Kristen Hagopian Show - 10 08 25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
And we are back with the Christian Nigopian Show. And
I think it's just going to be a headline for
the rest of our natural lives because knowledge is power.
But COVID nineteen is going to be forever in the news,
and you know what, maybe that's a good thing for
all of us to stay aware, for all of us
to kind of recollect how it's you know, between twenty
twenty and today. It feels like it's been around for
one hundred years. It's only been you know, a few

(00:31):
And knowledge is power. And the more we can learn
about this and all of its variations, the more that
we can protect ourselves and the ones we love about it.
And COVID nineteen infections are continuing to circulate nationwide worldwide
as well, at least twenty nine states all right reporting
high or very high waste water levels, which again is
a wonderfully nerdy phrase that I'm really starting to familiarize

(00:53):
myself with. So according to the CDC, these are all
numbers from you know, government agencies. They've got the they've
got the clout to get the right numbers, and you know,
we're listening. And updated COVID nineteen vaccines are now largely available.
Just as these sweeping federal policy changes are shifting away
from broad recommendations, We've learned, we've evolved as the time

(01:15):
goes by, So now they're encouraging people who want one
to consult with a healthcare provider. Never a bad idea.
I mean, my health care provider probably sees my number,
you know on caller ideas, Oh god, it's Chris Dan
with another question. But they deal with it fun. But
we don't want widespread confusion. We don't want misinformation about
vaccine access recommendations, what they're thinking about. And that's why

(01:38):
I was so delighted at the opportunity to connect with
Surgeon General doctor Jerome Adams. I've always been a huge fan.
He gets up and talks in front of a camera.
You walk away more educated, more relaxed, more reassured. And
we now have the opportunity to connect with him from
a very busy day here on our Newsmaker line. Doctor welcome,
good day to you.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
I'm really glad to be here.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
It's great to have you here because you know what,
this is so correct. There's so much misinformation out there.
How is it possible with the quadrillion? I'm exaggerating, But
with a ton of different news media outlets out there,
how are there so many divergent messages? I mean, when
it comes to math two plus two is four science,
you know, here's the moon, here's whatever, And it seems

(02:20):
like with this one bit of subject matter there is
just ridonculous amounts of misinformation, which is why you're such
a godsend here. And ACIP just changed their COVID nineteen
vaccine recommendations. You know, they're the ones studying the microscopes
and everything else going on. Can you help clarify what
Americans need to know as of this day and date.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Absolutely, and it is confusing. It's important to know that
the recommendations that came out from ASIP don't become final
guidelines until the acting CDC director signs off, and that
delay is creating even more confusion at a time when
COVID cases are going up, when we need more clarity.
As you mentioned, the big change is that instead of

(03:04):
recommending COVID nineteen vaccines for all adults, which is what
the previous policy was, a SIT now advises what's called
shared decision making. That means it's up to patients and
their healthcare providers, their doctor, their nurse, they're pharmacists to
decide together, based on individual risk, whether or not you
should get a COVID nineteen vaccine. And when you think

(03:27):
about individual risk, I have to remind people that number one,
pregnant women are at particularly high risk. Number two, young
people are at particularly high risk. Number three, anyone over
sixty five is that particularly high risk. But if you're
not in any of those age groups, still seventy percent
of adults have a risk factor like being overweight, like

(03:49):
having high blood pressure. I'm like having diabetes or pre
diabetes that puts them at higher risk for negative outcomes
from COVID nineteen. So that's the reason why the recommendation
used to be for everyone, because the reality is three
out of four people were at higher risk for a
negative outcrome outcome from COVID nineteen. Now it's going to

(04:10):
be up to all of us individually, and so it's
going to be on your listeners, on you and me
to make sure we're talking to our providers to understand
our personal risk. And the best advice I can give
you is to say that there's a greater than seventy
five percent chance that you are at risk. There's almost
one hundred percent chance that someone you know and love

(04:30):
is at higher risk, and so it's important that we
talk to our doctors and protect ourselves.

