Welcome to episode #99 of the Debt Free Dad podcast. Is the 'broke person mentality' keeping you stuck? It very well could be, especially when it comes to determining the difference between an investment and an expense. Today we are going to discuss the major difference between expenses and investments, and why it's critical for you to understand this as well.
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Transcription
Brad Nelson 0:00
Hey everybody, welcome to episode number 99 of the Debt Free Dad Podcast. So let me ask is the broke person mentality keeping you stuck? Now it very well could be, especially when it comes to determining the difference between, say, an investment and an expense. Now today we're going to be discussing the major differences between expenses and investments and not probably where you're thinking of investments, initially stock market, things like that. Yes, those are investments too. But we're going to dive even a little bit deeper into this and why it's critical for you to understand this as well, especially as you're looking to improve your personal finances. Stay tuned.
Announcer 0:41
Welcome to the Debt Free Dad Podcast, where we're helping normal everyday people learn how to save money, and kick debt, so they can live a happier and stress free life. Now, here's your host, Debt Free Dad, Brad Nelson.
Brad Nelson 1:01
Hey, how's everyone doing today, you can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram, just search Brad Nelson Debt Free Dad, and welcome to today's show. And of course, we'd love to connect with you on some of those social platforms. And it's been great to be able to see a lot of the great celebrations that we've been getting a lot of those, you know, social platforms like Instagram and our live without payments Facebook group, so those guys that are working hard, keep it up. And guys, I'm really excited. It's, it's it's sweater weather. And today's episode is sponsored by my $6 brand new sweater I got a big deal on this back in the spring, I'm really excited to finally busted out. I was excited. This was a good find. You know, when you go to the store, you're like looking in the deal section. And usually it's like, it's like the extra small or the smallest right. Like I'm definitely not an extra smaller, small kind of guy. So it's like usually I have a hard time finding but this one, I was like, jackpot. $6 Sweater like, yeah, I felt good that day. It today, I get to bust it out. So I'm excited.
But today, guys, we're talking about expenses and investments. And as I was telling Ryan and Amber, you know, what kind of got me on this subject is we recently just did our live without payments fall workshop back in mid October. And we do our live without payments workshops about every three months or so. And this is just an opportunity to really bring in a large group of people bring them through our workshop, we really condense a lot of the stuff that we talked about on this podcast in this workshop. And the feedback we get from this workshop is amazing. In fact, we actually had someone join Roots, who actually became debt free just by going through that workshop. And they ultimately decided to join Roots, because they still had some other financial things that they wanted to achieve. And they knew having accountability and support was only going to help encourage them to actually continue and get that done faster, because they were having a hard time really kind of committing to their goals.
So they figured, hey, let me get the help of Brad and this amazing group. And so they decide to join. But that's proof like we've had people like become debt free, just from attending a free workshop. That's how valuable the workshop is. But, you know, we also open up or it's personal finance. Roots is a closed membership, we only open up four times a year. And we do that because obviously we want to bring in a large group of people all at one time, there's camaraderie, there's support, there's excitement. And it's always good to start something out with other people as opposed to like, kind of tiptoeing into something where you're kind of brand new, and you're the only one, you don't really get that experience here. So it's awesome to be able to bring in a large group of people, and bring them through this amazing program that we've created.
But we also get some people who are on the fence. And that's to be expected, you know, I get, you know, for a lot of people, financial education, a support accountability group to get out of debt. Like, that's a thing, like, I mean people by that, like, that seems like weird to me, like, you know, and it did to me at first to like, when I especially when I first created this program, and Brian, I remember early on when I started talking about this idea, you're kind of like, I don't know if that's gonna work, right. Like so many people said, I just I just don't see the how that could work. And, you know, it's a hard concept to understand, especially if, you know, you want to get out of debt. But you know, when when you have other problems in your life, like for instance, you need new tires, or you need an oil change, or you've got an electrical issue in your house or or, you know, like Amber, you guys had an electrical issue in your house, like
you know, you call a professional to come in and help you fix a lot of those issues. Well, your finances ultimately are no different. But for some reason, there's this stigma out there that you got to suffer like you got to sit in your own crappy diaper and figure it out yourself because it you know, no one's gonna come help you figure it out. Well, that doesn't have to be like that anymore. And that's why we created this program whose personal finance but that's kind of the backstory, but we have people who are on the fence, right? And one of the more common excuse about those people who are really leaning towards joining is, you know, I can't join Roots because I can't afford it, or the one that really kind of, I'll say, it just irritates me. And I take ownership of this because I feel like we have to do a better job of sharing how Roots is just not another expense.
