Episode 285
285: [Dr. Constance Craig Mason] Unlocking Legacy: Budgeting for Intergenerational Wealth
About That Wallet, host Anthony Weaver sits down with Dr. Constance Craig Mason, an award-winning financial planner and the visionary behind the Money Talks movement. Together, they delve into the concept of wealth as more than mere numbers, emphasizing the importance of healing financial trauma and fostering holistic wealth creation. Dr. Mason shares her powerful mantra, "Wealth isn't what you hold, it's what you heal," and discusses how our past experiences shape our financial decisions and self-worth.
Listeners will gain insight into the significance of options in wealth building, as Dr. Mason reflects on her own journey from a childhood of scarcity to empowering others to reclaim their financial futures. The conversation touches on the importance of mentorship, the impact of family dynamics on financial habits, and the necessity of open discussions about money within families, particularly regarding life insurance and financial planning for the sandwich generation.
Join Anthony and Dr. Mason as they explore practical strategies for overcoming financial obstacles, the value of self-awareness in business, and the transformative power of community support. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to navigate their financial journey with confidence and purpose.
💬 Question of the Day: How do you define wealth in your life? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
💡 Follow Dr. Constance Craig Mason:
To learn more about Dr. Mason and her work, connect with her on social media at @CCraigMason.
Web: https://moneytalkscollective.com/
🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and hit the notification bell for more enlightening discussions on financial empowerment!
=||Chapters||=
00:00 Intro
01:50 Understanding Wealth
07:30 Healing Financial Trauma
13:10 The Importance of Options
20:00 Mentorship and Community Support
28:45 Navigating Family Financial Conversations
35:00 Strategies for Overcoming Financial Obstacles
42:15 Self-Awareness in Business
50:30 Final Thoughts
55:00 Outro
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Transcript
Dr. Constance Craig Mason: In this world and you have some value to add. But
Speaker:we understand that when life starts, uh, lifeing,
Speaker:it starts to chip away at your self worth. It
Speaker:starts to chip away and what you believe you can
Speaker:contribute in this world and that can
Speaker:affect how you earn money, how you save, how
Speaker:you invest. If you're swiping all these credit cards,
Speaker:creating debt for yourself like this has a
Speaker:lot to do. Our significance and how we navigate
Speaker:this world has a lot to do with how we build
Speaker:wealth.
Anthony Weaver:Welcome back to another exciting episode of the about
Anthony Weaver:that Water podcast where we help the Sandwich
Anthony Weaver:generation build strong financial habits so that you can
Anthony Weaver:talk about money, spend money, and even
Anthony Weaver:enjoy your money with confidence. And today
Anthony Weaver:I have the awesome opportunity to bring on Dr.
Anthony Weaver:Constance Craig Mason, an award
Anthony Weaver:winning financial planner and a, uh, visionary
Anthony Weaver:behind the Money Talks movement with
Anthony Weaver:over 16 years of experiences
Anthony Weaver:transform lives by addressing financial trauma, fostering
Anthony Weaver:holistic wealth creation and empowering
Anthony Weaver:undeserved communities to reclaim
Anthony Weaver:their financial futures. So how are you doing
Anthony Weaver:today?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: I'm doing wellself, Anthony.
Anthony Weaver:Uh, today it's a, uh, new year.
Anthony Weaver:Same me.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: That sa me. Okay, that's
Anthony Weaver:new.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah. Well, I'm trying to change things this year to
Anthony Weaver:kind of cut back on a lot of things. So that's what I'm trying to say.
Anthony Weaver:Like it's the same me, but I'm gonna uh, cut little things out
Anthony Weaver:the way.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: I love that perspective.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah. How about you for this year?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: I think it's a little bit of new me. I
Anthony Weaver:think I am shifting some things
Anthony Weaver:around, uh, mostly within my own well
Anthony Weaver:being. And that's why I feel like I'm so passionate about
Anthony Weaver:other people's wellbe being. But, um, also
Anthony Weaver:scaling my business and building teams. So
Anthony Weaver:I feel like the inner me is shifting a little
Anthony Weaver:bit, but for the better.
Anthony Weaver:Nice. Yeahuse.
Anthony Weaver:One of the things that you have as your mantra, which I really
Anthony Weaver:love, is called, uh, wealth
Anthony Weaver:isn't what you hold
Anthony Weaver:is what you heal. It's very
Anthony Weaver:powerful thing. So can you actually explain what
Anthony Weaver:does that mean?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Absolutely. Wealth is not just
Anthony Weaver:what you hold, it's what you heal. Because
Anthony Weaver:oftentimes working in this space and you know this to be true,
Anthony Weaver:people are always excited about the numbers. You
Anthony Weaver:know, how much savings, how much are they investing? What's the
Anthony Weaver:new stock tip? Everything is about quantifying
Anthony Weaver:numbers. But I believe that there are some
Anthony Weaver:financial traumas that might be tied to
Anthony Weaver:how we arrive to those numbers. Right. What we
Anthony Weaver:have experienced in our lifetime, what we have watched our parents
Anthony Weaver:and grandparents and guardians
Anthony Weaver:experience about Money. And that kind of transcends
Anthony Weaver:over to us. And so I believe that, you know,
Anthony Weaver:once we begin to heal some of those spaces,
Anthony Weaver:our assets will continue to grow.
Anthony Weaver:Actually, they might even accelerate. Right. Because we're not
Anthony Weaver:triggered emotionally, eating, emotionally,
Anthony Weaver:spending, or overextending ourselves. So it
Anthony Weaver:just goes so far beyond the numbers that I
Anthony Weaver:just believe once we get to the inner selves, we'll
Anthony Weaver:be able to magnify not just for ourselves, but for
Anthony Weaver:our generations to come.
Anthony Weaver:And speaking of generations, because you have
Anthony Weaver:children that you'also taken care of
Anthony Weaver:and obviously a loving husband.
Anthony Weaver:And, um, so what does it mean to have
Anthony Weaver:options with your family? Because
Anthony Weaver:options is one of the things that came up a lot, uh, in
Anthony Weaver:your lifesty. So can you say a little bit about
Anthony Weaver:that?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: I'm so glad you touched on that word.
Anthony Weaver:Uh, I believe that wealth is also
Anthony Weaver:options. Because even when I grew up in the inner
Anthony Weaver:city of Baltimore and poverty, we didn't have any
Anthony Weaver:options. Every basic thing that we would get to
Anthony Weaver:do, from going to school to, um, going to
Anthony Weaver:high school to getting our first cars,
Anthony Weaver:things like that, it wasn't modeled before us. And so it
Anthony Weaver:was either this or this. This is it.
Anthony Weaver:And, um, when I started learning more about money in my
Anthony Weaver:young adult life, it really transcended itself
Anthony Weaver:to be like, hey, if you learn more about money, you could
Anthony Weaver:create options. So you could have a
Anthony Weaver:myriad of choices of cars or
Anthony Weaver:homes or schools that you send your kids
Anthony Weaver:to. So it's not just about the tangible things.
Anthony Weaver:It's also about what you choose to spend your time
Anthony Weaver:on, who you choose to spend your time with.
Anthony Weaver:And oftentimes people say, right,
Anthony Weaver:like, even if you have a, uh, hectic work schedule
Anthony Weaver:and or home life, by the time you get home,
Anthony Weaver:you're kind of tired, right? You don't want to go
Anthony Weaver:out and go do some leisurely things which
Anthony Weaver:could actually bring you joy towards your well being,
Anthony Weaver:but you don't feel like it. And so I believe that
Anthony Weaver:options are, uh, the thing we should be
Anthony Weaver:chasing. Not money, but we should be chasing options,
Anthony Weaver:because that's where the peiece comes from.
