302: [Wanda Belle] Breaking the Cycle: Financial Literacy for the Sandwich Generation
In this episode of About That Wallet, host Anthony Weaver speaks with Wanda Belle, a financial wellness coach and founder of Bell Financial Services. They discuss the challenges of the Sandwich Generation, who financially support both children and aging parents. Wanda shares her journey from financial struggle to empowerment, emphasizing planning and discipline.
The conversation covers practical strategies for budgeting, debt elimination, and building financial confidence. Wanda highlights the importance of monthly financial check-ins with her son to foster open communication about money.
Wanda reflects on her past experiences and the lessons learned, reminding listeners that anyone can transform their financial situation. She also stresses the value of continuous education in navigating the financial landscape.
💬 Question of the Day: How do you approach financial discussions with your family? Share your thoughts in the comments!
🔗 Connect with Wanda Belle:
Website: https://bellfinancialservices.com
Social Media: @BellFinancialServices
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=|| 📚 Chapters ||=
(00:00) Welcome and Introduction
(02:30) Wanda's Journey to Financial Wellness
(10:15) Navigating the Sandwich Generation
(20:00) The Importance of Financial Check-Ins
(30:15) Budgeting and Debt Elimination Strategies
(40:00) Managing Credit Wisely
(50:30) Negotiating Bills and Reducing Expenses
(55:00) Final Thoughts and Resources
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⚠️ DISCLAIMER:
This content is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a licensed financial professional when needed.
#AboutThatWallet #FinancialWellness #SandwichGeneration #Budgeting #DebtElimination
Episode 302
Transcript
>> Wanda Belle: M. When he was 18, I
Speaker:took my hands off of like, his bank account, things like
Speaker:that. So he was tied to my bank account,
Speaker:but I. We separated it because
Speaker:I wanted him to feel the independence,
Speaker:but also know, like, I'm still there if you need
Speaker:me. And that's why we do the monthly check ins because
Speaker:at this point it's almost like we're kind of
Speaker:roommates because he lives in his basement apartment
Speaker:and there are times I don't even see him because he works and goes to
Speaker:school. And so I think check ins are
Speaker:really important, not just in terms of finances, but
Speaker:I, I ask him like, all the time, like, how you doing, what you
Speaker:going through, everything. All
Speaker:right. Just because I want him to feel,
Speaker:I want him to feel supported.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Welcome back to another exciting show, the about that Water
Speaker:podcast, where we help the sandwich generation build
Speaker:strong financial habits so that they can talk about money, spend
Speaker:money, and enjoy their money with confidence.
Speaker:Today I have somebody who is a
Speaker:financial wellness coach dedicated to helping
Speaker:individuals take control over their finances and
Speaker:overcome past money mistakes. As a
Speaker:founder of Bell uh Financial Services,
Speaker:she specializes in
Speaker:personalized one on one coaching, group
Speaker:workshops, and financial education, providing
Speaker:practical strategies to eliminate debt,
Speaker:building, uh, savings and
Speaker:gain financial confidence. How you doing today,
Speaker:Wanda?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: I'm doing pretty good. How are you?
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: I'm doing good. Welcome to the show.
Speaker:Um, the reason why I would love to have you on this
Speaker:show to talk about how in the world as a
Speaker:sandwich generation, can really get out of the
Speaker:rut. You know, the kids asking for money, the
Speaker:parents are asking for money, and it's like when you
Speaker:finally look at your own savings
Speaker:in your own expenses, it's like, I have nothing
Speaker:left.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Yeah.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: So how can somebody really,
Speaker:what, uh, is the best advice would you give to
Speaker:somebody who's going through that?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: So I think it's really easy to get overwhelmed
Speaker:by finances, by what you don't have, what you
Speaker:think you should have, and also comparing
Speaker:yourself and your financial situation to others.
Speaker:I tell everyone, including myself sometimes, like,
Speaker:you have to take it one step at a time. Like, I'm a
Speaker:planner at heart, so for me it's really
Speaker:important for me to evaluate what's important to
Speaker:me and make like, um, an action
Speaker:plan of steps I can take to get there, if that
Speaker:makes sense. So like, at one time I
Speaker:was like, super overcome with debt and
Speaker:it was really weighing on me for a long time and
Speaker:I literally had to like, take a step back and
Speaker:tell myself, like, okay, I can't fix it today. I can't
Speaker:Fix everything overnight. Let me create
Speaker:a plan, and let me use that plan to
Speaker:guide my actions, to just take, like, one step at a
Speaker:time.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah, and that's really good that you're a planner, because,
Speaker:you know, um, that's the only real way to make things
Speaker:work. To me, in my experience, it
Speaker:seems like planning is such a beautiful
Speaker:thing. So why is planning important to you,
Speaker:though?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Um, I think because at one
Speaker:time I did not have a plan and my life came
Speaker:crashing down. And
Speaker:I'm probably a planner to a fault. I
Speaker:plan everything.