But people will say Roots is just another expense that I just can't afford to add on right now. And that's what kind of brought up this whole episode. And especially for a lot of people out there who are listening to this. And I'm using Roots our program as an example. There's so many other examples, and we'll talk about some of those here in today's show. But it brought up this whole idea of man when when I was going through and living paycheck to paycheck, and I was struggling with my finances. I put myself in their position, guys, and I would have said probably the same thing. I would have said, why? Well, first, why would I do that. But I also don't have any money to really spend on another expense right now. And that was long before I valued self development, and education and really learning new ways to handle anything that was really going on in my life. And I didn't look at things that way. So it was easy for me to say, it's just something I can't afford, or it was an expense that I can't afford. Now, Amber, you joined Roots, and I want you to share a little bit. You joined our very first session back in 2016. You were in the inaugural group that came through. And
Amber Taylor 6:36
And Brad had no idea what he was doing.
Brad Nelson 6:40
We were throwing spaghetti against the wall.
Amber Taylor 6:44
We did things so different then.
Brad Nelson 6:45
Oh, we did. We did well, when you're new, you're like, you know, you're trying a lot of things out. But But you did join Roots and talk a little bit about what it's done for you and what it's meant for you since you've joined. I mean, because that's what five, five over five years ago now. How much has changed just from the little amount that you put into this program as far as from a financial standpoint. But how much has changed your life since then,
Amber Taylor 7:08
for us? It was we were we decided to join, we're like, are we sure we want to spend money with this guy? To help us get out of debt? Like, I don't know. We just did kind of out of faith that something would happen. It wasn't a huge investment. It just it but it was it was big enough when you're living paycheck to paycheck. And you're thinking, Oh, I don't know. But it paid off over and over. Because I mean, we paid off over $46,000 in debt, we save way more than that. And since then we're like, we bought a new house, we bought our first house, and we helped our daughter through college and bought her a car and just did all these other things. But we never would have done that before we invested a little bit of money to educate ourselves. And just to give us that accountability, right to actually go through and do what we needed to do.
Brad Nelson 8:07
That's that's what I want to kind of point out like. I didn't go back and actually look at it, because I can go back and look at your old account what you actually invested to join. But let's just say and I don't even think you invested this because right after that session, you joined our team, and you pretty much you got roots for free after that you it was hard, it was part of your your plan of joining the company. But let's just say Amber's invested $500 into roots, okay. And it was probably even lower than that if I'm not paying her way low. But even if it was $500, that's $46,000 paid off in 20 months, that's 92 times her money back, that she invested in this program. That is the point of today's show, is that you're paying interest and you're no longer paying, you're no longer and I'm not even figuring that, like you're no longer paying interest. You're you're not making those same choices that were keeping you stuck long before you've changed your whole entire mindset about money. You're you're now investing heavily into retirement, right?
Amber Taylor 9:10
We actually invested into a whole other course about investing,
Brad Nelson 9:15
You're not even counting the compound interest that you're now going to earn because of the actions that you're taking the different choices that you're making today, five years later, versus five years ago when you first started. That is the return on investment. That is what most people don't think about who are living paycheck to paycheck and are living crisis to crisis, living day in and day out. They are so set on just surviving for the next day or a couple of days or even maybe the next few weeks, that they're not even focused on man. If I was able to put some money together and invest in this program, the amazing turnaround that could happen in my life. And that is really the point. And I really want to hit on in today's show. And because it's more than just Roots, it's anything that you invest in, I think More people who are living paycheck to paycheck need to focus on this stuff more often. And if they did, the paycheck to paycheck life would soon be over, because it changed my entire life by investing in programs like Roots by investing in self development, by investing in things that were going to help me improve my finances. So first, understanding the differences between expenses and investments, the first thing I want to point out is an expense drains your resources. So your resources like your money, and your resources like your time. So let's talk about some common ones that most of us spend money on. And especially if you're living paycheck to paycheck, going out to eat by far. And guys, we've worked with 1000s of people, we've surveyed a ton of them. By far the number one area that most people admit to overspending the most on is going out to eat.
