health sharing alternative that's affordable where you can make sure that you have some coverage in place in terms of you not having to come out of pocket per incident beyond. Let's say $500 and where Christians literally tens of thousands of them share one another's medical bills in a way that really is cost-effective. You can find out more@chministries.org. If the cobra plan is not going to work for you and we appreciate your call today. Let's head to Indiana next Colleen you're on the broadcast I can we help Apple $300 rent out my grandmother and dollars for each of my daughter and my daughter. He passed away in 1985. My grandmother passed away shortly after the way and I knew where to find out how to get a hold well you as a stock order to lose a certificate you still own the stock. So that's the good news paper certificates are rare these days, but they can be replaced, and it really does vary by company. But first thing you do is you have to describe the loss in any facts surrounding it through an affidavit, you may be required to purchase what's called an indemnity indemnity bond. This is to protect the corporation and the agent in the case that the law certificate is somehow redeemed by another party. So in your case, you probably have to prove that you inherited the stock which you can do only a once the will was probated. If it hasn't been already and your bottom line is my next move would be to call the company's investors relations department. Investor relations handles these types of things until tell you how you contact the transfer agent to be able to reissue the new certificate so investor relations will be on the website of any publicly traded company get the phone number give them a call.

Let them know what's going on and that they'll tell you exactly what the steps are to both prove that you're the owner that through the inheritance, as well as how you can have these reissued again. It's called the investor relations department and I would place that call. Next, right onto Chicago, Illinois Randy are next on the program. How can we help user hierarchy call. I have bought an IRA and part of it is invested in real estate investment trust tool. I have actually three REITs and one of them is actually traded now and two of them are not, and I'm just wondering what my options may be privately occur any significant penalties if I know get out of the somehow if there's a way or I should just cannot hang on to them what this thing right out. Yeah well the first thing to do is find out what options you have any just for the benefit of our listeners a nontraded REIT is basically a real estate investment that's designed to for.provide returns based on a real estate that support just inside the trust, but it doesn't trade on a securities exchange, and because of this it can be a liquid for a long period of time, others also give typically some front in fees. I think the key for you.

Randy is to go back to the documents that describe exactly what you have and find out what their buyback plan is if they have one, you know periodically. Some REITs will tender for shares and that's a great time to exit at a discount. No doubt, but you least you can get out so you'd want to check the REITs website to see if they put provided any announcements and then go back to those original documents that were provided to you when you got into this just to find out what liquidity provisions were in there and how you go about valuing it and then getting out if it can be done. Each one is going to be a bit different and so it's can require some legwork on your end.

Do you have the original docs on this all yeah I believe I do all my don't have in front of me, but I believe I do. And I do have somebody I worked with to actually obtain these rates so I could always get a hold of him as well. I'm doing that okay I think that's your next step is to find out what options you have so you can begin to move in that direction because that's really going to be the key.

There's not any kind of one-size-fits-all on this.

It's really coming down to what provisions were made possible for the investors is a part of the real estate investment trust in each one is can be a little different, so any questions what you read that give us a call back. We appreciate your call today very very much sir.

Let's do an email today. Actually we try to get to as many of these as we can do if you want to send an email to us. Here's the email address questions@moneywise.org questions@moneywise.org. We recently heard from Kristi and Jeff, and here's what you asked Christie and Jeff, you said you want to pay off credit card debt and fund your emergency fund. You're just having trouble figuring out which one comes first and I can certainly understand the predicament there. Let me give you my thoughts. You know when it comes to the priority order of managing God's money. We realize we have simultaneous priorities. We want to be givers right we want to be debt free. We want to provide for our families and cover our expenses. We want to save for the future. How do we do all of that will the good news is there are some great principles that we can apply from God's word about the prior use of God's resources. You know from my standpoint, I think we should be givers.

First, that you may not be giving at the level you ultimately want to give but I would start somewhere begin to exercise that muscle and give systematically right off the top. That's between you and the Lord how much you give but I think proportionate giving right up front is gonna break the grip of money over your life and get you in the habit of beginning to give starting with your local church.

Then I'd love for you to have some reserves but if you have high interest credit card debt hybrid. I'd limit the amount that you're saving for your emergency fund of $1500 is not a magic number. I think it's just a number that's going to give you something to fall back on if you have a major unexpected expense and hopefully break the cycle of you having to put money on those credit cards.

Once you have $1500. Let's go after the credit card debt in the snowball method smallest balance.

The highest dial into that spending plan create as much margin as you can each month and let's tackle the smallest one until it's paid off, and then move right on down the line. Once a credit cards are paid off.

Go back to the emergency fund with the goal of 3 to 6 months expenses Christie and Jeff, thanks for emailing us. If you have a question again questions that moneywise.org is the email address. We'd love to hear from folks asking to do it for us today. Thanks for listening moneywise. Live is a partnership between Moody radio moneywise media. This is where God's word intersects with your financial life come back and join us. Next I will you publish