Speaker 1 (04:35):
Yeah, it's so true, and I'm taking notes as we're
talking here. You're bringing up so many good points. And
you know what I kind of like about this is
the fact that we're going back to like twenty nineteen thinking.
Talk to your healthcare provider. Don't go guessing, you know,
don't go you know, stumbling onto like you know, the
Google path from hell. Maybe that's just me. Doctor, Do
you ever do this? You're professional, you're trained. You ever
go on Google for like one line of subject matter

(04:56):
and before you know what, you're like spinning off into
Betty White's bio or someth I mean, it just doesn't happen, right,
Talk to your healthcare provider, make that your number one move,
and then work on it from there. I feel like
that's more like a twenty nineteen sort of motto, and
I like that we're getting back to that. So I
love that you shared that. Now here's the big concern.
We're out here in the Philadelphia area and there's a

(05:17):
lot of misinformation that I try to dispel, but there's
a lot of misinformation that you now may need to
get a prescription to get a COVID nineteen vaccine. Talk
to me about the reality on that and what people
might need to do. You know, if they got shots
in the past and now they want to get a
shot in the future, has anything changed with how they
get that shot.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Well, unfortunately, it has changed, and it depends on your
situation and where you're located. And again that's part of
the problem and the confusion. ASIP did not recommend requiring prescriptions,
but because of unclear federal guidance and a patchwork of
state rules, access now varies by age, insurance, and even
which pharmacy you visit. I looked up Pennsylvania, and in Pennsylvania,

(06:01):
if you're over sixty five or have an underlying condition,
you should still be able to get vaccinated without a prescription.
For younger or lower risk age groups, the process may
be a little bit harder. And that's especially concerning for
the twenty six million uninsured Americans who don't have a
regular doctor. For them, getting a prescription can be a barrier,

(06:22):
not a safeguard. But in your state, the reality is
that you should still have access to COVID shots in
most cases without a prescription. You can go to cveep
dot org to get more information about where you can
get an updated vaccine, and you can call ahead of
time and ask them, you know, will I need a

(06:45):
prescription or can I just come in and self attest.
I want your listeners to know I got my own,
excuse me, COVID nineteen vaccine last week. My wife got
her COVID nineteen vaccine because we have risk factors. She's
a cancer survivor. I have asthma. But we also got
our kids vaccinated because we don't want them to miss school.

(07:06):
We're getting ready to go on fall break in a
couple of weeks. We want them to be safe as
we're traveling. And a study came out just this week
that shows that children who got COVID nineteen twice last year,
as a post to children who got it once, were
two times as likely to develop long COVID. So again,
make sure you're thinking about this for everyone in your family,

(07:27):
and then you're making a decision that's going to be
best to protect you and the people you love.

Speaker 1 (07:32):
Absolutely absolutely, And that was great, you know, real time
knowledge that you shared with us. Thank you for diving
that deeply into that. With all that in mind, and
with these new you know, decision making approaches for COVID
nineteen vaccines, it gets a little murky. How do our
listeners coast to coast? How do people navigate whether they
need a vaccine?

Speaker 2 (07:53):
Well, you can go to your state or local health
department website. You can go to SEEP dot org, CVEEP
dot org and they will help you think through which
vaccinations you need or should be considering. And again, the
most important thing. We keep coming back to this, and
I love that you emphasized it. It's about talking to

(08:16):
your doctor, talking to your nurse practitioner, talking to your pharmacist,
because they know you, they know your health, they know
your local options, and so that's how we cut through
all this confusion and get clear guidance. But I don't
want people to mistakenly assume that they're not at higher
risk or that they couldn't benefit from an updated COVID

(08:36):
nineteen shot, because we don't want you getting long COVID,
we don't want you missing school or work, and we
certainly don't want you being someone who's high risk ending
up in the hospital or worse in saying, Oh my gosh,
I wish I had gotten that COVID nineteen vaccine. We're
coming up on Halloween. Just remember flu before boo. Every year,
even before COVID, we would encourage people to think about

(08:59):
getting their flu u vaccines for cold and fluc even
right around or before Halloween. And that just has to
now be part of our thinking along with getting a
COVID shot. You can get them both at the same time.
I got my fluing COVID nineteen updates at the same
time last week.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
Oh that's brilliant and it's so true. Everything you just
said is so true. This is why we love having
you on. So for anybody out there who might be thinking, hey,
you know I'm this category, I'm that category. I don't
feel like I'm high risk. You nailed it when you said, yeah,
you might not be, but you could surround yourself, you know,
by accident or design, with people who are at high risk,
and then we're kind of all in this together. This

(09:37):
is kind of adulting in the modern age, and when
it comes to protecting yourself protecting others, it's just a
nice round to round. We go when you protect yourself,
you're protecting others who will then protect you back in return.
So it's kind of a no brainer. And I knew
the time would fly. Give us that website one more
time where we can send our listeners to for more
information and maybe do a little more research, and again

(09:57):
encourage them through your website to talk with their practitioners.