Speaker:I plan everything. If I don't have a plan, I
Speaker:feel out of control. And especially
Speaker:when it relates to my finances. I like
Speaker:to be in control of where my money is going.
Speaker:I don't want my money to tell me
Speaker:where it's going because I have overdue bills or something like
Speaker:that. Like, I have to have a plan so I
Speaker:can point things in the direction that I want them to go.
Speaker:Otherwise, anxiety.
Speaker:Anxiety is real. So
Speaker:financial anxiety is really real.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah. And for the people that are looking to. Well,
Speaker:the person that's listening to this right now, and
Speaker:they feel like everything is tight.
Speaker:We talked about planning, but what are the recommendations to even just
Speaker:creating a budget?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Okay, so I, uh, actually talk to a lot of clients
Speaker:who have never created a
Speaker:budget. They don't know what they're spending
Speaker:versus what they're making. So I think
Speaker:one of the first steps to take when you're
Speaker:getting ready to build a budget is
Speaker:review. You need to take a look at where your money
Speaker:has gone in the last, I would say, 30
Speaker:days. I wouldn't look beyond 30 days because
Speaker:it can be very overwhelming if you do that.
Speaker:But, um, doing something like taking your bank
Speaker:statement, literally printing it out, printing out your bank
Speaker:statement and evaluating where your money
Speaker:has gone for the past 30 days,
Speaker:highlighting what those fixed expenses are.
Speaker:Like, what. What were the bills that had to be paid?
Speaker:Um, figuring out how much money you're spending on
Speaker:those variable expenses those want, you know,
Speaker:Uber Eats, Amazon, things like that.
Speaker:And really, like, taking a look to see, okay,
Speaker:this is where my money has gone. And
Speaker:thinking about, like, where do I want my money to
Speaker:go? Thinking about where you want your money to go
Speaker:will help you to build a budget that aligns
Speaker:with. With that thought process. Um,
Speaker:and then from there you just, you know, you gotta kind of
Speaker:list out what you owe, who you owe,
Speaker:when you. When it's owed, and you gotta track
Speaker:the money that's come, like, coming in. And so
Speaker:over time, like, I feel like when you're first
Speaker:starting to figure out your budget. It can be a little
Speaker:rough, it can look kind of crazy,
Speaker:but once you get into the habit of doing it, like
Speaker:there are so many tools that can help you, there are so many apps.
Speaker:Ah, um, I'm a spreadsheet girl, so I
Speaker:still to this day just stick to a spreadsheet.
Speaker:Um, but you can, you'll get to a point where it's
Speaker:kind of like your money bible. Like it's literally
Speaker:like your plan for your money.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: I like that.
Speaker:Now you also specialize in helping people with their
Speaker:credit.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: And I said I do.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Yes. And one
Speaker:of the things that Mark Cuban has
Speaker:is he actually recommends paying off high interest
Speaker:debt as the best place to kind of invest
Speaker:due to the guaranteed returns. But he
Speaker:continues to say that the best place to invest is
Speaker:to pay off all of your credit cards and burn them.
Speaker:Adding if you, if you're paying
Speaker:15% of 20% interest,
Speaker:me or 20% interest, paying that down
Speaker:is like earning 15 or
Speaker:20%. Do you agree or disagree with what he
Speaker:said?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Okay, so
Speaker:I do agree that it's very important to get
Speaker:rid of high interest debt for sure.
Speaker:Credit cards with, uh, 18,
Speaker:20, 29% interest rate, you're
Speaker:literally just throwing your way or your money.
Speaker:But I am, um, a credit card girly, okay?
