Investing 101: Beyond The Basics

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Hey there, and welcome to Faith in Finance, where

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your values and your financial vision come together.

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I'm your host, Geil Thompson, Registered Rep

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for Joseph Eden Capital, a sister firm of Joseph

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Wealth Management. Every week, I'll be walking

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with you through the tools, truths, and strategies

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that help you build wealth with purpose, clarity,

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and peace. Because your money isn't just about

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what you have. It's about what you're building.

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Let's get started. baby Today, we're getting

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into one of the most powerful tools for building

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wealth, and that's investing. Now, I know for

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many people, investing can feel intimidating,

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confusing, or like something other people do.

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Or you might say, not you. But I'm here to tell

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you that investing isn't just for the wealthy

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or for experts or even Ivy League grads. It is

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for you, and it's for you right now, no matter

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where you're starting, And today I'm going to

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show you exactly how. So listen, here's the truth.

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If you want to retire with dignity, grow generational

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wealth, or simply make sure your money is keeping

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up with inflation, you have to invest. Savings

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alone will not get you there. And you may ask

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me why. Because here's the thing. Inflation eats

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away at the value of your money every day and

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over time. Think of it like this. Every dollar

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that sits in a savings account earning less than

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1 % is slowly losing its purchasing power. But

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when you invest, you give your money the power

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to grow. And this is where compounding interest

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comes in. Compounding interest is when your money

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earns interest and then the interest earns interest.

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And then that interest earns even more interest

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over time. See, this snowball effect becomes

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one of the most powerful tools of wealth building.

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And it's what the elites really use in order

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to grow their money. That's why the earlier you

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start, the better. But even if you're starting

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late, it's not too late. So don't feel discouraged.

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The key is just to start. And when you start.

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Stay consistent. Let me break down some key investment

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options so you feel a bit more confident and

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comfortable knowing what's available to you.

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Number one, I want to teach you about a stock.

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When you buy a stock, you're buying a portion

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of ownership in a company. For example, let's

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say you buy one share of Apple. That means you

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now actually own a piece of Apple Inc. If Apple

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performs well, say they launch a new product,

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they have report on great earnings or even the

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value of their stock goes up. You as a shareholder

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benefit. Stocks are great for long term growth,

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but can be bumpy in the short term. That's why

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time in the market is your best friend. Next,

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let's talk about bonds. I want you to think of

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bonds like a loan. You can loan to either private

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companies, public companies, or even the government.

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You lend your money to the company, and then

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they agree to give you back your money plus interest.

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For instance, if you were to lend your money

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to the U .S., the U .S. government will give

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you what's called a treasury bond or a bill or

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a note. You're basically lending money to the

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government, and in return, they pay you a fixed

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interest rate over a set number of years. It

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could be three years, five years, or even 10.

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Bonds are more stable than stocks, but they do

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offer less returns. Next, you may have heard

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this term. It's called mutual funds. So what

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are mutual funds, right? Well, they're a basket

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of investments, meaning one mutual fund could

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hold about 100 different stocks or bonds or a

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combination. And they're managed professionally

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by professionals. However, you may say, well,

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when I think about mutual funds, I'm oftentimes

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like quite confused about do I still get the

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same returns as a stock? Well, think about it

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this way. There are mutual funds that literally

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have performed where they've given you over 20

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and 30 percent in one year. One mutual fund in

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particular I like is the Fidelity Blue Chip Growth

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Fund. It is a well -known mutual fund that invests

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in some of the largest companies in the United

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States. You're talking Apple, Google, Microsoft,

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and the likes. So you're getting diversification

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in one investment. And lastly, let's talk about

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this one, index funds. See, these are a special

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type of mutual fund that tracks specific market

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indices, okay, like the S &P 500, the Russell

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1000, so on and so forth. But specifically with

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the S &P 500, that's 500 of the largest companies

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in America. A popular example, the Vanguard 500

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Index. It gives you exposure to major companies

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like Coca -Cola, Nike. Home Depot, all in one

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fund. Index funds are low cost, they're passive,

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and historically, they've always remained consistent.