Speaker 2 (10:00):
Cveep dot org. It's a wonderful website with information not
just about COVID nineteen, but about other vaccines you should
be considering, including shingles numavacs if you're older. We want
everyone to have the information they need to protect themselves.
So thank you for having me on. And again, make
sure you're talking to your healthcare provider who knows you,

(10:21):
so that you're making the best choices for you, your
health and your loved ones.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
Aim into that. It's not your favorite magazine, it's not
your favorite you know, guy, friend, girlfriend, whatever friend that
gets the information for you. It's your practitioner. Talk to them.
I promise they won't bite, and you're going to walk
away feeling better than when you walked in. Again, I
knew the time would fly, Doctor Adams, You've got an
open mic anytime you want, please be well. I wish
you and your family a very healthy fall coming up,

(10:46):
and thanks again for all you do. It's very important.
We appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
Always happy to be with you.

Speaker 1 (10:51):
You've beten. We'll be right back in right after this,
and we are back with the Kristin Agophian Show. And

(11:11):
I've been looking so forward to our next guests because
you guys already know what a complete addict I am
to our local Habitat for Humanity outlets. I think my
entire house would be one big echo chamber without that
and goodwill. And when you meld those headlines with the
fact that we are in the midst of a massive
affordable housing shortage in the US, don't get me started.

(11:35):
Habitat for Humanity and its partners are continuing to address
these critical needs and they're providing so much hope and
so much help for homeowners just when they need it
the most. And as President Jimmy Carter celebrates his one
hundredth birthday this month, his home building legacy, a lot
of people forget that he has a strong connection with
this remains strong and the Jimmy and Rosalind Carter Work

(11:57):
Project is currently underway in Saint Paul, min is home
to one of our best stations there, and Habitat CEO
Jonathan Reckford is joining us busy, busy guys here to
discuss this critical need for housing and the importance of
these long time partnerships that benefit so many. Welcome, how
are you doing today?

Speaker 3 (12:15):
Thank you doing well? Thanks for having us on.

Speaker 1 (12:18):
Well, it's a pleasure, Jonathan. I'm going to start with
you if I can tell us a little bit. So
many of us know and love and adore Habitat for Humanity,
but tell us a little bit, like dig a little
deeper for us, and tell us about the Carter Work
Week project and those communities you impact each year. It's
not like you, guys to blow your own horn. That's

(12:38):
when I come in. But honestly, the work you're doing
is so important. Talk to us a bit about how
this is a bit different from other builds.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
Well, the Carter Work Project is like every other Habitat
build but way bigger. And this is a special year
in a couple different ways. One, as you said, this
is President Carter's one hundredth birthday today, So we know
and here's very clear that the best birthday present for
him was to keep the work going that he has
been part of for now forty years, and so it's
really quite remarkable. As we also remember Missus Carter today,

(13:08):
who was another great champion that in nineteen eighty four,
the two of them got on a bus with a
group of volunteers from planes and drove up to New
York City and slept in a church basement and rehabbed
a tenement building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
And Habitat was a tiny organization. That's really when the
world found out about Habitat. No one had ever seen
a former president behave that way, and that started. They

(13:30):
got hooked and it became the first of annual Jimmy
Carter Work Project and then we eventually, belatedly we took
too long, turned into the Jimmy and Roselynd Carter Work
Project because she was actually an amazing champion as well.
They have directly engaged and worked with over the years.
Four hundred and seventeen families were able to purchase safeties

(13:52):
and affordable houses, but their example and their work inspired
millions more and really in so many ways, because they
inspired so many people around the world, Habitat's been able
to help over fifty nine million people have new or
improved housing.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
That is amazing and my jaws dropping at those numbers,
fifty nine million people. The ripple effects of this incredible
organization just keep going on and on. And you've got
a lot of people who over the decades, you know,
whether it's through their workplace, you know, they all volunteer
a day at Habitat for Humanity and they actually get
some good stuff done. But the ripple effects of what

(14:28):
you're doing are so profound, and it's a nice you know,
hand in hand match when you've got all of your
skills and all of your amazing drive and you match
it up with corporate partnerships that you know, maybe they
don't have the ability to put a hammer to nail,
but they certainly can't connect you with the resources that
you need. Tell us a little bit about your corporate
partners on projects like this, it seems like a nice

(14:50):
you know, Peanut Butter and jelly mix.