Speaker:I have a couple credit
Speaker:cards and they all serve a purpose. I like
Speaker:rewards, I like points and all of
Speaker:that. So yes, I agree
Speaker:that it's important to get rid of that
Speaker:debt. You don't want to carry a balance on your credit card month to
Speaker:month. It's better to invest,
Speaker:yes, for sure. But if
Speaker:you are a disciplined individual and you can
Speaker:use your credit cards
Speaker:responsibly, you can also benefit from the
Speaker:rewards. Like I have a platinum, um, Amex that is my
Speaker:best friend because I use it
Speaker:consistently. I pay it off every month, but
Speaker:I build points and rewards and I get
Speaker:first class flights. I get upgrades
Speaker:to different things. So it's kind of like a double
Speaker:edged sword. Like you don't want to carry
Speaker:a balance now because it really does. It not only
Speaker:affects your pockets, but it does affect your credit. Um,
Speaker:having high utilization will bring your credit score
Speaker:way down. But also if you're disciplined
Speaker:and you can manage the way that you use your credit cards
Speaker:effectively, you can actually benefit from the
Speaker:rewards. So I agree, but I
Speaker:disagree. But I agree though.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Because it goes back to having like an authorized
Speaker:user now. Uh, you have a child
Speaker:now. Do you actually have them as an authorized user
Speaker:on any of Your credit cards.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: I do. So, um, when my. So my son
Speaker:is 19, when he was 15, I
Speaker:added him to, um, one of my Capital
Speaker:One credit cards as an authorized
Speaker:user. And the reason I did that was, number one,
Speaker:I had had that card for about 10 years,
Speaker:and, um, I never carried a balance.
Speaker:My credit limit was, I think at the time it was
Speaker:like $17,000 or something.
Speaker:So I knew I had, um, a good amount
Speaker:of credit age, plus a good amount of
Speaker:credit history that he would benefit from.
Speaker:Um, that was the only card that I added him to when he
Speaker:was 15. So by the time he was 18,
Speaker:he had three years of, um, being on that
Speaker:card and it being managed very well. So
Speaker:when we checked his credit score, when he
Speaker:turned 18, his credit score was a 761.
Speaker:And then at that time, I had
Speaker:him open his own credit card to
Speaker:start building, um, history and age in his
Speaker:own name. So he manages that himself.
Speaker:He, he knows, you know, the do's and don'ts of, uh, your
Speaker:credit card, because I'm his mama.
Speaker:Um, but now he's like, building
Speaker:his. His credit score is. Is even more
Speaker:solid and secure because he's,
Speaker:um, and payment history in his. In
Speaker:his own name.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: That makes sense. Did your parents teach you about that?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Absolutely not.
Speaker:No, they did not. Um, I love my
Speaker:parents. They're the best things. If it wasn't for them,
Speaker:I would be here. Um, but unfortunately,
Speaker:I did not learn.
Speaker:I did not learn a lot of financial
Speaker:topics when I was a kid.
Speaker:Um, I did
Speaker:not. And because of that, when I left
Speaker:home, I did
Speaker:not pay attention to
Speaker:credit debt, things like that.
Speaker:I became, uh, a teen mom,
Speaker:married young, and did
Speaker:not manage my finances at all. I
Speaker:let my husband manage my finances for me.
Speaker:So by the time I was divorced, I was
Speaker:in a hell of a lot of debt. I was in
Speaker:a lot of debt. My credit score was
Speaker:insanely low. I had
Speaker:$87 in my pocket. I always say that when I
Speaker:left my. When I left, I left with
Speaker:$87 in my pocket, a 472 credit score,
Speaker:and a mountain of debt. And this is one
Speaker:of the reasons why I tell everybody. I tell
Speaker:my clients, I tell my friends, I tell my. If
Speaker:I can change my life the way that I did
Speaker:coming from that, anybody can.
Speaker:Because I had no idea where to even start.
Speaker:But I forced myself to
Speaker:evaluate my problem, evaluate
Speaker:my finances, and create a plan
Speaker:to get me out of that mess.
Speaker:But I love my parents, but no, they did not. Uh.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: What was, uh, the plan to get out of the rut, like, what was the first
Speaker:thing you did?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: So the. Honestly, it was
Speaker:very jarring when I realized just how bad my financial
Speaker:situation was. I honestly had no
Speaker:idea. And that was a lesson
Speaker:learned. I put my trust in someone else. I thought
Speaker:that they were looking out for my financial future, and they were
Speaker:not. So, um,
Speaker:it became clear that I needed to figure something
Speaker:out when I went to apply
Speaker:for an apartment and got denied.
Speaker:And so I then had
Speaker:to take a step back, look at
Speaker:my finances, look at how much I owed.
Speaker:That was the first thing I did, was put a.
Speaker:Literally, uh, write out what I owed and
Speaker:who and just like,
Speaker:kind of sit with that for a while. And
Speaker:then I started to brainstorm, like, okay, this is what I owe.