Unknown Speaker 10:49
I probably paid for, for Roots in a month. By avoiding going out to eat it is
Brad Nelson 10:56
the average the Fed, the Federal survey that they came up with years ago, which I think is low was $250 is the national average for going out to eat every single month Roots is $269 for the entire year. Like if you just cut it out for just a month, right, you could join the program easily for most people, not everybody because we can't put everyone into the same bucket. But that is an example going out to eat. Your car and your car payment are an expense, your car goes down in value, it's a depreciating asset, the gas that you have to pay for the insurance, the upkeep, the oil changes the repairs, that is a major expense. And for most people, their average car payment is well over $500 a month. You think about this subscription services, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, right all of these types of subscription services, Sirius XM Radio, right? Consumer Products, just like the normal things that you just buy clothes, and soap and laundry and I get some of these things are like daily necessity type stuff. But these are all types of expenses. Amber, you mentioned, the interest that you saved on your debt, like debt is an expense. Most people forget that, like when you buy that car, or you take out a credit card and you swipe, you're buying two products there, you're buying the product and you're buying the debt because you got to pay interest on that debt. If you're not paying it off every month, you're actually doing two things, right. And when it comes to an investment, it's a whole different thing, right? Now an investment is going to bring a return on your resources. So like, for instance, Amber just said, she paid off $46,000 in 20 months, that's 92 times back her money, if she spent $500 on the program. And you think about the time that she has saved as well. No longer worried about money, doesn't stress about finances any longer. She has a plan. Think about all of the things she just said she invested in another program to help her with investing. Think about all of the freed up mental energy, she has now to focus on other things. So it's not just your money, you get a return on, get your time back because you earn opportunity to be able to make different choices, because you have control of your finances. But other things are obviously investing, you know, investing your money, compound interest, right? And then investing your time and learning a new skill. So new skills like if, for instance, if you're working new skills allow you to make more money and improve Like for instance, I'll use myself as an example. 10 years ago, I never had any plans of ever sitting on a podcast talking about finances, like what if you would have told me 10 years ago, I would have been like, You're freaking crazy, right?
Amber Taylor 13:39
Were podcasts and existence, then?
Brad Nelson 13:41
Yeah, I think they were they were just they were just very new, right. But you know, everything that I've done since 10 years ago, has all been focused on self development, you know, learning how to do this stuff, learning how to do it for my own for myself, learning how to do it with my family, learning how to help my wife do it, and then slowly helping other people do it. And then taking all the classes and the courses and the training and the leadership training and all of the stuff that I've done over the last 10 years, I've created an entire new career that now supports my family. That is the power of putting money into and your time into self development and things that are going to help you improve your life. Improve your finances, improve your relationships, improve yourself in your career, right. And so that is the difference. Like you've got to start differentiating in your finances is the most of my money, if not all of my money going towards expenses, which means you're not getting any return on or are you also allocating some of those funds to invest in yourself development to invest in improving your finances to invest in improving your career? Like those are the things that you really need to start thinking about? Because if you don't and it's always going to be an expense expense expense expense. like have fun being broke. Seriously, I know that sounds harsh, but that is the truth. So I don't know. What do you guys feel about that? Sorry, I had to get that rant off my chest. I think it's been brewing for like two weeks guys.
Ryan Nelson 14:59
I think you know, from a, you know, from an expense and investment standpoint, I think you got to be ready for that investment. You know what I mean? So I think I think there is a is a line where an investment can become an expense. And I'll give you an example of I'm going to go to college. And so you go to college, and you spend a couple years in college, and you spend all the expensive college, but then you just start like, oh, I don't want to do this anymore. So that investment that you spent, yeah, I mean, I want to say, I'm not a big fan of like, knowledge is invaluable. I'm like, Yeah, I mean, to me, knowledge has a value, if you get knowledge, and then you don't do anything with it, then it becomes that expense. You know, same thing, like, you can go ask my wife, this, you know, I'm gonna learn how to play guitar. So I buy the guitar, I buy the amp, I buy music lessons. And then I watch the guitar sit in the corner, and it never gets used. It's an investment. If I use it and do it, it's been an expense, if I just buy it, and it sits, and I have no intention of doing it. And I think, you know, kind of, with the program and finances, especially, I think it really touches on this stigma. You know, I went debt free. I didn't, I wasn't part of Roots, it took me eight years to get out of debt. And I think there was a lot of shame, a lot of like, but also to some degree. And I think, you know, what we teach isn't some revolutionary 30 day money back guarantee to get out of debt. It's, I think most people understand the basics of what you need to do. Yeah, to not be in the situation you're in. And so I think there's this feeling of why do I need to pay someone, I already know how to do it, I just don't do it. And I feel like that's why it took us eight years to do it. Because we didn't have that support. It was just us on our own, not wanting anybody to know. And we didn't surround ourselves with the right people. And so what maybe would have taken only two or three years just prolonged it and prolonged it because we weren't surrounding ourselves with those right people. So I just think that's just for me, like from that investment and expense standpoint. I just think like, if you're on the fence about it, you be committed to doing it. But I do think like, surrounding yourself with the right people is going to pay dividends like if you're just like, I just know, I know how to do it. Well, then why aren't you doing it? And typically, you're not doing it because you're just by yourself, if you get around people who are doing it that can help motivate you to to get going.