Speaker 3 (14:52):
Absolutely, we could not do our work without our corporate
partners And I think there's so many good causes. But
a unique aspect of Habitat is that you can come
out and personally engage in the work and be part
of it. And so our corporate partners like Anderson Windows
are really indispensable. They bring resources. In this case, they
bring materials that lower the cost of the home by
donating their windows. But they also bring skilled volunteers, they

(15:16):
bring philanthropy, they bring parts, and they bring their voices
to help us communities in which they serve, and so
really we could not do the work without them.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Good for you. And there's one thing we talk about.
We have a lot of segments during the week. We
talk about real estate, and we talk about the fact
that getting a toe into the real estate market, a fixer,
your wonderful ranch, maybe it's your forever home. Who knows.
But the difference in retirement capabilities and retirement funds for
those who are a homeowner compared to those who rent

(15:45):
their entire lives is profound. Your net worth is easily
fifty to sixty times greater than that of a renter.
And a lot of times the people who are out
there renting, they just don't They're so close, they're so
close to trying to get into something, and they never
pull the trigger on it. And what you're doing again
with the millions, the tens of millions of families that

(16:07):
you're impacting. You talk about the psychological benefits of living
in your own home, something that you know you're never
going to be turned out of. When you've got when
you've got a real connection with the community through home ownership,
it again creates this ripple effect that just builds communities
and makes them stronger and stronger. You must be getting
that kind of feedback from the people that you interact

(16:28):
with all the time, now, Christen.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
You're so right. It is powerful on the individual level
and on the community level. On an individual level, when
you look at the wealth gap in our country until
you get to quite wealthy people, most of it is
explained by whether families have the opportunity to create those
long term savings through home ownership. Become a community of
society of people with assets or without assets, and if
you don't have assets, it's almost impossible to get them.

(16:52):
And what we have found, though we need every type
of housing, is that the opportunity to give a family
the chance to purchase a home gives them that ability
to create an intergenerational asset, and the ripples of that
go on across generations. But it also matters to the
community and communities where people own their homes are stronger
communities and they do better as well. It's actually a
beautiful project we're working on where we're building the first

(17:15):
thirty homes with over four thousand volunteers this week of
a twelve hundred home mixed income community with one hundred
and forty seven affordable home ownership opportunities through Habitat for Humanity.
And these families are going to make the community better,
but they're also going to create a community where where
those children can grow into all the god intents for
their lives.

Speaker 1 (17:35):
That is fantastic. And again I'm taking notes as we're
talking here and something now, this is something you already
know backwards and forwards. And I was very blessed with
the childhood that you know, ingrained this with this as well.
But home ownership, you know, you've got kids that do
better in school when they live in a home. You know,
with their folks, you've got people who never had home
ownership in their family tree, and they're breaking that trend.

(17:58):
And now suddenly it's opening up all kinds of possibilities
for other people that they know they never even thought
about doing that. And maybe You've got people out there
that just want to contribute a few bucks to you
to buy the wallpaper paste, or to buy the next spackle,
or to buy the next new hedge trimmer. Where do
we send our listeners coast to coast to find out
more about you and how they can contribute in their

(18:18):
own way.

Speaker 3 (18:18):
Well, if you go to habitat dot org, you can
learn much more about our work, and you can see
you can learn about the card Work project, but also
see more broadly how to get involved and to your
exac point. I think one of the myths about Habitat
is the only way to get involved is to come
in and swing a hammer or do construction. But the
reality is we need advocates, We need people's voices along
with their muscles. There are all kinds of other ways

(18:39):
to volunteer as well, and we need to support because
there is a you really can't in today's housing crisis.
The gap between what it costs to build a home
and what low moderating income families can afford has actually
never been greater in modern times in the United States.
So it is a big need and we'd love to
have people come to see how they can involve in

(19:00):
their local community or in our national or global work outstanding.

Speaker 1 (19:03):
And another way that I like to say I air
quotes support habitat is I go into your stores at
least once a week. We've furnished dining rooms for family
and friends, living rooms, bedrooms, everything and it just fits
the budget like nothing else does. Jonathan Reckford, I knew
the time would fly. Thank you so much for taking
the time. You got an open mic anytime, go get them.

Speaker 3 (19:22):
Thank you so much, Kristen, you bet, and we'll be.

Speaker 1 (19:24):
Right back in right after this.

Speaker 4 (19:30):
Cheap, small, not too steep, the best of all circumstances hands.