Speaker:I have very limited savings. What am I going
Speaker:to do? And I went
Speaker:into survival mode. Honestly, I
Speaker:started working my butt off because I knew I had to
Speaker:increase my income if I wanted to
Speaker:take care of this debt and get to a point where I could actually,
Speaker:like, have my own place and provide for my
Speaker:kid and things like that. So that was like priority
Speaker:number one. It was like, okay, I know what I owe.
Speaker:I know what I have in savings. It's not
Speaker:adding up. I need to figure out how
Speaker:to bring in more money so I can take care of these
Speaker:issues. And it took a while, but
Speaker:I did it. I was very, very. I
Speaker:was very, very determined and disciplined. And over
Speaker:time, I think I did it
Speaker:right.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: So, like, education, like, did you go to like, the
Speaker:library or was it like mentors or something
Speaker:like that to help you build up?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: So I did not. I did not really have
Speaker:mentors. I started to read a lot.
Speaker:So, um, I did. There were a couple
Speaker:books that I read that even today
Speaker:I reread at least. At least
Speaker:every couple years. Um, one
Speaker:was. It was literally like, focused on just
Speaker:like financial literacy for women.
Speaker:And it was bare, bare basics.
Speaker:It was literally like, this is a budget.
Speaker:That's how you allocate your money to. To
Speaker:want me savings, things like that. And I
Speaker:just kind of. I started
Speaker:really, like, just falling in love with
Speaker:learning about different financial topics.
Speaker:And I read something
Speaker:somewhere that sticks with me
Speaker:through everything. And it was,
Speaker:you are on nobody's time timeline but your
Speaker:own. And that was something that I
Speaker:constantly told myself as I was
Speaker:getting through this. This period in my life. It was
Speaker:like I was getting frustrated at the fact that
Speaker:these paychecks aren't big enough. Like,
Speaker:paychecks aren't big enough. I owe a lot, you
Speaker:know, but I Had to give myself some grace. It
Speaker:was like, I can only do one thing at a time. Like, yeah,
Speaker:the credit score sucks right now. The debt
Speaker:is mounting, but I can only take it one step
Speaker:at a time. And developing that
Speaker:mindset of, um, I'm not going to compare myself
Speaker:to anyone else. I'm going to focus on just
Speaker:one step at a time. I'm going to educate myself.
Speaker:All of that together, just like, it
Speaker:really worked in my favor. I had my head down for a couple of years
Speaker:where I'm sure people were like, where's she at?
Speaker:What, what is she going through? But I
Speaker:mean, and at the same time, you know, I'm a mom,
Speaker:so I had to do what I had to do for my kid.
Speaker:And it was really important for me to get my
Speaker:life together so that I could be in a position
Speaker:where I'm teaching him the, you know, what to
Speaker:do and what not to do as it relates to your finances.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: And I think that's the beauty of
Speaker:being a mom and actually not giving up
Speaker:on yourself is that you transferring the information of what you're
Speaker:comfortable with and that you knew for certain that actually
Speaker:shared, going back to like how your parents only shared,
Speaker:but so little with you, but it was just enough
Speaker:because that was what they were comfortable with sharing.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: And now look at you now.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Yeah. Money, uh, having a
Speaker:positive money mindset and just being disciplined
Speaker:is very important in this household. My son is
Speaker:19 and he,
Speaker:uh, he's a, he's a really cool
Speaker:human, I gotta say. He's like,
Speaker:he's a cool person. Um, but seeing
Speaker:how responsible he is with his finances and I'm
Speaker:not saying he hasn't made mistakes. He has, he's made
Speaker:a couple mistakes where he,
Speaker:um, he's ambitious like his mother. He likes to take
Speaker:risks sometimes and sometimes those risks don't work out for
Speaker:him. Um, but he knows the importance
Speaker:of paying your bills on time, budgeting,
Speaker:making sure you have a, um, certain
Speaker:amount in savings. Um,
Speaker:and we check in, we have
Speaker:financial check ins once a month where I just
Speaker:simply ask him like, how are we doing? How are you
Speaker:doing? You know, you have, you know, this bill coming up,
Speaker:like, what is your savings look like? And things like that. And he's really
Speaker:honest. He's really honest and open about, um,
Speaker:how his, how his finances are doing.
