More Than Enough

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At this time every year, Canadians turn their hearts to remembering and honouring military veterans and personnel who have fought, and continue to fight and protect our nation, communities, neighbourhoods and families. Every year we pause and reflect on November 11, our nation’s Remembrance Day.

This week on Let’s Talk Money, Dave and Reb talk with financial advisor and military veteran Fred Brogan who has had a vast array of experience in Cyprus, Syria and El Salvador. He spent 20 years serving our country, but then as an injured soldier transitioned into serving and helping people within the financial industry.

He shares about his transition, and the “journey of learning” he walked, as God led him into a place of trust and surrender, both with his life and his finances.

Now, after decades of working in Eastern Ontario, Fred is creating a sanctuary for veterans just outside Ottawa’s city centre in the Osgoode area. Veteran’s Rest is a place for men and women to come and relax, be refreshed and find restoration while experiencing nature in a number of ways.

He shares his journey and his plans for Veteran’s Rest on this week’s show, and encourages people to stop and say “thank you” not only to veterans and current military personnel, but also to first responders who serve our Canadian community every day.

Tune in and listen.

The post Finding Veteran’s Rest with Guest Fred Brogan first appeared on More Than Enough.

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Do you want financial independence or financial freedom? In our world of words and semantics, you may be wondering what the difference is. Dave and Reb talk this week with financial planner and advisor Tim Jenkins to uncover the difference.

“Financial independence is often associated with a dollar amount,” says Tim. “It is implied that we can arrive at a certain destination and that we can be secure when we get there.

However, money is not security, because markets can fail, as was evidenced in the 2008 global downturn. “Financial planning allows targets to be established and provides a plan to get there, which is wise but we need to understand its limitations,” Tim adds.

Freedom, on the other hand, involves contentment, no matter the dollar amount: God is the source, and not money. As Paul writes in Philippians, contentment can be learned in any situation because we “can do all things through Christ, who strengthens” us.

Finding financial freedom and contentment is a journey. It involves listening to the Father, His Word, and His heart for us, where we replace the lies of the world with the truth of God. With over 2,000 verses in Scripture relating to money and possessions, we are not without help and direction.

Listen to this week’s show to hear more of this discussion.

The post Financial Freedom or Financial Independence with Guest Tim Jenkins first appeared on More Than Enough.

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Regular guest and Compass Canada Executive Director Ray Borg joins Dave and Reb in a conversation about planning for our children’s post-secondary education, and what it means financially when aging parents are helping fund their children’s education and mortgages.

According to Ray, Compass Founder Howard Dayton is a strong advocate of saving for post-secondary education and not going into debt. Saving during childhood, and pursuing work between high school and university are good financial choices.

In preparing for post-secondary education, Dave and Reb emphasize the importance of facing your financial situation, and communicating with your children about how, and if, you can help them.

“Our culture puts pressure on parents to pay for education, but it is so important to understand that sometimes you can’t help in ways your heart desires,” Dave says. “Going in debt does not help anyone in the long term, if there is no plan in place.”

There is also a great concern that retirees are taking on more and more debt because they are helping their children and grandchildren, and that is a difficult place to be when your working years are winding down.

All three agree that honesty and conversation are vital in walking through these years with your children.

“Open conversation about money is not always easy, but it is so necessary,” Reb says.

To learn more about this topic, listen to the show or go to www.compasscanada.org to find helpful Biblically-based foundational teaching that you can work through on our own, or in a small group.

The post Talking about Our Children’s Education first appeared on More Than Enough.

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Difficulties and Shame of Bankruptcy

In the second part of this series on bankruptcy, Dave and Reb continue their conversation with Debbie Doyle from Doyle Salewski Inc. This week they touch on the heart issues around this difficult subject. As in many stories of debt and bankruptcy, shame and embarrassment are part of the journey.

Many people come into her offices, and the offices at More Than Enough, filled with shame over their debt load. Both Debbie, and Dave and Reb, have hearts to help lift off this shame, and the disgrace people are carrying.

It is important to face financial reality, but shame and embarrassment just keep the story hidden.

In quoting shame researcher Brene Brown, Dave and Reb share with the listeners what shame looks like: “Shame says I am bad and is a focus on self, where we hold secrets, stay in silence and self-judgment.”

Debbie wants everyone in difficult positions to know that it is critical to get help, and not let shame keep you hidden. While all three admit, there are societal stigmas attached to bankruptcy, finding someone to talk to and walk through options is very important.

“You need to know you are not alone, and there are people who bring empathy and compassion to your difficult journey, and the decisions you need to make,” Dave says.

Tune in to the show to hear this heart-felt discussion.

The post The Difficulties and Shame of Bankruptcy with Guest Debbie Doyle first appeared on More Than Enough.

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Nuts and Bolts of Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy and insolvency can be a tricky topic surrounded by misconceptions. On “Let’s Talk Money”, Dave and Reb discuss the nuts and bolts of the issues with Debbie Doyle from Ottawa’s Doyle Salewski Inc. She has been in the business for many decades and has years of experience in helping people walk the journey of bankruptcy – a journey many people never imagined they would walk.

Together they look at the difference between consumer proposals and bankruptcy, and they also look at the importance of getting ahold of your finances, no matter where you stand.

Debbie Doyle shares that people don’t set out at the beginning of their lives to go bankrupt. She says that very few people go through the bankruptcy process because they are trying to cheat the system. Most people are hurting, and need a helping hand to start again.

“I am glad that people come to More Than Enough, and to you David, to get financial coaching,” she says, adding that coaching and accountability keep people from getting into deeper financial trouble.

She tells Dave and Reb that the process is based in God’s word. It is a process of restoration and redemption – a process God undertakes in our lives daily.

To hear more of their conversation, tune in and listen.

