Podcast Summary

Focus on the Family with Jim Daly

Episode: Best of 2025: Transform Your Finances: Smart Steps for a Secure Future
Original Air Date: January 5, 2026
Featured Guest: Russ Crossan, Christian financial expert and author of You, Money Made: The Key to Financial Freedom
Hosts: Jim Daly and John Fuller

Episode Overview

This "Best of 2025" episode explores practical, faith-based strategies for achieving financial freedom and fostering financial harmony within Christian families. With seasoned financial adviser Russ Crossan, the conversation revolves around budgeting, living within your means, the true spiritual purpose of money, legacy investments, and how to approach generosity and financial challenges from a biblical perspective. The episode is packed with personal anecdotes, actionable advice, and encouragement for all stages of life, from young couples to grandparents and single parents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Challenges of Money in Marriage

• Introductory Reality Check:
  • 25% of couples identify finances as their biggest relational challenge.
  • Money tensions are common, particularly as couples bring different backgrounds and habits into marriage.
• Practical Example:
  • Russ shares how he and his wife Julie overcame mismatched financial habits early in their marriage and made financial issues a "non-issue" by working together.
  • Quote: "The goal... is to make money a non-issue in your marriage. So it took us several months... but for 45 years now, we’ve been on the same page." (Russ Crossan, 02:52)

Foundational Budgeting Principles

• Living on One Income:
  • Russ’s #1 advice: Try to live on one income and save the second (if possible at the start of marriage), to create long-term financial resilience.
  • "If I could say anything to a young couple, it’s try to... live on one income and save that second income." (Russ Crossan, 04:29)
• Budgeting Reframed:
  • The word “budget” can cause anxiety; Russ recommends “planned spending.”
  • Only focus on “living expenses” since taxes, giving, and minimum debt payments are already fixed.
  • "There’s freedom in control." (Russ Crossan, 05:59)
• Financial Freedom vs. Financial Success:
  • The aim is not simply to have more money, but to gain life and freedom in Christ by controlling spending.

Spiritual Dimension of Financial Stewardship

• Money as a Tool for Gospel Work:
  • Managing money well provides freedom to serve God’s purposes, not just accumulate wealth.
  • "You manage your money... to have balance in life and not get to the end of your life and have regrets and invest in spiritual and social capital." (Russ Crossan, 09:33)
• Principles for Any Economic Climate:
  • Spend less than you make, get out of debt, be generous, diversify investments — these timeless principles work regardless of market changes. (08:28)

Practical Steps for Financial Health

• Contentment & Income:

  • Contentment isn’t about how much you make, it’s about spending less than you make.
  • Memorable story: Russ met a doctor making $600k/year but spending $700k, emphasizing financial issues are universal without discipline. (10:43)
  • "Financial contentment has nothing to do with how much you make. Has everything to do with spending less than you make.” (Russ Crossan, 10:43)

• Budgeting Details:

  • Identify and separate monthly vs. non-monthly expenses (e.g., holidays, repairs, vacations) to avoid budget failure.
  • Be realistic and thorough — don’t leave out irregular expenses. (12:03)
  • Distinctly track non-monthly expenses to avoid overspending early in the year. (13:53)

• Retirement Savings Realities:

  • Young families: don’t over-prioritize maxing out retirement if it creates present hardship.
  • If necessary, only save the minimum to get the company match, focus on immediate cash flow for family needs. (14:42)
  • "Sometimes you can’t afford to fund retirement... make sure you’re spending less than you make.” (Russ Crossan, 15:59)
  • Don’t borrow at high interest to fund retirement savings.

Investing Beyond Money

• Posterity Investing:
  • Invest in the well-being and spiritual growth of your family through experiences (house help, marriage retreats, Christian resources), not just material wealth. Add "posterity investments" as a line item in your plan. (16:44)
  • "When you have savings... maybe some of it should be invested in your family." (Russ Crossan, 17:52)
• True Impact Over Image:
  • Most financial “impressing” only affects a limited sphere; Russ gives the example of rich homes in small towns unknown outside their circle.
  • "If you make it your goal to amass money, you’ll always and only impress a limited sphere of people." (Russ Crossan, 18:29)

Special Challenges: Single Parents

• Starting Where You Are:
  • For low-income, single-parent families, focus on disciplined spending, seek community and church support, and trust God’s provision. (20:40)
  • "Do the best of my ability to live within my income, whatever that income is, and then trust God to meet my needs, because He will." (Russ Crossan, 20:50)
• Role of the Church:
  • The Body of Christ should notice and assist members in real need, exemplified by Russ and Julie’s experience helping a large local family get a reliable car. (21:42)

Generosity & Legacy

• Practicing Generosity:
  • Russ and Julie keep a "God Pocket" with money reserved for giving as the Spirit leads.
  • "Once you have surplus... you could increase your giving. Don’t just default to building a bigger pile." (Russ Crossan, 22:28)
• Other Capitals:
  • Generosity isn’t only financial — time, talents, and sharing spiritual truth are also valuable capitals. (22:57)
• Teaching Future Generations:
  • Be intentional in modeling faith, generosity, and stewardship for children and grandchildren.
  • Use blessings judiciously so future generations don’t develop dependence — "Mix it up," so support is a surprise and not a crutch. (24:36)
  • Ex: Help with a home down payment, but not a constant pipeline.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Contentment:

  • "Financial contentment has nothing to do with how much you make. Has everything to do with spending less than you make." (Russ Crossan, 10:43)

• On Budgeting:

  • "There’s freedom in control... My wife didn’t like the B word [budget]. So we called it planned spending." (Russ Crossan, 05:59)

• On Generosity:

  • "We implement a program called a God Pocket. This is money that we’ve given away, we’re just waiting for the Holy Spirit to tell us who and where to give it." (Russ Crossan, 22:13)

• On Investing in Posterity:

  • "When you have savings... maybe some of it should be invested in your family." (Russ Crossan, 17:52)

• On True Wealth:

  • "If you make it your goal to amass money, you’ll always and only impress a limited sphere of people." (Russ Crossan, 18:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:52] Financial struggles early in marriage & learning to be on the same page.
• [04:29] Advice for young couples: Try living on one income.
• [05:59] Budgeting: discipline brings freedom, focus on 'living expenses.'
• [10:43] Story contrasting income vs. contentment; 'spend less than you make.'
• [12:03] Realistic, thorough budgeting—including non-monthly items.
• [14:42] Don’t overfund retirement at the undue expense of present needs.
• [16:44] Posterity investing: House help, marriage retreats, investing in spiritual growth of children.
• [18:29] Limited reach of financial impressiveness—choose impact over image.
• [20:50] Advice to struggling single parents: disciplined spending, trust God, seek church help.
• [22:13] The 'God Pocket'—spirit-led generosity from surplus funds.
• [24:36] Wisdom for blessing grandchildren: be generous but avoid creating dependency.

Episode Takeaways

• Lasting financial security comes from wise stewardship—spending less than you make—more than from how much you earn.
• Budgeting is a tool for freedom, not restriction. It allows couples and families to experience balance, reduce conflict, and live generously.
• Investing in your family’s spiritual and relational legacy (“posterity investments”) can yield greater dividends than financial ones.
• Generosity, both planned and spirit-led, should be practiced as an outflow of God’s provision.
• Christian community plays a crucial role in supporting those in genuine need.

For more resources and Russ Crossan’s book, see show notes or visit Focus on the Family.