Anthony Weaver:Man, I'm so glad you brought that up because I also grew up in
Anthony Weaver:Baltimore, you know, inoverished neighborhood. So
Anthony Weaver:your story is definitely a reflection
Anthony Weaver:of, uh, what it's like
Anthony Weaver:in the poverty, because obviously not everybody in Baltimore grew up that
Anthony Weaver:way. But it's just for a lot of us who have
Anthony Weaver:experienced that, U m, you know, we live up in
Anthony Weaver:that scarcity mindset because that's all we knew. You know,
Anthony Weaver:we Watch our parents struggle, you know,
Anthony Weaver:so.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: And it was, it was normal and it
Anthony Weaver:shouldn't necessarily be normal. Right, right.
Anthony Weaver:So, you know, because you grew up in that. I know. You
Anthony Weaver:know, some. It's almost feel like, uh, we both
Anthony Weaver:can resonate on that term. We know how to stretch a
Anthony Weaver:penny.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Yes, yes.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah. So how did. Go ahead.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: I was saying stretch it. Stretch the pennies.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah.
Anthony Weaver:Um, because one of the things that we try to do, obviously in
Anthony Weaver:the financial realm and one of the things that you're currently doing, which is
Anthony Weaver:breaking those cycles of financial trauma, um, it
Anthony Weaver:seems to be such a bold goal that you have going
Anthony Weaver:on. Can you talk about how did you change
Anthony Weaver:or broke through some of those traumas?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: You know, it's funny and it's one of the smaller things that
Anthony Weaver:most people don't even pay attention to. But when I,
Anthony Weaver:I got married a young age. Right. I married,
Anthony Weaver:um, well, seven years after. So I got
Anthony Weaver:married around 27 years old. Uh, and my husband's older
Anthony Weaver:than I am and so I grew up in poverty. He did it, he grew up
Anthony Weaver:in the middle income family and he used
Anthony Weaver:to try to go window shopping with me. And
Anthony Weaver:I would be so frustrated.
Anthony Weaver:I would be so frustrated, like, why are we going
Anthony Weaver:and looking at things that I can't afford to buy? And it was
Anthony Weaver:like torture to me. But that just gave me a glimpse
Anthony Weaver:later on, looking back at those experiences. He was trying
Anthony Weaver:to, you know, have some quality time, trying to dream
Anthony Weaver:and envision ourselves in a different place. And I'm just
Anthony Weaver:like, I don't have money for this type of car or
Anthony Weaver:home or, you know, neighborhood and all this kind of
Anthony Weaver:stuff. And it let me know that I had a poverty
Anthony Weaver:mentality. And a lot of that was rooted in childhood
Anthony Weaver:trauma. Right. Financial traumas. But
Anthony Weaver:I didn't know that that was a thing. I just thought that this is a
Anthony Weaver:waste of time. You know, I didn't see myself
Anthony Weaver:as worthy of these experiences. And
Anthony Weaver:now since I'm healing those things, I'm able to
Anthony Weaver:easily identify when it's just something that I'm
Anthony Weaver:triggered by and I can push past it, or
Anthony Weaver:if it's something that I'm still hung up on, you know, and I
Anthony Weaver:need to work through it. So it often
Anthony Weaver:comes up when I'm talking with clients because of course they
Anthony Weaver:think I'm just going to jump right into the numbers and the
Anthony Weaver:financial statements and I'm asking them about their life,
Anthony Weaver:I'm asking them about what they want to do versus what
Anthony Weaver:they have to do. And that's A difference, uh, of
Anthony Weaver:mindset. It's a, it's a different way to care
Anthony Weaver:about your clients. And I find that I attract
Anthony Weaver:people who not necessarily are traumatized,
Anthony Weaver:but I do attract people who want more and just don't know
Anthony Weaver:how to get it.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah. So how does that work with
Anthony Weaver:your children now? Because though he did that with you. Do
Anthony Weaver:you do that now with your children?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: I do. And I have one daughter. She's kind of like
Anthony Weaver:the middle child. Um, and she has really
Anthony Weaver:pressessed on to the whole I got to get a handle on my
Anthony Weaver:finances earlier rather than later. She's watched
Anthony Weaver:me grow my business in terms of being a black woman
Anthony Weaver:in business at a young age, and she kind of went along in
Anthony Weaver:that journey with me. So she's been able to see the dry moments
Anthony Weaver:in business and she's been see me have
Anthony Weaver:some really successful months. Um,
Anthony Weaver:and it has added to who she believes she can
Anthony Weaver:be and what she believes she can do with her money.
Anthony Weaver:Now, my boy is the youngest one. He's really starting to get
Anthony Weaver:into it now. He's about 24 and he's very
Anthony Weaver:regimented like his dad. So any type of
Anthony Weaver:systems, processes and things he can put his hands
Anthony Weaver:on, tangibly he's with it. And then we have
Anthony Weaver:some older boys who, you know, they're still trying to figure it
Anthony Weaver:out. I don't think they necessarily believe the things that we've been
Anthony Weaver:telling them. They're like, I'm going to find out for
Anthony Weaver:myself. And I'm like, okay. But
Anthony Weaver:that's just the point. Like, it's almost like your own
Anthony Weaver:village doesn't always necessarily believe the
Anthony Weaver:things that you're trying to say. But strangers
Anthony Weaver:are like, hey, give me the information and I'm ready for
Anthony Weaver:it. So it's just interesting how, you know, your kids and
Anthony Weaver:even family and friends, you know, not
Anthony Weaver:chomping at the bit to really take your advice per
Anthony Weaver:se.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah. Because one of the things that I, uh, notic in your
Anthony Weaver:story, you are not giving up on the
Anthony Weaver:people that are around you. You seem like to always
Anthony Weaver:reach back. Um, and what is
Anthony Weaver:the significance of January 1st
Anthony Weaver:of 2009 to you?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Well, actually, it was around that time
Anthony Weaver:in a few months past that I had some
Anthony Weaver:significant medical issues that had come out m of nowhere.
Anthony Weaver:It seemed to come around the time that I turned 40,
Anthony Weaver:and I was super excited about turning 40 because a lot of
Anthony Weaver:people had said, oh, your life's go going to change. You
Anthony Weaver:not playing these games anymore. Like, you're going to
Anthony Weaver:be grown up. And I Was like, I'm here for
Anthony Weaver:it. And so I had a young, uh, grandson
Anthony Weaver:on the way, my business was fine. And all of a
Anthony Weaver:sudden I started having chest pains out of nowhere.
Anthony Weaver:And I was just like, okay, this could be
Anthony Weaver:anxiety. You know, it could be gerd, as
Anthony Weaver:they say. It could be anything. And so it kept happening for
Anthony Weaver:me. At the same token, I started
Anthony Weaver:having some depression to come down, and I was like,
Anthony Weaver:well, where is this coming from? Because again, like I said,
Anthony Weaver:everything seemed to be okay. But I feel like
Anthony Weaver:once I started trying to attack the mental health
Anthony Weaver:component and say, let me dig deeper to see what this is.
Anthony Weaver:It literally feels like a cycle of, uh, mental
Anthony Weaver:health affecting your physical health, aff your mental
Anthony Weaver:healthecting your physical health. And that's what was happening. I
Anthony Weaver:was cycling in these spaces, and I was being
Anthony Weaver:vocal about it. I was sharing like, hey, you know, I'm doing well
Anthony Weaver:in business. I don't know where this came from. Um, but it was one of
Anthony Weaver:those times where you have to really sit back and assess.
Anthony Weaver:Like, are you overextending yourself? Are
Anthony Weaver:you, uh, a people pleaser? A lot of these things
Anthony Weaver:come from childhood trauma. So you're living your
Anthony Weaver:life in a way that you feel like, okay, this is just how I am.
Anthony Weaver:But in actuality, you're just acting out
Anthony Weaver:your own ways of coping with things. And those things
Anthony Weaver:might not be a good way to cope, you know, but
Anthony Weaver:it's all, you know. And so at that point, I had
Anthony Weaver:several hundred thousands of dollars of racked up of
Anthony Weaver:medical tests and appointments and
Anthony Weaver:specialists, and they were running me through all these things to try and figure out
Anthony Weaver:what was going on. And they figured out some of it. But
Anthony Weaver:I believe the root of it was me trying to get to
Anthony Weaver:my most positive mental health
Anthony Weaver:state. Because a lot of things had to be burned off.