Speaker 1 (19:59):
And we we are back with the Christian a Gophian show.
And so many things unite us, you guys. You know,
love of family, love of neighborhood. We love what we
do for a living a lot of the time, I
know I do. We love certain foods, we love certain histories,
we love everything. There's one thing that we all kind
of get united by as well, and that is I'm

(20:19):
thinking maybe our fear of the dentist. Some of us
hide it better than others. Myself, I don't. I got
no poker face when it comes to the dentist. And
I've got the nicest dentist as well, totally pain free.
It's just deeply embedded in the marrow of my bones,
a deep fear of the dentist. And I'm not alone.
Here's another thing people are afraid of. Everything costs more
these days, but when it comes to dental care. A

(20:41):
recent survey shows that rising out of pocket costs are
preventing patients from accessing the important and necessary dental care
they want and they need and more than have. Fifty
eight percent of those surveyed expressed that dental care is
not affordable and for those living without dental insurance. There's
a lot of people out there, guys living without dental insurance.

(21:03):
Maybe you know someone who is. That number rose to
seventy five percent. Okay. Results found that dental care for
the average adult, say, ages twenty to eighty, can cost
fifty one thousand to ninety five thousand plus over a lifetime.
And I'm talking routine care you know, doesn't cover dental implants, orthodontia,

(21:25):
more complex needs, which could cost tens of thousands of
dollars more just per procedure. Okay, So, since dental health
is key to overall health, we all know that it is.
You can't ignore it. What can people do to financially
prepare for out of pocket dental care needs as well
as any unexpected dental emergencies. Well, I'm so pleased to

(21:47):
have join us via our newsmaker line. Bobby Rebel, a
certified financial planner and founder and CEO of Financial Wellness Strategies.
I love a financial planner called Bobby Rebel that just
totally works for me. Here to share some expert advice
on how people can plan ahead and connect them with
the tools and the resources they need. They're out there,

(22:07):
guys to better manage their dental costs. Bobby, welcome.

Speaker 5 (22:11):
Thank you so much for having me, Kristen, it.

Speaker 1 (22:13):
Is our pleasure. So tell us a little bit more
about this survey, how it came about, and maybe some
of the key findings that really stood out for you.
Break it down for us if you would.

Speaker 5 (22:23):
Yeah. Well, first of all, so the survey that we're
referencing today is the Synchronate Dental Lifetime of Care Survey,
and I want to emphasize lifetime because you said some
of the most compelling statistics from this survey, which is,
for example, that over a lifetime. You're looking at more
than ninety five thousand dollars for the average couple er
family paying. And you said this so well paying just

(22:43):
the most basic stuff. When you look at the bigger stuff,
you know, like orthodontro which.

Speaker 1 (22:48):
You know pair as we know that well, dental.

Speaker 5 (22:51):
Implants and all the complicated things that can happen, it
gets into six figures. And this is really alarming. So
I'm so glad that we're highlighting it and we're going
to talking them in and I hope about some solutions,
but the numbers are really compelling. We save so much
for so many different things in life. You know, we
all talk about we want to have experiences, so we're
saving for vacation. We want to retire and sit on
pretty or at a rondeck chairs and look at the ocean, right,

(23:13):
and so we have these buckets, but we don't always
think about weight. We also have to save for our
dental care. So I'm so glad that we're spotlighting focusing
on that as well.

Speaker 2 (23:22):
Well.

Speaker 5 (23:22):
And vacations are important, don't get me wrong. We're not
saying not to save for vacation also.

Speaker 1 (23:27):
And it's so true, and you buttoned it up so nicely,
because it really is all about perspective. And you know,
from the perspective of we all know how we feel
about the dentist. We all know we want to have,
you know, healthy dental care, and we kind of shy
away at the costs. But flip the script, what if
we were talking about someone that we know and we love.
We're taking care of our kids, it would be a

(23:49):
no brainer to get them any and all dental care
that they need, but we hesitate to do it for ourselves.
It really has a psych one oh one aspect to it.
It's really fascinating things I really wanted you to touch
on with this really detailed survey. It's really remarkable. But
the impact of delayed dental care world about personal finance here,

(24:10):
and I love investing for the future, especially when you
know there's going to be a good payoff. I hate
to break it to everybody, but there's nothing like the
payoff of some serious preventive dental care. It's going to
save you huge money, yeah, huge pain, amazingness from start
to finish. Break it down force a little bit with
that if you would.