Amber Taylor 17:23
Oh, the accountability alone made it all worth it.
Brad Nelson 17:25
Yeah. And that's, I was just gonna ask you, Amber, because you went through it. So and you're right, Ryan, I think most people understand the idea behind I know how to get it, you pay off debt. Like you guys say, I gotta say, my I should probably have a better plan. Most people totally, uh, yeah, I mean, most people understand those basic concepts. Where most people fail is the commitment to actually doing what they know they should do. And there is actual studies, and we've actually mentioned on this podcast several times, like, if you have an accountability appointment with an individual, you increase your chances of reaching your goal by 95%. versus say, doing it on your own, which is half of that about 50%, you have a chance of achieving your goal. So accountability and and a process. So Amber, I was going to talk to you because you've gone through it. So you probably knew some of the stuff that you had to do with your finances.
I had a banker, sit me down and show me the snowball. Like he taught me, he sat me down. He goes, I can't give you a loan, but I could show you how to pay off your debt. And I was like, okay, and he showed me exactly gave me a spreadsheet. I had it all. Did I do anything with it? Nope. I had good intentions. But we did nothing with it. So when we joined Roots, that accountability just made it so much different. Because we were focused on doing the each step each week and then hopping on to a live meeting to kind of just keep that accountability and in that structure going, and it just it made all the difference because we but we were ready. Like Ryan said we were ready to do it. Right? It does that does make a difference to right.
And I think we're accountability plays a role in all of this. And that's what you're technically investing in. When you join a program like this or any sort of program, whether it's your finances or not, because here's the deal. So many people are great at starting think I was just in some training. I'm taking a leadership course right now. It's been going on all year. It's awesome. And today, one of the lessons was consistency. And it was so good. And the the leader of this course was saying think about a marathon. How many people start how many people are really good at starting that marathon. The starting line is packed like It's packed full of people, but how many people actually finish. And that's the difference. So many people are great at starting something. So many people are great at getting themselves motivated and hyped up, maybe to take that first step. But what most people don't have the consistency and the backbone in is when those feelings are gone to do the work anyways. And that's what most people are missing. And that is what this program provides. And that's what I think from a broke person mentality. When we talk about a broke person mentality, that is the investment that most of them are blind to, because all they're seeing is the dollar figure up front the investment costs to get into the program. They're not seeing that long term like, Okay, if I join this, this is gonna help me break through a lot of some of the roadblocks and the challenges that have prevented me from getting the results that I've wanted to see. But they are so fogged by just kind of the current financial stress that they're dealing with. It's impossible for them to even foresee what the future even even comprehend, that there could even be a different future. Because all they have proof of is how they've been doing it and how they've been doing it is wrong. And that's why it's hard, I think, for some people to see, like, is it really possible for me to do this a different way? Like, I don't get what this is gonna be able to do differently for me than how I'm doing it now. So I think Ryan, kind of piggybacking on what you're saying, I think that plays a big role, too. In this, I think it's not, you know, I think the front is I can't afford it, or it's just another expense. I think there are underlying excuses. There's no question.
Ryan Nelson 21:00
And I mean, we, you we use them. I mean, I mean, I will tell anybody, you can get out of debt on your own. I wish we wouldn't have done it on our own. I really do. And I think going back, it's a decision, I wish we could kind of go back and say, Hey, let's let's get into this program. Let's get around other people. Because that that really, I think, is just a big huge motivator.