Anthony Weaver:A lot of systems and processes had to be implemented in
Anthony Weaver:my business. I had to allow my kids
Anthony Weaver:to start taking on some more independence for
Anthony Weaver:themselves. Like, there was a lot of things that I had to do for
Anthony Weaver:me that was in actuality affecting
Anthony Weaver:my pocketbook. Because when you sit down and you're
Anthony Weaver:depressed or you're not fully functioning at your
Anthony Weaver:best, how can you go and get that next client? How can
Anthony Weaver:you save and invest and pay down debts and all the
Anthony Weaver:things that you talked about doing, it's like you, you
Anthony Weaver:have to deal with self first in order to move forward. So
Anthony Weaver:that was like, really the start of when I started looking
Anthony Weaver:at the cycles that I was going through.
Anthony Weaver:Um, okay, that is really
Anthony Weaver:good because Some of the people who are actually thinking about getting
Anthony Weaver:into this business of, uh,
Anthony Weaver:well, say if they even have a business of their own and they doing
Anthony Weaver:more of a customer service aspect and you
Anthony Weaver:talk beyond the dollars, uh, more
Anthony Weaver:so your self worth and self
Anthony Weaver:care, um, what are
Anthony Weaver:the strategies that you will give somebody who is starting out
Anthony Weaver:to kind of keep their emotions in
Anthony Weaver:check by separating themselves from
Anthony Weaver:their business?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: It's kind of hard to separate yourself from your business
Anthony Weaver:in the beginning, right? Because usually when you are, uh,
Anthony Weaver:launching a business, whether it's service based or product based,
Anthony Weaver:it's usually based on something you really care about.
Anthony Weaver:And oftentimes it's tied to some type of hardship
Anthony Weaver:or some type of experience we've had in life. We don't want
Anthony Weaver:anyone else to go through that particular thing. And
Anthony Weaver:so you develop this service of this product to solve
Anthony Weaver:that particular problem because you know
Anthony Weaver:firsthand how this thing plays out if you
Anthony Weaver:don't get those resources or that help. And so it's kind
Anthony Weaver:of hard to differentiate the two in the beginning. But
Anthony Weaver:I would say self awareness is one of the main
Anthony Weaver:things that have helped me on my journey to
Anthony Weaver:healing. And it is really, and I hate to say it
Anthony Weaver:this way, looking in the mirror, right? Not just looking at the outward
Anthony Weaver:aesthetics of what's going on, but like really
Anthony Weaver:knowing if there are cycles such as you'll be
Anthony Weaver:doing fine and then all of a sudden you're not and
Anthony Weaver:you can't really pick what is
Anthony Weaver:really happening. And so I tell people, I said, sometimes you might
Anthony Weaver:have to, you know, listen to friends and family around
Anthony Weaver:you. You know, sometimes they will be telling you, hey, you're a
Anthony Weaver:little snippy. You know, I noticed that you seem a
Anthony Weaver:little frustrated. You know, is it me? And
Anthony Weaver:we don't want to look at this as someone judging us
Anthony Weaver:because oftentimes there's some truth in what these people are
Anthony Weaver:saying. And if they really care about you, they're trying to get you
Anthony Weaver:to a place where you can deal with that thing and move
Anthony Weaver:on, right? And so that helps with your
Anthony Weaver:relationships with the people you care about. You're probably
Anthony Weaver:even able to serve better. Since you want to start this
Anthony Weaver:great business, you're probably even able to serve better. If
Anthony Weaver:you're able to take a look at yourself and say, okay, maybe I
Anthony Weaver:procrastinate, but there's a reason why you're
Anthony Weaver:procrastinating. Is there some fear tied to it? Is
Anthony Weaver:there some imposter syndrome tied to it? Are you
Anthony Weaver:afraid of failing? Are you afraid of success because
Anthony Weaver:you don't have a team to sustain that. Right. So
Anthony Weaver:the procrastination that you might be experiencing is not
Anthony Weaver:necessarily related to laziness. It's usually related
Anthony Weaver:to something else in you. So these are the things that I
Anthony Weaver:would say if you're starting a business to really start digging
Anthony Weaver:into who you are. Because uh, even if you get people
Anthony Weaver:who really want your product or service, you don't want to let
Anthony Weaver:those people down by being all over the place and not being
Anthony Weaver:able to keep up with the customer service level that you
Anthony Weaver:had envisioned for your business. So being able to really
Anthony Weaver:be honest with yourself about where am I really in my
Anthony Weaver:life? And if I can make tweaks, if I can
Anthony Weaver:get the uh, support from the people around me, like,
Anthony Weaver:are there mentors that I look up to that have been there,
Anthony Weaver:done that, got the T shirt and they can kind of pour into
Anthony Weaver:me and give me those what to dos and what
Anthony Weaver:not to do'and that could kind of save you some heartache and
Anthony Weaver:some money and time.
Anthony Weaver:O, um, man, um, I'm glad you brought up
Anthony Weaver:mentorship is because one of the things
Anthony Weaver:that I love about your story is that you had a
Anthony Weaver:mentor starting out with your business.
Anthony Weaver:Um, you're just super excited, bright
Anthony Weaver:eyed, bushy tail, like, yes, I gotta make this work.
Anthony Weaver:Uh, can you take us back to that moment when you
Anthony Weaver:decided to take that deep, that leap
Anthony Weaver:into starting this whole journey?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: It's true. I was actually just about to turn
Anthony Weaver:30 at the time. And this was a young lady
Anthony Weaver:who was my kids godmother. She's still in financial
Anthony Weaver:services to this day. And we were actually living together because,
Anthony Weaver:you know, sometimes you got to pull it together and help each other
Anthony Weaver:out. And um, she had found this financial
Anthony Weaver:services company and she'd been watching me, you know, Google stuff
Anthony Weaver:and improve my own life. And she's like, you love this stuff, you know this
Anthony Weaver:stuff like the back of your hand. She was like, you know, you could make
Anthony Weaver:money from helping people with their finances. And I
Anthony Weaver:was like, I never thought about that, right?
Anthony Weaver:And at the time I had a lot going
Anthony Weaver:on. But I was married when she finally
Anthony Weaver:approached me nearly seven years later because she stayed on me about
Anthony Weaver:doing this business and it just wasn't the right
Anthony Weaver:time, you know. And once I got married, she came right
Anthony Weaver:on back and she was like, listen,
Anthony Weaver:now you married, now you got support at the house.
Anthony Weaver:You can't keep telling me you can't come and check this out. And
Anthony Weaver:so sure enough, I go and check it out and at this point I'M like, I have
Anthony Weaver:a full time job. I was working in healthcare at the time.
Anthony Weaver:And I said, if I'm going to be away
Anthony Weaver:evenings, weekends, things like
Anthony Weaver:that, I need to know exactly what I'm doing.