Speaker 5 (24:25):
Yeah, Well, the short answer is it's really expensive. It's
really painful. The truth is our dental health is tied
to everything. So growing up, I remember there was a
sign in my dentist office and it said, ignore your
teeth and they will go away. Well, we know now
not only is it going to affect your dental health,
it's going to affect your physical health, your mental health,
your emotional health, and you know what, we want to
walk around and smile, So it's going to affect our

(24:47):
relationships as well. And to the point of what we
want to be talking about today, which is finding ways
to afford it, it also affects your financial wellness, and
that's something super important because if you don't take care
of dental bills and dental needs in the moment when
you need it. And again to your point about the kids,
we somehow always seem to find the money for the kids.
It's just going to snowball.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
It's going to be.

Speaker 5 (25:09):
Something that's going to get not only more painful physically,
but more painful financially. So it's really important to find
those solutions.

Speaker 1 (25:14):
It's so true, and you're bringing up so many good
points and I'm writing stuff down as you're talking here,
and one of the prevailing common threads through all of
this is the need to plan. And I talk a
great talk, Oh you got to plan for this, you
got to plan for that. And I like to think
of myself maybe a C plus in planning when it
comes to dental work. But it has to get done.

(25:35):
And I think I can't be alone in that. I
think a lot of people have the same problem with
planning out there. And when you want to plan stuff,
if it involves anything with that could have significant costs
to it, you have to plan. And with cost being
a barrier to care for so many people, what can
people do to thread that needle and better plan and
prepare for these costs? What are you seeing out there

(25:57):
is the nice one two punch to get that done?

Speaker 5 (26:00):
Well, I know why people listen to you now, because
you exactly nailed it. It is about things like setting
up an emergency fund and maybe having automatic deposits, which
is basically what you were alluding to, is automatic deposits
into an emergency fund that is dedicated to future dental expenses.

Speaker 2 (26:16):
Because when we.

Speaker 5 (26:17):
Compartmentalize things, we do get more motivated. I mean, I
was joking earlier about people saving for retire for a
retirement and vacation and all that. Only twenty six percent
of people I found in the survey really have a
dedicated savings for dental expenses, so that's really important. Start
with an emergency fund, have your money, you know, in
something liquid, so a money market fund or a high
yield savings account. Those are things, by the way, that

(26:38):
synchrony can provide. And what's great these days, Kristen, is
you know, we all nobody loves these you know, higher
interest rates. But it does mean that for this money
that's effectively in you know, cash that's available to you,
you will get a better return that you might have
in the past. So it's not so different. It can
be pretty compelling as an investment option as well that
you are still going to be getting a reasonable return.

Speaker 2 (26:59):
On your mind.

Speaker 5 (27:00):
You also can look into pre tax options. So for
many people right now we're getting close to open enrollment time,
make sure you're fully using your flexible spending account pre
tax money that you can use for dental expenses. Also,
health savings accounts might be available available at your company.
Many companies provide matching funds when you put money into
your health savings account. Health savings accounts can be free

(27:22):
money for many people, So grab that free money. And
then finally you've been alluding to this in the moment,
we as parents, we as just anyone single with the family, whatever,
we find ourselves in this situation where we want to
put off dental care. More than eighty percent of people
will put off emergency dental care because they're afraid they
can't afford it. I don't want that for anyone, So

(27:44):
find resources. One great resource is a health and wellness
credit card like care credit. The great thing there is
that you can get you can get I would call
them promotional financing options. So for example, what that means
is you, if you qualify, you may be able to
have deferred interest super when we have high interest rates.
Now you also can sometimes spread the payments over time

(28:05):
as maybe six months, maybe even sixty months, depending on
your needs. That's a great way to have those expenses
fit into your budget and give yourself the flexibility and
the breathing room, Kristen that you need to make sure
that you don't put off these important dental needs.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
And again, you bring up so many important points here
because something that you know, and you know how much
I love talking finances, but even I'll kind of forget
once in a while that all it takes you go
into the bank. It's a key stroke, yep. And maybe
a fifteen minute meeting with someone that you know at
the bank, or get to know someone at the bank.
It's a key stroke to have a little bit taken
out if your check each week put into a separate fund,

(28:42):
oftentimes a tax deferred fund. Talk about something that adds
up as well. But when it's done, you never have
to think about it again. The money will be waiting
for you there. It will add and build and grow.
And when you have that, we will all have this.
I don't know why we call it an unexpected dental bill.
We will all have unexpected dental bills. Please expect them.