The post The Nuts and Bolts of Bankruptcy with Guest Debbie Doyle first appeared on More Than Enough.

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Pressing Pause this Thanksgiving

It is time to take the remote control of your life in hand and press pause – press pause on frantic activities, preparation, worry and anxiety. Press pause and give thanks.

At this special time of year, when many people gather with family and friends to celebrate God’s goodness and provision, Dave and Reb want to remind people that stopping to truly give thanks to God, and encourage those you love, is essential for having hope in a world that has so much hardship.

“Gratitude is so important to raising our minds and hearts above what is happening around us,” Reb says. “God teaches us in His Word, that we are to give thanks in everything, not for everything, but in everything.” (See 1 Thessalonians 5)

In the book of Psalms, the writers of these songs and poems, used a word “Selah” to direct the musician, or those reading, to pause or rest before moving forward in the song. Whether we are going through storms, or walking in times of peace, He is the Rest we can abide in. Dave and Reb talk about how pausing and giving thanks gets us centred back on God, His Son, and His Spirit.

“Without that pause or rest, our lives can become one big run-on sentence,” Reb says.

To hear their conversation, and to help you refocus on gratitude this Thanksgiving weekend, tune in and listen.

The post Pressing Pause this Thanksgiving first appeared on More Than Enough.

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Dave and Reb engage entrepreneurial coach Bron Vasic this week on “Let’s Talk Money” in a conversation about trusting God in the midst of an uncertain world.

In response to proposed tax changes by the Canadian government, slowly rising interest rates, and policy changes in our nation, these More Than Enough financial coaches tackle some of these issues, and how we, as Christ-followers should respond. As a tax specialist and entrepreneurial financial coach, Bron urges us to seek to be educated on the issues and then seek the heart of God in how we should respond.

Dave says that sometimes we are called to be the “Good Samaritans” but other times it is time to be involved in changing the systems that are in place. He shares a quote on the program from Martin Luther King Jr.

“We are called to play the Good Samaritan on life’s roadside…but one day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that a system that produces beggars needs to be repaved. We are called to be the Good Samaritan, but after you lift so many people out of the ditch you start to ask, maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be repaved.” (Martin Luther King Jr., “A time to Break the Silence” [sermon, Riverside Church, New York, April 4, 1967].)

This discussion has come as an extension of conversations with many people who are searching for God’s way in responding to these changing times. Stopping our complaining and arguing over the issues is essential, as is getting properly educated on the issues, and seeking the Lord and praying.

To hear this dialogue and discussion, tune in to this week’s show.

The post Responding in Uncertainty with Guest Bron Vasic first appeared on More Than Enough.

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The goal is equality.

Ray Borg of Compass Canada helps Dave and Reb dig into the words found in 2 Corinthians 8 that reveal God’s heart for equality amongst His people.

“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. (verses 13-15)

It is as Mother Theresa has also said, giving is really sharing. In sharing what we have, and in receiving from others what we need, a level ground of equality is created.

However, Ray points out that equality does not mean everyone receives the same thing, and that is where our thinking really needs to change.

“A mother and father look after the needs of the children. But if you have certain needs for specific sports or as they get older one needs braces, the parents are looking after the kids equally but it looks differently from a dollars and cents perspective,” he says.

Dave and Reb challenge listeners this week to spend time with God, asking Him to show them what “giving that is sharing” looks like in their own lives. To hear the whole conversation, tune in.

The post Equality is the Goal first appeared on More Than Enough.

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Talking with Christa Tessier: Mortgages, interest rate increases and fear

In their second interview, Dave and Reb talk about mortgage advice with The Mortgage Advisors’ (TMA) broker and owner Christa Tessier. This week they discuss the fear and anxiety that has been caused by the recent rise in interest rates and the words used by media outlets to describe it.

Saying there has been an interest ‘hike’ isn’t quite accurate, according to both Christa and Dave. “It is more of a step than a hike,” Christa says. Both More Than Enough Financial Fitness and TMA offices were inundated with phone calls and inquiries when the interest rate went up  by a quarter of a percentage point this summer.

“People may be afraid that an extra $25 to $100 will affect their monthly budgets,” Dave says. “And calling us is important to allay their fears, while creating a plan that works for their lives.”

If people want to take practical steps to combat their fears, Dave and Christa talk about the importance of meeting with a trusted mortgage professional. They help people get a good picture of how increasing rates will affect mortgage payments, and they also encourage clients to establish a healthy spending plan that involves paying down consumer debt, and then mortgage debt.

For more practical tips, and to understand the effects of the increase of interest rates, tune in to this week’s show.

The post Mortgage Changes Affecting Canadians with Guest Christa Tessier first appeared on More Than Enough.

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Changes to Canada’s Mortgage Industry

On this week’s podcast and radio show, Dave and Reb take a look at mortgages and the changes that have come to the industry in Canada over the past 10 months.

The Mortgage Advisors broker and owner Christa Tessier discuss with Dave and Reb how the changes are affecting Canadians as they make the biggest financial investment of their lives.

Essentially, the changes have tightened people’s ability to borrow money for homes and rental properties. While it may seem like a good idea to help Canadians with their current debt load, Dave and Christa agree that the government seems to be focusing on regulating the channels of secure debt like mortgages, while unsecured debt channels for things like vehicles, seem to go unregulated.

There is a growing need for paperwork, and very few deals are easy. Christa and Dave both agree details are so complicated that now more than ever, clients should seek counsel from a trusted advisor to get a holistic picture of their finances and their investments.

“Scripture says that plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed,” Dave says. “Finding someone to talk with and guide you into the best mortgage product that meets your needs and desires is really important.”

Tune in to listen to this timely discussion.

The post Mortgage Changes Affecting Canadians Pt. 1 with Christa Tessier first appeared on More Than Enough.