Anthony Weaver:You know, how quickly can I earn income? Like,
Anthony Weaver:what am I going to be doing with these people? And sure enough, like,
Anthony Weaver:she was a very aggressive and
Anthony Weaver:poignant, um, I don't want to say salesperson, but
Anthony Weaver:she was really good at being able to get people to see the big
Anthony Weaver:picture and make changes. And so we would go
Anthony Weaver:out, you know, every evening, dog on there and on the
Anthony Weaver:weekends and we would sit across the table from families, people
Anthony Weaver:just like ourselves, and we would teach them about how
Anthony Weaver:money was working. And a lot of times, unfortunately, these people
Anthony Weaver:didn't have life insurance, which is one of the basic financial
Anthony Weaver:fundamentals that you could put in place. And so
Anthony Weaver:as I was learning, I was also able to
Anthony Weaver:help these people. So it was like I was a newbie, but I
Anthony Weaver:was making good money and I was feeling passionate and
Anthony Weaver:empowered by doing that at the same time because these people look
Anthony Weaver:just like me. A lot of them were in my age group and I
Anthony Weaver:felt like we could learn and grow together. But she was
Anthony Weaver:somebody who I never saw myself as a business
Anthony Weaver:owner. She implemented, hey, this is not just
Anthony Weaver:something that you're doing. Like you actually have a
Anthony Weaver:business here, so you want to treat it like a business. You want to
Anthony Weaver:have your write offs, you want to be able to, you
Anthony Weaver:know, help people and grow a team so that you don't
Anthony Weaver:burn out. And these are the things that she taught me early
Anthony Weaver:on. And I was just so super grateful. So I'll always
Anthony Weaver:credit her for being kind of like one of my first mentors
Anthony Weaver:in the financial services space. And then I try to be
Anthony Weaver:that for the young ladies that are coming up behind me
Anthony Weaver:in the financial space. You know, there's things that, you know, we
Anthony Weaver:should be doing things that we should not go down that
Anthony Weaver:route. And um, I find that. And
Anthony Weaver:people are looking for that mentorship, even if that's not what
Anthony Weaver:they're calling it. They're really just looking for someone to see
Anthony Weaver:them in the stage that they're in and help them get to the next
Anthony Weaver:level.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah. And how would somebody saying that, hey,
Anthony Weaver:they see what you're doing, you're doing all these amazing
Anthony Weaver:things. What would be
Anthony Weaver:the proper way to approach you, to ask you
Anthony Weaver:to be a mentor for them?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: O. Uh, let's say I'm
Anthony Weaver:asking for a.
Anthony Weaver:Friend just.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: All over social media. So a quick dm.
Anthony Weaver:Um, I will hop on a one one call. Um,
Anthony Weaver:I love collaborating with my peers
Anthony Weaver:in finance. Um, we've done quite a few events
Anthony Weaver:together, book projects, you name it.
Anthony Weaver:Um, so just send me a quick DM or email me and
Anthony Weaver:just let me know where you're at and what you're interested in
Anthony Weaver:doing. And if I have the time to definitely pour in,
Anthony Weaver:I certainly will.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah. And when you're talking about those
Anthony Weaver:collaboration spaces, um,
Anthony Weaver:I know that you used to do the in person
Anthony Weaver:events at the library and I was like,
Anthony Weaver:why don't most people use the library anymore? Like
Anthony Weaver:they so convenient. It's so
Anthony Weaver:convenient.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Very convenient, very affordable. Right? And you
Anthony Weaver:have everything right there, AV
Anthony Weaver:equipment, plenty of tables and chairs.
Anthony Weaver:Like a lot of the commercial spaces that we go to, the host
Anthony Weaver:star events, conferences or what have you.
Anthony Weaver:It'like you have to pay a lot of money just to
Anthony Weaver:be in the space and then you have to pay
Anthony Weaver:to have the chairs and tables and
Anthony Weaver:bring the screens in. And uh, it's just like by the time
Anthony Weaver:they I la carte you, you could have had it done and over with at
Anthony Weaver:the public library. And uh, again when you're starting
Anthony Weaver:out, you don't have a lot of money to pour into your
Anthony Weaver:business or to pour into an event like this, but you do
Anthony Weaver:need leads to be able to offer your
Anthony Weaver:services. And so if you're able to host it in a
Anthony Weaver:professional space during business hours
Anthony Weaver:where people know these places, most people know
Anthony Weaver:where their library is. You know, you can go in
Anthony Weaver:there, show your expertise, show that
Anthony Weaver:you care and find a way to get those
Anthony Weaver:leads back to you. Whether it's a registration list
Anthony Weaver:and evaluation form, however, you need to
Anthony Weaver:get those leads so you can continue to build a
Anthony Weaver:relationship with these people that took the time to
Anthony Weaver:show up. Because that's part of the problem. I feel like uh,
Anthony Weaver:we all want to do the best for our potential clients,
Anthony Weaver:but people have to be able to show up one not just for us. Uh, they
Anthony Weaver:ain't showing up for me like they're showing up for
Anthony Weaver:themselves. Whether it's a free ticket or
Anthony Weaver:a ticket that they have paid money for. That's part
Anthony Weaver:of the action steps, ah, is
Anthony Weaver:showing up, uh, and then once you show up, uh, you know, what are
Anthony Weaver:you learning? What can you take away from that experience?
Anthony Weaver:Sometimes you have to pay money for the next level,
Anthony Weaver:but sometimes you don't and you just start having these
Anthony Weaver:conversations that are going to impact your life down the
Anthony Weaver:line.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah. And because I was sex actually thinking about doing an in person
Anthony Weaver:Event. And I was debating on, should I go to
Anthony Weaver:a restaurant, Just say, like, hey, everybody, just show up here.
Anthony Weaver:I'll work hand in hand with the restaurant owner or something like
Anthony Weaver:that. Or like, and obviously,
Anthony Weaver:like, charge people like $30 or something like that just to kind of COVID
Anthony Weaver:the plates and so forth and the vini
Anthony Weaver:or do you do at the library? Don't
Anthony Weaver:charge everybody, Just kind of. The whole thing about
Anthony Weaver:it is because at the end of the day, we do need to put food on
Anthony Weaver:our tables too, as business owners. So do
Anthony Weaver:you look at it just like, hey, you do the library for the free
Anthony Weaver:one quarterly. Just to kind of say, like, hey,
Anthony Weaver:I'm, um, here, I'm available. This is only a
Anthony Weaver:quarterly thing.
Anthony Weaver:I'm thinking about different business strategies to kind of help
Anthony Weaver:promote your business, uh, in real life
Anthony Weaver:versus doing like a podcast tourorro, uh,
Anthony Weaver:like you and I are doing now. So what was your thoughts
Anthony Weaver:on trying to get started? If somebody's looking to get
Anthony Weaver:started, I.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Think quarterly is a good way to go because, again,
Anthony Weaver:if marketed appropriately, right? We were doing a
Anthony Weaver:lot of word of mouth and like Facebook at the time. This was
Anthony Weaver:like early 2018, 2019.
Anthony Weaver:And, um, you know, we didn't want to pay a lot of money
Anthony Weaver:to host the event. And I brought a lot of my financial
Anthony Weaver:peers to speak on panels with me during
Anthony Weaver:those events. And so I wanted them to have an
Anthony Weaver:opportunity to get in front of the room so that they could share their
Anthony Weaver:expertise. But then I also wanted the attendees
Anthony Weaver:to be in a safe space where they could have these
Anthony Weaver:uncomfortable conversations. They didn't even have to identify
Anthony Weaver:themselves as to what was their burning question.
Anthony Weaver:Like, you know, raise your hand and say, oh, this is what I want
Anthony Weaver:to know. Like, they would fill out index cards upon
Anthony Weaver:arrival and they would write down their
Anthony Weaver:anonymous question. And so the cards would be
Anthony Weaver:color coordinated based on topic. And so
Anthony Weaver:now my panelists know exactly what their color
Anthony Weaver:code is. So when they see that card, they know it's a question for them.
Anthony Weaver:And then the attendees get to learn exactly what
Anthony Weaver:they came there for. Right. They don't have to identify themselves and say,
Anthony Weaver:hey, I'm filing bankruptcy. And I have this question. Like,
Anthony Weaver:uh, that question that they had a few other people probably had
Anthony Weaver:in that space. It was ashamed or, you know, a bit fearful
Anthony Weaver:to ask it. And so when I say safe space, I'm saying,
Anthony Weaver:come, learn and grow. Don't just get
Anthony Weaver:some brochures or take a couple of notes that you
Anthony Weaver:don't know who said what. Right?