(29:03):
When you have that unexpected dental bill, and you know
in the next second you've got a fund waiting for
you that's going to help offset the cost of that.
Talk about a weight off your shoulders. And again, I'm
going to date myself here. There's a movie called Peggy
Sue Got Married. This is relevant, I promise you. And
she's talking to her grandfather back in the day. She
got a chance to talk to her grandfather again. She's
having a great chat, and he's had his whole life

(29:25):
to live, He's gone through all kinds of experiences, and
she says, you know, would you do anything different, Grandpa,
you know, if you had it to do all over again,
And he doesn't hesitate. He goes, I would have taken
better care of my teeth. And that was it, and
it just stuck with me. It just cracked me up
because I think we're all in the same boat. Where
do our listeners go for more information on this? How
do we get the ball rolling and get them in
a better spot where they never have to worry about

(29:46):
dental costs again.

Speaker 5 (29:48):
Dental Lifetime of Care dot com has such compelling information.
I promise it will motivate you and also give you
the resources that you need to make sure that you
stay on track with your dental care and your financial
wellness as well.

Speaker 1 (30:00):
Dinah, my Bobby Rebel, certified Financial Planner, Founder CEO of
Financial Wellness Strategies. You are helping so many people here today,
such great common sense, so needed, so appreciated. You've got
an open mic anytime. Please join us again and again,
thank you so much for having me. You bet, and
we'll be right back gang right after this.

Speaker 4 (30:23):
Cheap is small, not too steep, the best of all circumstances,
cross my hand, be a Comfison.

Speaker 1 (30:41):
Signs and we are back with the Kristin to Gophian Show,
talking about things that we should be buying in October
if you have a legitimate need for them, and things
you want to hold off on if poss until later
in the year. Things that are great to buy in October,

(31:03):
things that get a little more pricey in October. Good
stuff to know now when it comes to the clear
and sales, there are some huge clearance sale genres that
you're going to find popping up in October. In no
particular order. This was all sent in by actually nationwide
retailers and a couple of fabulous listeners camping gear. We've
got a lot of campers out there in our listening audience.

(31:26):
God bless you. You do not want me with you
when you're camping. I'm not a good camper. I really
kind of stink at it. But you've got a lot
of people out there that are better than I am.
And if you have a you know, say, you've got
a list of things you'd love to stock up on
for next year's camping. Get into the stores in October
because apparently they are just giving this stuff away, which
is fantastic. Get in there and have some fun lawn decors,

(31:49):
lawn furniture, mowers, all this various stuff for your outdoor living,
you know, for just tending your law and everything else.
They're given this stuff away again. They've got various things
they need to move in come the end of October,
and they got to get those big items out of
the way, and there's no better way to do it
than to discount them huge. If you're in the market
for one, go and get it now. Here's another good one.

(32:11):
This is one that I've taken advantage of before as well.
October is National Seafood Month. If you didn't know it,
you know it now. And seafood is one of those
items where if you're not finding it on a tremendous sale,
you're spending a lot on it. And that's something we
don't want to do here on the show. We love
our seafood. I'm a huge fan of salmon because it's
easy for me to make it without killing it. I

(32:34):
kill so many other types of fish in the oven.
I'm not skilled, but salmon I always know how to cook,
and I will buy it by the pound, just boxes
of it when you find great sales on it, because
it freezes great and it cooks up from frozen to
fresh really really nicely. So if you have some big
seafood the love you know, either you your spouse, your kids,

(32:55):
family members, you love seafood, it's a treat. Get out
there and start shopping some of the sales because October
is phenomenal your best items once that we especially stock
up in our house fresh shrimp, frozen seafood, like the
salmon I was talking about before. Lobster, believe it or not.
Gone are the days where lobster was this big, huge
luxury item that you could only afford if you won

(33:17):
the lotto. There are some decent lobster sales out there,
and honestly, it is a high quality seafood. I've been
low carving it forever, just trying to pick up try
to get into my summer clothes now that it's fall.
But in all seriousness, protein foods can be a little pricey,
especially seafood, and I adore lobster, I adore crab cakes,

(33:40):
I adore salmon, I adore all of those seafood items
that normally are too pricey, not so in October. And
if you're there with me trying to low carb it
and keep things kind of fun, throw some new items
on the table for dinner time, and seafood fits the bill.
Get out there and start stocking up, because it's going
to start going up again come November December, the h
holiday months when people like to put a little really good,