Speaker:And I tell him all the time, like, I would rather if
Speaker:he ever got in trouble financially, he would come to
Speaker:me, take a loan from the, the bank of mom,
Speaker:rather than, you know, trying to figure it
Speaker:out on his own out here. Um,
Speaker:so he knows, he has that sense of security. He knows that
Speaker:if he doesn't, if he has questions
Speaker:about different financial topics, he can come and talk
Speaker:to me. And so that, that's something that I wish I had
Speaker:with my parents when I was a kid. Um, and
Speaker:I'm really trying to just instill just a certain
Speaker:level of discipline with him because
Speaker:he's, he's such a great person and I just know his future
Speaker:is so bright and I just, I want to just
Speaker:foster him being the best version of
Speaker:himself as much as I possibly can.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: So, yeah, I want to commend you for, you
Speaker:know, taking that time out to even have those open
Speaker:discussions on a monthly basis because,
Speaker:you know, I can't. I don't even think
Speaker:my mom ever sat me down to even say, like,
Speaker:hey, you know, how you doing financially? Like,
Speaker:let's have this moment to kind of talk about it,
Speaker:um, you know, finances, or even talk about her finances.
Speaker:It's mostly I grew up in an era where they was like,
Speaker:you know, your child stay out of grown folks business,
Speaker:you know.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Yeah, that's, uh, literally, that's how I grew up too.
Speaker:But I don't know, like, maybe because
Speaker:I had my son when, when I was younger,
Speaker:I've always been very transparent with him in
Speaker:every aspect, and I just,
Speaker:I want him to be the best version of
Speaker:himself. And now that he is
Speaker:technically an adult, he's
Speaker:still a baby. Um, I
Speaker:just don't want him to feel like he has
Speaker:to make certain mistakes that I
Speaker:made, you know, So I made
Speaker:it a point. When he was 18, I took my
Speaker:hands off of like, his bank account, things like that.
Speaker:So he was tied to my bank account,
Speaker:but I, uh, we separated it because
Speaker:I wanted him to feel the independence.
Speaker:But also, no, like, I'm still there if you need
Speaker:me. And that's why we do the monthly check ins, because
Speaker:at this point it's almost like we're kind of
Speaker:roommates because he lives in his basement apartment
Speaker:and there are times I don't even see him because he works and goes to school.
Speaker:School. And so I think the check ins are really
Speaker:important, not just in terms of finances, but I,
Speaker:I ask him like, all the time, like, how you doing, what you going
Speaker:through? Everything all right.
Speaker:Um, just because I want him to feel, I
Speaker:want him to feel supported, you know, no matter how old
Speaker:he gets, he's still my baby.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: So, uh, can you take us back
Speaker:to 20, 23 when you took
Speaker:your mom to Spain.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Oh, my God. So honest.
Speaker:Okay. So
Speaker:one thing that is super important to
Speaker:me, um, financially, is
Speaker:being able to spoil my mama.
Speaker:I. At this point, I don't
Speaker:think. I don't have nothing left to give, because
Speaker:I've done it all. Lord. I have surprised her with trips,
Speaker:chefs, all kinds of things.
Speaker:Um, but the Spain trip was something
Speaker:that came, um, from more of
Speaker:a. I travel with my son,
Speaker:uh, by, like, every other
Speaker:year. We take an adventure. So we've been to
Speaker:Italy, Africa. Uh, we've been all over.
Speaker:Um, and I was trying to
Speaker:plan out where we were going to go, and I just
Speaker:got this idea, like, well, what if we took
Speaker:Gammy? Like, what if we took my mom? Because
Speaker:she's never been on a trip with us before.
Speaker:And I can always tell just in, like, talking to
Speaker:my mom, like, it would be something that she would love to do.
Speaker:And so we settled on Spain because it's
Speaker:somewhere we had never been before, like, my son
Speaker:and I had never been. I knew she had never been because she doesn't
Speaker:travel internationally a lot at all.
Speaker:So, um, I settled on Spain,
Speaker:did my budget for it, because we plan everything.
Speaker:Okay, Plan everything.
Speaker:I decided, uh, the time of the year that we
Speaker:were going, and then I had to figure out, like, how was
Speaker:I going to tell her? So I came up with the idea of telling her
Speaker:during, like, Christmas Day, because I was
Speaker:hosting Christmas that year. So I had my siblings in,
Speaker:I had my father in, and I had her in.
Speaker:Um, I created a video within
Speaker:Canva, which was literally like, kind
Speaker:of, guess where you're going. She had no idea. She
Speaker:had no idea. Um, she lost
Speaker:her mind when she realized that she was going
Speaker:somewhere, and then she lost her mind even more when she
Speaker:realized she was going with us. Like, the fact that she was going
Speaker:with me and my son, um, we went
Speaker:for, I want to say, six days.
Speaker:And it was one of the best
Speaker:experiences ever. Um, Spain is
Speaker:like, I have to go back because it's
Speaker:incredibly beautiful. She didn't have to pay
Speaker:a dime for anything. And that, uh,
Speaker:is always something that I try and do for her. I like
Speaker:to surprise her with experiences.