Anthony Weaver:You'have a Face with a name
Anthony Weaver:so that when this is over, you can go to that person that was
Anthony Weaver:on the panel because you, you vetted them, you got a vibe from
Anthony Weaver:them, they answered your specific question, and now you
Anthony Weaver:can follow up. So I believe quarterly gives you enough
Anthony Weaver:leads to where you can work it and not overwhelm
Anthony Weaver:yourself. But then it also allows you
Anthony Weaver:to say, I'm not, you know, every weekend I'm tied
Anthony Weaver:up doing something for business and not doing anything
Anthony Weaver:for self or family.
Anthony Weaver:Man. Okay, so you get me
Anthony Weaver:excited about to do an in person event caus I was like, oh man, that sounds
Anthony Weaver:pretty cool. I don't know where to start. Um, um, but we
Anthony Weaver:obviously can talk offline. U uh, because I don't
Anthony Weaver:want to run the whole show about me asking my
Anthony Weaver:questions.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: By all means on that.
Anthony Weaver:Thank you.
Anthony Weaver:Um, um, now one of the things that,
Anthony Weaver:uh, has been coming up, at least
Anthony Weaver:with my clients that I'm working with, is dealing
Anthony Weaver:with having the parents as they're getting
Anthony Weaver:older. And you mentioned earlier about life
Anthony Weaver:insurance, how everybody should have it.
Anthony Weaver:Um, when is it a good time to actually have that
Anthony Weaver:conversation with your parents
Anthony Weaver:about life insurance?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: About our parents getting it or if they have it?
Anthony Weaver:If they have it or getting it. Because a lot of people don't like to talk
Anthony Weaver:about death. We all know it's going to happen.
Anthony Weaver:It's just a matter of when. But what do we do as the
Anthony Weaver:people that outlive them, what do we do
Anthony Weaver:and how do we actually start having that conversation with
Anthony Weaver:them?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Yeah, I want to make it not taboo
Anthony Weaver:anymore to talk about money. Right? That's why we have the money
Anthony Weaver:talks. It's like uncomfortable conversations,
Anthony Weaver:but they're transformational in the aspect
Anthony Weaver:that we all know, our parents and our grandparents or
Anthony Weaver:our guardians, right. We know if they are
Anthony Weaver:comfortable talking with us about money. Some of them are,
Anthony Weaver:right. They can't wait to tell us, oh, I've done this,
Anthony Weaver:I've done that. Or you get the house and you get the kitchen
Anthony Weaver:table and you get this and you get that. So it's like,
Anthony Weaver:if it's easy to talk to them, by all means, just
Anthony Weaver:go ahead and say, hey, you know, I was wondering, as I'm getting
Anthony Weaver:older, you know, I need to set up things for myself. What
Anthony Weaver:do you have in place? And it will allow them
Anthony Weaver:to say what they already have. And they may even say,
Anthony Weaver:you're the beneficiary on that, or you and your brother are,
Anthony Weaver:or however it works. So now that gives you the
Anthony Weaver:idea that you don't have to worry about taking on somebody
Anthony Weaver:else's burden if God forbid, they would pass
Anthony Weaver:away because oftentimes you're grieving, right,
Anthony Weaver:and that you don't know how that's going to go or how long you're
Anthony Weaver:going to be in that space. But then to have
Anthony Weaver:to abruptly stop what you're doing and
Anthony Weaver:take your savings to pay for parent,
Anthony Weaver:grandparents, something like that, and of course heartstrings,
Anthony Weaver:you're going to do it, you're going to take that money
Anthony Weaver:and you're going to take care of it. And then when the smoke clears, you're going to
Anthony Weaver:look back at your finances and say, now I got
Anthony Weaver:to start this all over again or now I got to start
Anthony Weaver:accelerating my 401, you know what I'm saying?
Anthony Weaver:And so if we're able to find out what they
Anthony Weaver:already have, and again if they have it, they're going to
Anthony Weaver:tell you they have it. If they don't have it, they may say,
Anthony Weaver:well maybe you need to help me get some um. Now we do
Anthony Weaver:have some carriers out there who are really
Anthony Weaver:strict on pre existing conditions, but there are
Anthony Weaver:some nowadays that there's very minimal
Anthony Weaver:underwriting where you could get guaranteed issue
Anthony Weaver:coverage, you know, depending on your age and things like
Anthony Weaver:that. But, but it's really no excuse
Anthony Weaver:nowadays because even people who have like
Anthony Weaver:hiv, aids, cancer, heart
Anthony Weaver:conditions, mental health, even people who smoke
Anthony Weaver:marijuana can get
Anthony Weaver:medical and health coverage and life
Anthony Weaver:insurance and it's usually at a reasonable rate, depending
Anthony Weaver:on how much coverage you need. So I just feel like, you know,
Anthony Weaver:we shouldn't be afraid to ask people who it's going to
Anthony Weaver:impact about those things. That's what they call
Anthony Weaver:insurable. So if you have insurable interest in
Anthony Weaver:a person, it's usually somebody where if they would pass
Anthony Weaver:away there would be a financial burden to you.
Anthony Weaver:So in the aspect of spouses,
Anthony Weaver:children, young children, adult children, right. If
Anthony Weaver:you're, let's say your elderly parent
Anthony Weaver:doesn't earn a lot in retirement. So maybe
Anthony Weaver:if they don't have a policy that is kept pace with
Anthony Weaver:inflation, they got that thing 30 years ago and
Anthony Weaver:it's like 8,000 do, what is that going to
Anthony Weaver:do for the cost of final expense today? So somebody
Anthony Weaver:stilln to have to come out of a pocket to support the
Anthony Weaver:coverage that they did keep in place. And if you don't
Anthony Weaver:have that kind of money laying around, well, maybe you can get a
Anthony Weaver:small final expense just to support what they already have
Anthony Weaver:in place. Right. So you're not caught trying to do this
Anthony Weaver:in the midst of everything else. You're doing. You talk a lot about the
Anthony Weaver:sandwich generation. I'm definitely in that
Anthony Weaver:sandwich generation where I have kids and grandkids, but I also have
Anthony Weaver:my mom, who's in her six. And so it's like, you want
Anthony Weaver:to do what's best for you. You want to be a model for your
Anthony Weaver:children and grandchildren, and you also want to be that
Anthony Weaver:support to those who were, uh, of support to you when
Anthony Weaver:you were coming up. But it doesn't have to be burdensome.
Anthony Weaver:So the conversations definitely need to be had, even
Anthony Weaver:if they're uncomfortable, because it's really all about care.
Anthony Weaver:Right. I care enough to inquire about
Anthony Weaver:what you have going on so that if it doesn't affect me,
Anthony Weaver:great. I'm happy to hear that it won't affect me
Anthony Weaver:negatively. And sometimes there's legacy
Anthony Weaver:that's coming your way, there's assets that are coming your
Anthony Weaver:way, and you might need to know how that works, because maybe
Anthony Weaver:there's a tax consequence attached to that
Anthony Weaver:asset, or maybe there's money'coming that
Anthony Weaver:is not taxable coming your way. So you would want to
Anthony Weaver:know that sooner than later.
Anthony Weaver:Um, so one of the things that stuck out to
Anthony Weaver:me is when it comes to say you
Anthony Weaver:do have that $8,000
Anthony Weaver:policy, but all of a sudden you want
Anthony Weaver:to adjust it to today's inflation
Anthony Weaver:rate.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: It depends. It really depends on how the carrier
Anthony Weaver:has those plans set ah up. Oftentimes they will
Anthony Weaver:allow you to do, like, what they call a policy
Anthony Weaver:change. So a policy change form that you
Anthony Weaver:would complete is where you're taking it from X amount of coverage
Anthony Weaver:up, usually increasing that to a higher
Anthony Weaver:amount. And then, of course, now, yes, the premium that you're
Anthony Weaver:quoted is based on your current age and not the age you were
Anthony Weaver:when you got that $8,000 policy many years
Anthony Weaver:ago. So now you have the premium price
Anthony Weaver:equivalent to your current age. But sometimes
Anthony Weaver:they might not take you through all the underwriting because
Anthony Weaver:you had that existing policy, but sometimes they
Anthony Weaver:will consider any new, uh, medical
Anthony Weaver:concerns that have come up. So you really got it. I would
Anthony Weaver:recommend that you have an agent so that that agent can
Anthony Weaver:let you know. Okay. Because sometimes you have a policy, you don't
Anthony Weaver:know how to read all the jargon that's inside of it. So the
Anthony Weaver:agent can look at the jargon and say, oh, yes, they do
Anthony Weaver:allow you to make changes to this. If not,
Anthony Weaver:it's just like getting a new policy where you're going to have to
Anthony Weaver:be reassessed and see what you can
Anthony Weaver:qualify for.