(34:03):
expensive seafood on the table to show the people they
love how much they love them at the holidays. So
it's gonna go up in November and December. In October,
stock up, make me proud. It's all good. Now, speaking
of the holidays, there's other stuff that gets marked down
huge between now and the holidays, especially canned goods. And

(34:23):
when it comes to cant goods, you are really talking
my language, because if I ever lost my can opener
at home, I would be deer in the headlights because
a lot of our meals revolve around high quality, inexpensively
priced cant goods. And if you're the same way, there's
all kinds of things going on in October November. We're
ramping up for holidays, so the prices go down, but

(34:46):
I did not know this. A great wonderful restore your
faith in humanity. Reason that a lot of these canned
good prices go down is because a lot of stores
marked down a lot of their can't goods to prepare
for food drives coming up. How nice is that. So
if you have a company or a business that you

(35:07):
work for, or a charity or a church or a synagogue,
and you're doing any kind of a canned food drive,
be aware that canned goods oftentimes come down dramatically nicely
in October. So if one of your things you do
during the holidays is to bring a box full of
canned goods to a local shelter or some other really
worthy charity that you feel strongly about, stock up and

(35:31):
fill up those boxes. Now you're gonna find some nice,
big deals on that kind of thing. And while you're there,
start thinking about all of the candy dams, maybe the
canned corn, the peas, the whatever else. Maybe you know,
fun foods that you're going to enjoy over the holidays
that you normally wouldn't get in there to your canned
food sections and think long and hard about stocking up

(35:53):
on stuff that you maybe were going to wait till
Thanksgiving or Christmas, whatever it is, Buy it now, store
it under the bed if you have, you know, a
little less storage space than you'd like. Think outside the box,
because again, if your house is anything like our house,
canned goods are a staple literally in your house. Stock
up now, save some serious money. I gotta love that.

(36:13):
Next up, okay, now the canned goods in particular soups, vegetables, fruit, cocktail.
My kids love that stuff. Broth like bone broth, that
kind of stuff that you'd cook with or just use.
Canned pasta like the canned Ravioli's pie filling. Oh yeah,
we go through a lot of pie filling in our household.
I love the sugar free pie filling because then I

(36:34):
consider that like a diet food for better or for worse.
Welcome to our home. But in all seriousness, think about
what your menu is going to be for the holidays
and stock up big time. Get it off your to
do list. I mean, my gosh, you find out sometimes
certain supermarkets run low on can't this you know, the
sweet potatoes or the pie filling or cant corn or

(36:55):
who the heck knows what? Get it off your list
now and get it for less. You're spending life. It's beautiful.
Now one more thing, I gotta get this in, just
a little food for thoughts. We are about to ramp
up for one of the great spending months of the year,
the whole spending seasons of the year, and that's for
the holidays coming up, Christmas and Hanukkah. I get your emails.

(37:16):
You guys are working harder than you've ever worked. You're
loving the feeling of paying down your debt. You're loving
the feeling that you're not adding anything else to your
loans or bills or credit cards. Give some serious thought
to just taking October as a spending break. Buy the basics,
Buy the stuff, of course that makes life comfortable. Keep

(37:36):
the laundry detergent coming and the apples and the basics,
and it's all good. Take a deep breath and think
about maybe if you are going to take some money
out of the bank, start putting a couple of bills
each week, maybe towards the upcoming holidays. Put it in
an envelope, put it in a separate little account if
you want to. Personally, I'd say keep it easy, put
it in an envelope and let it just sit there,
you know, desk drawer or whatever else. Put a couple

(37:59):
of bucks away each week for the month of October
and let it be your cushion to kind of keep
things easier come the upcoming holidays. All right, If you do,
say one hundred bucks a week in an envelope for
October and November. By the time December rolls around, you've
got yourself a Christmas or a Hanuka. You could pay
a lot of it with cash. And that is a beautiful,
amazing feeling. You guys know what you're doing. You know

(38:21):
how to make money, you know how to work hard.
I want you to save as much of it as
you can. You deserve that feeling of you know, fabulous
financial goodness. He can't put a price tag on that.
And until next week, save those pennies, pay with cash,
and you all stay frugal.

Speaker 6 (38:35):
Out there is small and not.

Speaker 2 (38:46):
To the best of all.

Speaker 4 (38:52):
Circumstances.

Speaker 2 (38:55):
My hand