Speaker:And, you know, I don't
Speaker:ever want her to have to worry about the financial piece of
Speaker:it. So to see her be able to just relax
Speaker:and enjoy and not have to worry about money
Speaker:was. It's one of my most
Speaker:favorite memories, for sure.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: That's amazing, because a lot of people
Speaker:wish, uh, they could do that, and they just feel as
Speaker:though. But again, it goes back to Your timeline is your
Speaker:own timeline and you can, you can
Speaker:do it, um, for a trip.
Speaker:And I would love to actually probably bring you back on, I might to
Speaker:talk offline about how you plan that trip.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Oh, yeah, yeah. That's, that's another
Speaker:thing too though. Um, I always
Speaker:say that so many things
Speaker:look like they're so, um,
Speaker:extravagant or so hard to do. If
Speaker:you plan for them, you can do it. I
Speaker:promise. I plan for that trip for about a year
Speaker:and, and that when I say I planned for it,
Speaker:once I chose where we're gonna go, I started
Speaker:saving consistently for it. I knew how much it was going to cost
Speaker:me. I started saving like
Speaker:automatic, automatic transfers into my Spain fund.
Speaker:You know, like, it's something that you really can do if you
Speaker:plan for it. Um, and all the other
Speaker:things that I do, like, it might look like
Speaker:I live an extravagant life at times, but I promise
Speaker:you, I am like the most frugal.
Speaker:I'm the most frugal person. If there's not a plan for it,
Speaker:I'm not doing it.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: So I like it.
Speaker:Um, obviously, you know, I like it because, you know, we
Speaker:plan everything, I mean, just from finance to finance.
Speaker:Like, that's kind of what we do. Because if it's not in the plan,
Speaker:it doesn't happen.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Exactly.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: And that's called the boundaries.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: If it's not in the plan, it doesn't exist. Like,
Speaker:so it has to be in the plan. I'm planning like
Speaker:three trips right now.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Amazing. I'm just planning one big trip. Uh,
Speaker:well, throughout this year. Yeah, I got two coming
Speaker:up. But just like a big trip probably like,
Speaker:like next year and then probably one later this year.
Speaker:I'm hesitant, depending on how the finances go.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Yeah. You know, you're on nobody's timeline but.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Your own, so, so true.
Speaker:Um, so we're going to move over to the future side
Speaker:of the house, which is like, what skills or habits do you feel that's
Speaker:going to take you to the next level?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Um, so one skill
Speaker:that has taken me to every
Speaker:level is discipline. So even now,
Speaker:um, life looks different
Speaker:for me these days, um, simply
Speaker:because I've been a mom my whole adult life and now
Speaker:I'm, um, kind of an empty nester, but not. And
Speaker:so my finances are my own. I'm not
Speaker:spending as much towards, you know, raising
Speaker:my, my son.
Speaker:Um, so things look a little different.
Speaker:But I'm very disciplined. I know what I want my future
Speaker:to look like. I'm not one of those people
Speaker:who are, I'm not going to work a corporate job until I'm 65.
Speaker:Will not happen. Will not happen.
Speaker:Um, so I know that that is a. That's the
Speaker:ultimate goal for me is to be able to be in complete control of my
Speaker:time with that takes discipline. I need to be
Speaker:able to direct my finances where I need them to go
Speaker:to support that lifestyle. So investing,
Speaker:saving, things like that. Another
Speaker:habit is, um, just educating
Speaker:myself on different financial
Speaker:topics. Financial literacy. I have
Speaker:several books that I, I literally will
Speaker:reread, um, depending on where I am in my
Speaker:life. And I just like, kind of a
Speaker:refresher on certain financial
Speaker:concepts. I like to review
Speaker:my budget. I'm. I'm a planner, but I
Speaker:also review everything. Like, I like to take a
Speaker:look back at my cash flow on a quarterly basis
Speaker:to see what I'm spending my money on.
Speaker:Um, I like to negotiate bills.
Speaker:That's a big thing of mine is
Speaker:negotiating my bills. Um,
Speaker:so just, you know, continuing to follow that,
Speaker:the discipline and just the education,
Speaker:I think that's going to set me up, uh, for. For really
Speaker:enjoying this, this phase of my life.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Okay, um, what is one bill? Because I'm
Speaker:sure the person has listened to this was like, negotiating your
Speaker:bills. What is one bill that you always negotiate?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: My cell phone bill.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Oh, sweet.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Okay.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah, I just paid, uh, my
Speaker:cell phone bill for a whole year for 300 bucks.