Anthony Weaver:That is great info. Because I'm thinking about how
Anthony Weaver:can one person another
Anthony Weaver:utilize it today.
Anthony Weaver:Um, so say if they do come through financial
Anthony Weaver:times or financial hardship, is there
Anthony Weaver:ever a life insurance policy that you can actually withdraw
Anthony Weaver:from, um, to kind of live off of why you
Anthony Weaver:still living?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: There are, and I'm so glad you brought that
Anthony Weaver:up. So there are the permanent types
Anthony Weaver:of policies which are universal life or
Anthony Weaver:whole life. Most people have heard of those types.
Anthony Weaver:And then you got index universal, you got variable
Anthony Weaver:universal. But the gist of it is universal or whole
Anthony Weaver:life. Those are the cash value building
Anthony Weaver:types of policies. And with that meaning as
Anthony Weaver:you're making your monthly premium payment, the entire
Anthony Weaver:payment is not going towards the case value. There's
Anthony Weaver:cost to insure us. So they take that off the top
Anthony Weaver:and then what's remaining goes inside that
Anthony Weaver:cash value. It's kind of like a savings inside the
Anthony Weaver:policy. And then either annually or
Anthony Weaver:monthly, they credit interest to that particular cash
Anthony Weaver:value account. So every year you're earning on
Anthony Weaver:the cash value. Now, depending on whether it's a
Anthony Weaver:whole life or universal and how they are set up, you could
Anthony Weaver:choose to borrow from that cash value
Anthony Weaver:and then if you pay it back, great. If you don't, they subtract
Anthony Weaver:it off the end when you pass away minus the
Anthony Weaver:interest. The other thing is you could choose to
Anthony Weaver:withdraw from it. Usually universal,
Anthony Weaver:you can withdraw from it, which is different than
Anthony Weaver:borrowing. So with withdrawals you don't have to
Anthony Weaver:pay it back. With borrowing you
Anthony Weaver:can pay it back. So there's the major difference.
Anthony Weaver:So a lot of times people are saying, hey, well if I'm
Anthony Weaver:doing what I'm supposed to do and I'm being responsible and I'm
Anthony Weaver:covering myself and or my family in the event that
Anthony Weaver:we pass away or in the event that we have some
Anthony Weaver:extended medical event and I have these hybrid
Anthony Weaver:living benefit attached to my policy. Okay,
Anthony Weaver:great. But what if I want to buy my first
Anthony Weaver:home and I need money for the down payment?
Anthony Weaver:Or what if my kid is going off to college
Anthony Weaver:and I want to help them get their first car? Or what
Anthony Weaver:if I'm going to head and retire a little bit
Anthony Weaver:earlier than Social Security would like me to
Anthony Weaver:and I need a couple of years of income to supplement
Anthony Weaver:my lifestyle until I go ahead and claim
Anthony Weaver:that Social Security benef ###it so these things can
Anthony Weaver:build up over time. But again, consistency is
Anthony Weaver:key. You know, if you get covered and then you let it
Anthony Weaver:lapse, well, there goes that. So then now you've got to
Anthony Weaver:go and start all over with your cash value building
Anthony Weaver:so most things as it relates to money,
Anthony Weaver:consistency is key to that.
Anthony Weaver:Yeah.
Anthony Weaver:And before we get to the third
Anthony Weaver:segment, I have one question, um, which
Anthony Weaver:is like, what are some common misconceptions
Anthony Weaver:of building that generational wealth? Uh, could
Anthony Weaver:people help redefine what it means
Anthony Weaver:for their families?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Yeah. So one of the main misconceptions that I come
Anthony Weaver:across is that people feel like they have to have a lot of money at
Anthony Weaver:any given point to build the wealth.
Anthony Weaver:So there's a basic formula called the wealth formula,
Anthony Weaver:right? It's very basic, but it gives you the
Anthony Weaver:components of what's required to build wealth.
Anthony Weaver:So for the wealth formula, you need money, any kind of
Anthony Weaver:money. $1000 doesn't matter,
Anthony Weaver:matter. Some kind of money. Then you
Anthony Weaver:need time. You need time
Anthony Weaver:for this money to accumulate. Then you
Anthony Weaver:got a plus or minus whatever rate of return
Anthony Weaver:you're getting. So if you're putting your money someplace where you're
Anthony Weaver:getting interest, plus or minus, you put
Anthony Weaver:your money in the market, plus or minus, whatever the
Anthony Weaver:performance is. And then you got to offset
Anthony Weaver:inflation, which is eating away at our
Anthony Weaver:purchasing power, and of course, tax.
Anthony Weaver:So if I'm thinking about this as a formula, how many
Anthony Weaver:of these components do I have, right? Do I
Anthony Weaver:have an extra $25 per
Anthony Weaver:pay? Maybe you do. Okay, great. So you've got
Anthony Weaver:that I'm alive and hopefully well,
Anthony Weaver:so I have some time. Now
Anthony Weaver:where am I going to put this money that will
Anthony Weaver:accumulate over time? That's going to give me
Anthony Weaver:a great rate of return. When I say rate of return,
Anthony Weaver:that's great. I mean outpacing inflation,
Anthony Weaver:at least giving you more than 3%. So
Anthony Weaver:that could be high yield savings accounts if you're not ready
Anthony Weaver:to invest right now. But just something where you're
Anthony Weaver:earning a rate of return. Now when you gain this
Anthony Weaver:money, you're going to have some taxes at some
Anthony Weaver:point, right? Whether it's, um, income taxes,
Anthony Weaver:you might have capital gains taxes, depending on where you
Anthony Weaver:put it, you might have, um, uh, a
Anthony Weaver:state inheritance taxes, depending on if you leave it to
Anthony Weaver:someone else. So the point is, you've got to be
Anthony Weaver:consistently over time, putting some amount of
Anthony Weaver:money somewhere where. Or you're earning at
Anthony Weaver:least 3 or more percent to
Anthony Weaver:outpaced inflation. And then eventually you're going to have
Anthony Weaver:some taxes to pay on that. But I tell people I'd rather
Anthony Weaver:pay taxes on money that I have grown
Anthony Weaver:than to pay taxes, money that I have just earned and
Anthony Weaver:didn't really see the benefit of. Does that make sense?
Anthony Weaver:It makes total sense to me.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Paycheck. The paycheck is not where it's at anymore. Like you
Anthony Weaver:got to take something from that payg and
Anthony Weaver:start stocking it away. Now we know the
Anthony Weaver:younger we are and the more consistent we are,
Anthony Weaver:then we'll have something called the rule of 72 that's helping
Anthony Weaver:us along. Right? So the rule of 72 means that
Anthony Weaver:whatever your rate of return, you just divide that
Anthony Weaver:number by 72. So for example,
Anthony Weaver:over the last hundred years, The S&P
Anthony Weaver:500 has earned about 10% on your
Anthony Weaver:money. So if you take 10, divide that by
Anthony Weaver:72, that lets you know it would take
Anthony Weaver:7.2 years for your money to double. So
Anthony Weaver:in 7.2 years, and I'm 45
Anthony Weaver:now, how many doubling periods have I
Anthony Weaver:had in my own working life where
Anthony Weaver:every seven years the money that I put
Anthony Weaver:somewhere could have doubled at least three or four times
Anthony Weaver:by now? But that's what I mean. I don't have to
Anthony Weaver:have $50,000 to invest at one time, but I
Anthony Weaver:could have done dollar every week.