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If you're just starting out, index funds are

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an excellent option, especially if you're unsure

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about how the market goes. So now the question

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is this, where do you start? Today, there are

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beginner -friendly platforms like Vanguard, Fidelity,

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We use Charles Schwab and even some apps like

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Betterment. These platforms make it super easy

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to open an account, set your preferences, and

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just start investing. Listen, you can open a

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Roth account, you can open a traditional IRA,

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or you can even open a brokerage account. It'll

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take you about 15 minutes worth of time. The

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same 15 minutes it's taking you to listen to

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me. Once you're set up, Connect your bank account.

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Then I want you to choose an index fund for those

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of you who are beginners. OK, this is the key

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to auto investing, because what we want you to

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do is make it consistent. Make this something

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that becomes a new lifestyle for you. So invest

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$50 a month or whatever works for you in your

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budget. You know what your financial situation

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is. Choose what works best for you. But I would

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recommend starting with a minimum of $50 and

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let it go into your investment account on autopilot.

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Don't even think about it. That's what turns

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good intentions into real action. See, you're

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building wealth quietly in the background. And

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honestly, you're making money while you sleep.

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This week, I want you to take a step. If you

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don't have an investment account, open one. If

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you do already, I want you to make sure that

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you increase or if you haven't, make sure that

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you're actually starting with some type of monthly

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auto contribution. Like I said, it could be $50

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a month. Every dollar counts when it's working

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for you. And if you're unsure or overwhelmed,

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you don't have to do this alone. Visit josephwealthmanagement

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.com and schedule a call with myself or our team.

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we'll be happy to walk you through the options

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that are available to help you make the decisions

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that align with your values, your goals, and

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even whatever your financial goals are for the

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future. You see, wealth isn't just about numbers.

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It's about options. And it's about time that

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you give yourself more options. I'm Jill Thompson.

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I want to thank you for tuning in today to Faith

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in Finance. Please be sure to subscribe and share

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this podcast with someone that you know. We look

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forward to seeing you next time. Before we close

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today, let's take a moment to see this through

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a lens of faith. In Matthew 13, Jesus shares

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a short but powerful parable. It says the kingdom

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of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which

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a man took and sold in his field. which indeed

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is the least of all the seeds. But when it's

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grown, it is the greatest among herbs and becomes

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a tree so that the birds of the air come and

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lodge in the branches thereof. We call this the

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mustard seed principle. That's the picture of

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what faithful investing looks like. You may start

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with something small, a seed, an intentional

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decision, a single investment, a consistent habit.

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At first, it may not seem like much, but when

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planted with purpose and cared for over time,

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that seed becomes something greater than you've

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imagined. Something strong, fruitful, and lasting.

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Just like the mustard seed becomes a tree that

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provides covering for others, wise investing

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isn't just about your benefit. Over time, it

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creates space for your family, for your future,

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and for those connected to your legacy. So whether

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you're starting small or already sowing, remember

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this, it's not about how big the seed is. It's

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about where and how you plant it. God honors

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stewardship that's faithful, strategic, and patient.

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And he can grow something powerful from even

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the smallest start. The Faith and Finance podcast

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is intended for educational, informational, and

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entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions

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expressed by the hosts and guests are their own

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and do not necessarily reflect those of Joseph

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Wealth Management, Joseph Eden Capital, or any

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affiliated entities. Nothing shared on this podcast

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should be construed as personalized, financial,

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legal, tax, or investment advice. All investing

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carries risk, including the potential loss of

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principal. Listeners are strongly encouraged

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to consult with a licensed financial advisor

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or fiduciary who understands their unique circumstances

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before making any financial decisions. Joseph

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Wealth Management and Joseph Eden Capital are

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registered entities and operate in accordance

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with applicable regulatory guidelines. Business

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is conducted only in jurisdictions where they

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are duly licensed or exempt from registration.