Speaker:So that's not bad, right? For 12 months
Speaker:for 300 bucks, I was like, sold.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Yes. Yeah. So, um, I would say my cell
Speaker:phone bill and then my car insurance, too.
Speaker:Um, car insurance.
Speaker:It's kind of a hit or miss, but I always try
Speaker:and it's dependent on.
Speaker:I've been with progressive for 15
Speaker:years. And so every so often you
Speaker:got to call their bluff. You gotta. I'm gonna go
Speaker:to another insurance.
Speaker:Um, and every so often, you need to check to make sure you're
Speaker:getting the discounts that you should be getting based on how
Speaker:long you've been with them. The last time I did that, there was one discount
Speaker:that was missing from my profile, and that
Speaker:lowered my. It lowered my
Speaker:monthly, um, cost
Speaker:by like, 40 bucks.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Oh, wow, that's good.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Yeah, just like doing things like that with my
Speaker:cell phone bill. I like to look at my itemized,
Speaker:like the itemized bill every so often just to see what
Speaker:fees, like, what am I paying for
Speaker:and why am I paying this?
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: That's the reason why I went prepaid, because I was like, I don't have those
Speaker:itemized fees. It's just like, hey, this is One flat fee.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: That was very smart. Yeah, I. I've
Speaker:considered going prepaid, but I
Speaker:still. I still pay my son's
Speaker:cell phone bill to one bill that he's not paying.
Speaker:One bill. Um, but I do like
Speaker:our plan. Um, I get quite. I get a really good
Speaker:discount just because of who my employer
Speaker:is, too. So it's kind of one of those things
Speaker:that I just do. But, yeah,
Speaker:I negotiate. Look, I
Speaker:not only negotiate my
Speaker:everyday bills, but I also.
Speaker:I've, um, enrolled in certain programs
Speaker:that will
Speaker:make my variable
Speaker:expenses a fixed expense. So, like my.
Speaker:My gas bill, my electric bill. I
Speaker:know exactly what I'm paying month to month because I'm on their
Speaker:budget billing schedule. So
Speaker:I know, like, gas. Gas
Speaker:and electric. I know exactly what it's going to bill. It'd be month to
Speaker:month, and it's great. And all I did literally was go on the website
Speaker:and sign up for their budget billing. That was,
Speaker:um, works. I'm telling you, you just gotta.
Speaker:You gotta just, you know, do your due diligence and
Speaker:figure out a way to just lower some costs, because
Speaker:everything is high out here, and it's important
Speaker:that we just are mindful of what we're paying
Speaker:out and just finding ways to just
Speaker:lower expenses when we can.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Well, uh, with that being said, is there
Speaker:anything you wanna leave the audience before we dive into the final
Speaker:four questions?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Um, see, I will say this
Speaker:right now. Um, with the way that our economy
Speaker:is going and just the way that life is, life in
Speaker:it is easy to get
Speaker:discouraged or intimidated by
Speaker:your current financial profile, your
Speaker:financial structure right now. And I
Speaker:think it's very important that
Speaker:we just take a minute to just stop,
Speaker:Stop and think. Look at
Speaker:our finances. Look at what we're bringing in versus what we're.
Speaker:We're putting out. Like, look at our cash flow.
Speaker:And if you're not happy with it, don't get
Speaker:overwhelmed, but just take it one
Speaker:step at a time. Figure out what's most important to
Speaker:you and then create a plan around that.
Speaker:Because it's very easy to just get caught up in the.
Speaker:The weight of, um, not having the money
Speaker:that you want or having just mounting bills. But
Speaker:if you just take it one step at a time, you stop comparing
Speaker:yourself and your finances to others, and
Speaker:you just keep your head down and focus. I
Speaker:promise it. You can. If I can do
Speaker:it, anybody can. And once you get to the other side,
Speaker:life is amazing.
Speaker:Life is amazing.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: All right, you ready for the final four?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Sure.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Uh, number one, what does wealth
Speaker:mean to you?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Freedom. M. It's. It's.
Speaker:It's freedom. It's the ability
Speaker:to, uh, do things and not
Speaker:worry about how they're getting paid or
Speaker:what is this going to take away from. It's the ability
Speaker:to spoil my family,
Speaker:my friends. It's. It's the
Speaker:freedom to be able to book a
Speaker:trip home because I want creds. Like,
Speaker:it's. It's freedom,
Speaker:and it's the, uh. It's being
Speaker:able to be carefree
Speaker:and not be so consumed
Speaker:about what the future
Speaker:looks like. Like, I feel pretty
Speaker:confident that, you know, I'm,
Speaker:um. I'm cool. I'm good with
Speaker:the finances. I'm. We're in a good space.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Number two, what was your worst money
Speaker:mistake?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Putting my trust in someone, uh,
Speaker:who did not have my financial.