Anthony Weaver:I could have done $50 twice a
Anthony Weaver:month. Because the rule of 72 means you're going
Anthony Weaver:to have that compounding of principle and
Anthony Weaver:interest and knowing that I also need
Anthony Weaver:to have time on my side. So the
Anthony Weaver:people who say I can't save or I just, I don't
Anthony Weaver:understand this investing stuff. Time is wasting
Anthony Weaver:away. And that is one of the biggest
Anthony Weaver:components of how you build wealth.
Anthony Weaver:I love that. I love that. O man.
Anthony Weaver:So, so going into the third segment, which is the
Anthony Weaver:features, um, and this just kind of
Anthony Weaver:focusing on other, like
Anthony Weaver:yourself, your career and even with
Anthony Weaver:uh, dealing with family. So
Anthony Weaver:what areas, um, are you focusing
Anthony Weaver:on improving your own life or your
Anthony Weaver:career?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: So right now I am focusing on
Anthony Weaver:delegation, I am focusing on systems
Anthony Weaver:and processes and my well being.
Anthony Weaver:Those are like the main things because again, if
Anthony Weaver:I'm able to have my systems and processes in
Anthony Weaver:place, then I can duplicate myself in another
Anthony Weaver:advisor or I can duplicate myself in
Anthony Weaver:an executive assistant or a director or
Anthony Weaver:somebody like that and then delegate to them the things
Anthony Weaver:that I know that they can do so that I can focus on the
Anthony Weaver:things that I do. Right? So I do the numbers for the people,
Anthony Weaver:but you can create the experience for the people, right? You can
Anthony Weaver:help me with the email automation, you could help me
Anthony Weaver:with all the other things behind the scenes that
Anthony Weaver:allows me and them to maintain our well
Anthony Weaver:being where nobody is maxing out every
Anthony Weaver:day on these things that help us and help our
Anthony Weaver:clients to grow. And so I started that
Anthony Weaver:process last year and so I'M getting better and
Anthony Weaver:better, closer and closer, um, to my optimal
Anthony Weaver:schedule and you know, being able to maximize my
Anthony Weaver:revenue.
Anthony Weaver:So when you did the book Money Talks, you actually
Anthony Weaver:were curated, um, or
Anthony Weaver:eliciting information from other
Anthony Weaver:financial uh, people and also a lot of
Anthony Weaver:couples doing that timeframe. And I had to first off, uh,
Anthony Weaver:say thank you for actually doing such a
Anthony Weaver:book like that because I've seen it but
Anthony Weaver:I've never seen it done like from
Anthony Weaver:the ground roots, if that makes sense. And you were
Anthony Weaver:the first person was like hey, everybody doing the
Anthony Weaver:book or what you got?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Like, exactly.
Anthony Weaver:Um, and you continue to still do that, um, in
Anthony Weaver:everything that you do and I really wish the
Anthony Weaver:best for you and nothing but the best. Um, and
Anthony Weaver:so as a best selling author and
Anthony Weaver:speaker, like, what are your top insights
Anthony Weaver:that you hope to take away from
Anthony Weaver:like that you hope that the audience really take away from all of the
Anthony Weaver:work that you'put in so far?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Wow, that's an awesome question, Anthony.
Anthony Weaver:Um, what I want people to take away from, like
Anthony Weaver:you said, the trilogy, all three of those Money Talks
Anthony Weaver:books is that they are
Anthony Weaver:significant in this world, right? Whether you're
Anthony Weaver:married, not married, whether you're a financial expert or
Anthony Weaver:you're just somebody in college trying to wing it and figure it out,
Anthony Weaver:you are significant in this world and
Anthony Weaver:you have some value to add. But we understand, understand
Anthony Weaver:that when life starts lifeing, it starts to chip
Anthony Weaver:away at your self worth. It starts to chip
Anthony Weaver:away and what you believe you can contribute in
Anthony Weaver:this world and that can affect how
Anthony Weaver:you earn money, how you save, how you invest.
Anthony Weaver:If you're swiping all these credit cards, creating debt for
Anthony Weaver:yourself, like this has a lot to do.
Anthony Weaver:Our significance and how we navigate this world
Anthony Weaver:has a lot to do with how we build wealth. And
Anthony Weaver:so whether you're on this side of it or you're a financial
Anthony Weaver:expert going through things as well. Because these
Anthony Weaver:financial coaches, advisors, insurance
Anthony Weaver:agents, they are all human and they go
Anthony Weaver:through things as well. Even though they have the knowledge, even though they
Anthony Weaver:have the experience, they still go through bankruptcies,
Anthony Weaver:they still go through divorces, they still have
Anthony Weaver:traumas that come up in their life that does not take
Anthony Weaver:away from their passion for what they do, but it is
Anthony Weaver:something that chips away at their self
Anthony Weaver:worth. And so when you're thinking about platforms
Anthony Weaver:that we've been able to create for other experts
Anthony Weaver:to share their stories authentically
Anthony Weaver:in a saf safe space, you know, that's what I feel
Anthony Weaver:like I contribute to this world. I feel like I'm going to
Anthony Weaver:Forever create safe spaces for people
Anthony Weaver:to share their stories, whether in my office
Anthony Weaver:or in a book project or at some
Anthony Weaver:event space where you can feel like, hey, this
Anthony Weaver:person hears me, this person sees me.
Anthony Weaver:And if I'm not happy with where I am in my
Anthony Weaver:life, there's somebody who could help me, take my
Anthony Weaver:hand and help me along on this journey
Anthony Weaver:and I don't have to be ashamed of it. So I feel like that's what I
Anthony Weaver:want people to take away from any of the projects that they may see
Anthony Weaver:me doing in person. Virtual, um, in
Anthony Weaver:any spaces that I see you, I hear you. And if you
Anthony Weaver:want to make changes, somebody's going to come up
Anthony Weaver:alongside you and help you do that.
Anthony Weaver:Man, I thank you for being in this world and
Anthony Weaver:I'm glad to be alive while you're alive because you're
Anthony Weaver:doing so many great things and it's an honor to be
Anthony Weaver:in your space.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: I appreciate that. Any likewise.
Anthony Weaver:O thanks.
Anthony Weaver:Is there anything that you want to leave the audience before we
Anthony Weaver:dive into the final four questions?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: The one thing, if I could just state
Anthony Weaver:one thing, it would be to
Anthony Weaver:assess. Now I know that people are
Anthony Weaver:in their feelings sometimes as it relates to money.
Anthony Weaver:We're in a new year now and this is the best time
Anthony Weaver:to ass what was going on in
Anthony Weaver:your finances last year where you
Anthony Weaver:felt like it wasn't, um, showing you the
Anthony Weaver:best possible way to not just
Anthony Weaver:survive, but to thrive. And so when
Anthony Weaver:you're able to look back over what your income looked
Anthony Weaver:like, when you're able to look back over what your
Anthony Weaver:expenses were for last year, are those
Anthony Weaver:things the same for this year or are you
Anthony Weaver:able to do anything to shift that?
Anthony Weaver:Meaning if you have a heavy debt load, what
Anthony Weaver:can you do to get that debt load down? If
Anthony Weaver:you find that you can't really get the debt load down with
Anthony Weaver:the income that you have coming in, are there ways
Anthony Weaver:for you to get extra income? Um, whether
Anthony Weaver:that's part time online remote work,
Anthony Weaver:you launch something, you sell something that you
Anthony Weaver:have at the house that you really don't need and you're just holding
Anthony Weaver:on to it like someone will buy it, right? And there you
Anthony Weaver:could knock that credit card balance down. So the point I'm making
Anthony Weaver:with the assessment is really take a look at it
Anthony Weaver:and see where you were and see what it is that you
Anthony Weaver:would be able and willing to do for this
Anthony Weaver:year that will position you for joy,
Anthony Weaver:that will position you for gratitude, that will
Anthony Weaver:position you to be that go to person come
Anthony Weaver:the following year when they're saying, how did you do that.