Speaker:Anything about my financial future in their best
Speaker:interests. So just being oblivious and
Speaker:thinking that the person that I was with was
Speaker:taking care of the finances,
Speaker:um, that was the worst mistake I ever
Speaker:made. Worst mistake I ever made. So
Speaker:never again.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah. So another episode.
Speaker:Number three. Is there a book that inspired your
Speaker:journey or change your perspective?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Um, let's see.
Speaker:Okay. There's a book called
Speaker:Smart Women Finish Rich.
Speaker:It's by David Bach. And
Speaker:I have read that book probably four times
Speaker:throughout my life. It breaks
Speaker:down financial topics
Speaker:and concepts based on just,
Speaker:like, what you should be thinking about
Speaker:as a woman. And it is.
Speaker:It has, like, a workbook
Speaker:aspect of it as well, where there's
Speaker:activities that, um, you can do and
Speaker:come back to and refer to. That is.
Speaker:That's a book that will forever be one of my
Speaker:faves, for sure.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Nice. And he actually has it on his
Speaker:website, so you can download the PDF if you need it.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: There we go. See? Is it a PDF version
Speaker:now? I have the book.
Speaker:I have the paperback.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Number four.
Speaker:I'll edit this out.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Um.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: It's okay. It's my fault.
Speaker:Everything's funny.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: I'm trying my best.
Speaker:Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Number four, what is your favorite dish to
Speaker:make?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Favorite dish to make. Okay, so I'm pescatarian,
Speaker:so I don't eat chicken, beef, pork. None of that.
Speaker:None of that. Okay. No judgment, but no
Speaker:judgment.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: We don't listen and we don't judge.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Okay. Um, so I love
Speaker:all types of fish. I make a
Speaker:really good, like, it's a miso
Speaker:and soy sea bass.
Speaker:Um, it's such a. Sea bass is such a great
Speaker:dish. Um, but I make it
Speaker:in this, like, miso soy marinade.
Speaker:And I love Korean sweet potatoes,
Speaker:so I'll pair that. I'll pay. I pair this sea bass
Speaker:with a Korean sweet potato and then, like, asparagus
Speaker:or Brussels sprouts. So it's a
Speaker:very filling meal, but it's, like,
Speaker:healthy too.
Speaker:Oh, it's really good. Okay. Um, you
Speaker:should try it.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: I'll take your word for it. I'll ask you for the
Speaker:recipe for the marinade.
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Yeah, it's simple. Just. It's
Speaker:miso. It's miso. Soy sauce, sugar. Like, it's. It's
Speaker:simple.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Okay. I make things difficult for
Speaker:some reason. Even though they simple, I'm trying to do better
Speaker:with that.
Speaker:Okay, um, the last question of the show,
Speaker:which is where could people find out more about you?
Speaker:>> Wanda Belle: Okay, so you can find out more about me on my website.
Speaker:So Bell Financial services dot com.
Speaker:Um, on the website you can actually sign up for my
Speaker:newsletter, which is literally just
Speaker:some money tips on a monthly basis.
Speaker:Um, since April is Financial literacy month,
Speaker:I've been sending out, like, weekly,
Speaker:uh, newsletters with it's just
Speaker:judgment. Free money tips for any
Speaker:and everyone. Um, I'm also on
Speaker:Instagram, so Bell Financial Services,
Speaker:um, Facebook, Bell Financial Services. But
Speaker:the best, the best way to get just
Speaker:tips and tricks and tidbits is that
Speaker:newsletter for sure.
Speaker:>> Anthony Weaver: Awesome. Well, Wanda,
Speaker:it's been amazing, you know, catching up with you
Speaker:at so many different fincon events.
Speaker:Um, but, you know, the person
Speaker:that's listening to this right now, I just want to let you know that
Speaker:all it takes is a little discipline and really,
Speaker:it's a mind over matter type deal. You got this.
Speaker:Don't give up on yourself and continue to run your
Speaker:race. Stop comparing yourself to other people. You got what it
Speaker:takes to be successful in whatever financial way that
Speaker:you want to. All right,
Speaker:thank you so much, Wanda, and thank you for
Speaker:listening. I'll, uh, have a good day. We
Speaker:out. Peace.