Anthony Weaver:Like, how did you legit get out of this debt? How
Anthony Weaver:did you save that first thousand dollars when you
Anthony Weaver:were saying, hey, I just, I just can't save.
Anthony Weaver:So I want assess to be the word
Anthony Weaver:that they take away from this conversation.
Anthony Weaver:So, man. All right. You like a wealth of
Anthony Weaver:information? I love it.
Anthony Weaver:U uh, so you ready for the final four
Anthony Weaver:questions?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: I am.
Anthony Weaver:Alghty. Number one, what does
Anthony Weaver:wealth mean to you?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: O this is an easy one. We
Anthony Weaver:touched on it. I believe wealth is
Anthony Weaver:creating options. However that looks
Anthony Weaver:for you. You know, if you want to make sure that
Anthony Weaver:your kids have a better way than you did
Anthony Weaver:when you grew up, then what do you have to implement
Anthony Weaver:so that they do? Right. If you want to make
Anthony Weaver:sure that, um, there's a name for
Anthony Weaver:the family that you have helped to create. Right.
Anthony Weaver:What types of impact are you going out here
Anthony Weaver:and doing so that that name can mean
Anthony Weaver:something in the community? So I feel like creating
Anthony Weaver:options is very individualized, and that's what I
Anthony Weaver:love about it, because what I would create for me is very
Anthony Weaver:different than what you would create for you, but it's so
Anthony Weaver:significant to you, and that's what I love about
Anthony Weaver:it.
Anthony Weaver:Thanice, number two, what
Anthony Weaver:was your worst money mistake?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: That's another good one. Uh, not
Anthony Weaver:getting started on my savings early
Anthony Weaver:enough, I feel like, because now we know
Anthony Weaver:time is a big component of how we build wealth.
Anthony Weaver:It's like if you keep living in this paycheck to
Anthony Weaver:paycheck cycle or there's always something traumatic
Anthony Weaver:happening in your life year over year, you're not
Anthony Weaver:able to start putting that money away. Or if you
Anthony Weaver:do, then you end up having to go back and grab
Anthony Weaver:it for that emergency or that unforeseen
Anthony Weaver:thing, and then that makes you feel like you're incapable
Anthony Weaver:of getting it done. And so I feel like in
Anthony Weaver:my 40s, I'm just really getting to the idea of
Anthony Weaver:like, yes, I can do this and yes, I can be
Anthony Weaver:consistent and see results. Um,
Anthony Weaver:because I feel like the impact that I'm trying to make is way bigger than
Anthony Weaver:me. And so it takes way more money than just enough to
Anthony Weaver:sustain me. So I wish that I was
Anthony Weaver:able, able to, you know, save a little something, even if it
Anthony Weaver:was five, ten dollars a lot sooner than I had
Anthony Weaver:started.
Anthony Weaver:Number three, what is your
Anthony Weaver:favorite financial or non financial
Anthony Weaver:book?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: My favorite non financial book is the
Anthony Weaver:Bible. I really feel like it changed
Anthony Weaver:my life. I got saved at 19 years
Anthony Weaver:old, and I really feel like me reading
Anthony Weaver:that book and learning more about the higher
Anthony Weaver:power and learning what he said
Anthony Weaver:about me was a game changer
Anthony Weaver:because no dis to any family or friends coming up.
Anthony Weaver:But it was like, sometimes they didn't have the words to
Anthony Weaver:pour into you. Right? They didn't have the words.
Anthony Weaver:And so it's like, if no one's really pouring into you
Anthony Weaver:emotionally, spiritually, from that perspective,
Anthony Weaver:where do you get it from? Sometimes you get it from the wrong
Anthony Weaver:places, and you end up being in some poor
Anthony Weaver:relationships. And so I found m
Anthony Weaver:that once I starteding that particular book, and it was
Anthony Weaver:sharing with me how valuable I was to the
Anthony Weaver:higher power. The higher power how valuable I
Anthony Weaver:was to him. And then I started reframing
Anthony Weaver:how I would speak about myself and how I would think about
Anthony Weaver:myself. And then I would say, well, if he could do these
Anthony Weaver:things, and he says that I could do these things, then why
Anthony Weaver:not do these things, whatever these
Anthony Weaver:things are, Right? And so
Anthony Weaver:that's my favorite non financial book. I mean,
Anthony Weaver:ironically has a lot about money in it, to be
Anthony Weaver:honest. Um, and then I'll just plug
Anthony Weaver:my own book as the
Anthony Weaver:why not, why not
Anthony Weaver:trilogy. You know, um, the volume three
Anthony Weaver:really has a special place in my heart because it's my peers,
Anthony Weaver:right. It's my other financial expert peers that came together,
Anthony Weaver:and they did such a phenomenal job of sharing their
Anthony Weaver:stories, but also relevant
Anthony Weaver:strategy that people could use.
Anthony Weaver:Yes, yes. That book was amazing, by the
Anthony Weaver:way.
Anthony Weaver:Um, I had the digital copy,
Anthony Weaver:uh, number four,
Anthony Weaver:which is what is your favorite dish to
Anthony Weaver:make?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Oh, my goodness, it sounds so
Anthony Weaver:simple. But it is.
Anthony Weaver:Salmon and fresh
Anthony Weaver:greens. I love to make some fresh
Anthony Weaver:greens. First of all, it's healthy for me. Um,
Anthony Weaver:but it's something about where you can make it and it's not in the can.
Anthony Weaver:It's something about, you know, I
Anthony Weaver:had can good back in my day,
Anthony Weaver:but to be able to put your own seasonings and
Anthony Weaver:let it marinade and do all the little healthy
Anthony Weaver:meat options you could choose. Yeah, I love
Anthony Weaver:that.
Anthony Weaver:So how do you season your salmon? I to ask that.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: It depends on really what I'm going for. Sometimes we'll do a
Anthony Weaver:lemon pepper, sometimes we'll do a Cajun. It's
Anthony Weaver:a myriad of different ways, and that's the good part, because you could never
Anthony Weaver:get bored because change up the seasoning and it changes the
Anthony Weaver:whole dish.
Anthony Weaver:That is so true. You know, for the people who don't
Anthony Weaver:like to branch out the different seasonings besides salt and
Anthony Weaver:pepper, I mean, try something different. Some
Anthony Weaver:dill, maybe.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: You'd be surprised. You'll be feeling like, ooh,
Anthony Weaver:I didn't even know that I could do this
Anthony Weaver:right. Yeah.
Anthony Weaver:So, Constance, this is the very last question of the
Anthony Weaver:show, which is where could people find out
Anthony Weaver:more about you.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Online? I would say, um, m on all your favorite
Anthony Weaver:social media platforms as my name at C
Anthony Weaver:Craig Mason. C. Craig Mason.
Anthony Weaver:All right. Love it, love it, love it. So
Anthony Weaver:thank you so much, Constance,
Anthony Weaver:for taking your time and also your
Anthony Weaver:insights. Um, I have to say, enough
Anthony Weaver:people that you all have done
Anthony Weaver:amazing using work from the prior
Anthony Weaver:years to make it to this year. And even if you feel like you're
Anthony Weaver:failing, it's okay. You can always reset
Anthony Weaver:assess from last year and
Anthony Weaver:actually continue on pushing forward. You have what it
Anthony Weaver:takes.
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Dr.
Anthony Weaver:Uh, Constance told you where she came from.
Anthony Weaver:From the bottom to the top. Now she here. You know,
Anthony Weaver:I'SAYING wenna take it to the next level. Let's go. Right?
Anthony Weaver:Dr. Constance Craig Mason: Let's go.
Anthony Weaver:So, uh, I wish you all the the best, everybody. Y'all be
Anthony Weaver:safe way out. Peace.