Brad Nelson 21:21
Yeah. And again, I mean, I want to just be transparent. I mean, we're obviously talking about Roots, because that's what we do here. This is what we help people with. But this goes with just about anything. So. So let's dive a little bit into this broke person mentality. Because here is what happens. I think a lot of people, we kind of mentioned this, a lot of people were living paycheck to paycheck dealing with stress, and I say broke people, I used to be one of them, too. So we're not trying to be offensive or offend you when we say that. We've all walked that walk, right. And we're just trying to teach you and share with you what helped us change that. But when I was broke, I came up with every excuse, to not do what I knew what I needed to do. Every time I had the opportunity to change my ways, I would come up with an excuse on why I couldn't do it. I also wasn't willing to make the sacrifices for the expenses in order to start making actual investments. So like, for instance, I prioritized my cable and satellite TV over investing into a self development course like roots personal finance. All day I would. How the heck am I gonna watch sports like, well, I want to miss my favorite shows, right? I was willing to lose out on potential gains in my life. For television, think about that. For television, I was willing, we just talked about this one going out to eat, I prioritize going out to eat going out to the bars with my friends, versus self development, education, helping me improve my life, and led me to being more broke and stuck. And ultimately losing my house. Not a good thing, right? Think about multiple subscription services, and on and on. So like when you guys are looking through your budgets I want you to look at where's all of our money going? Is it going to anything that is a true investment. Now that could be investing in like retirement. But it also needs to be investing and things like that are going to help me improve my life, improve my finances, because those are going to be where the huge dividends are like, I just we just said Amber's numbers 92 times back your money. I don't know of any other place, that you can get a return on investment on $500. That's gonna give you a $46,000 swing in less than 20 months, I've never heard of anything. So you look at self development and how valuable that can be, and in turning your life around. That's why I get on kind of my soapbox to talk about this. Because this is the thing. This is the investments that we've began to make in our life over the last 10 years that have ultimately helped us change our entire lives. And what we do today, what we do for a living and how we live our lives, it's it's completely transformed everything. Alright. The other thing too is most people are living paycheck to paycheck and and have this broke person mentality aren't willing to invest any time. And check this out. According to AC Nielsen Company, the average American watches more than four hours of television each day on 28 hours per week, two months of nonstop TV watching per year and 65 years of life, the average person will have spent nine entire years watching television. Oh my gosh, that is Friday, right? And I watch my share of television too. So I'm on there, alright. According to stat Tiesto, social media use in the US was about two hours in three minutes per day. So when people say like they don't have the time,
I say BS like you have got the time it all really kind of comes down to priorities. It really really does. You've got to carve out time in your day you got to very much like we talked about in Roots. Like if you want something bad enough, you've got to start saying no to things and saying yes to the right things. And it's all about budgeting your time and a lot too many people are spending a bunch of time on a bunch of crap. That's not doing anything for them. All right now the wealthy person mentality. This is the only difference, right? And it's big, they're willing to go against what the majority of people are doing. They're willing to not watch TV all the time. They're willing to spend money and invest money into self development. They're willing to feel some pain. This is a big one, they're willing to feel short term and long term sacrifices in order to win long term. And I made really big sacrifices early on. And this is what really helped me I got rid of my brand new car when I was getting out of debt. I traded it in for a 1996 Toyota Corolla that I paid cash for. It sucked. It was painful, but I still and look at that. And I say that was a turning point. In my entire life. When I finally started, stay standing up for myself standing up for my finances, say, I'm not going to do this any longer. No matter how much people made fun of me, that crappy car. I was willing to go there. I was willing to go there to make those changes, things like TV, impulsive, shopping, you know, and fleeting purchases that just meant nothing to me. Like I was willing to get rid of a lot of that stuff in order to start winning. And and those are the sacrifices that are needed to be made. You need to start thinking about what expenses even if they make life easier, can we sacrifice in order started investing in things that are going to help us turn our lives around. And when you start doing that? Amazing things are going to begin happening for you.
Hey, if you love planners, this is for you. But you know why planners frustrate me though, because they only get it half right? Now sure they're really fancy at helping you manage your time, which is really important, but where they get it wrong is money. Most planners don't include any financial planning things like keeping track of paydays, bills and due date spending yearly expenses, budgets, Cash Flow Planning, debt elimination plans, goal planning, and that's a real pain. Then you got to go and create your own and who's got time for all of that. So instead what happens nothing. We ignore our finances even more and Things only get worse. Well that all ends right now. Today I am so excited to announce the release of our brand new totally awesome debt freedom planner. Now before you say Brad, I've already got a planner. Well this is not your ordinary day planner. This debt freedom planner is a companion tool that works with your day planner to help you save more money, pay off more debt and melt away financial stress. This is literally the tool that we've all been waiting for that works with your planner to help you take control of your money. So head on over to the real debt free dad.com Click on the debt freedom planner in the menu to get all the details order your very own debt freedom planner today.
All right. All right. That's all it means. It's time for the celebrations of the show. And guys, I am totally regretting wearing a sweater because after that huge soapbox I just got off of I am sweaty. Seriously, guys, seriously, guys, just tough love for you on this show. And you really got to think about this. We're not I'm not trying to come at you as angry. But when I see those types of excuses, knowing that's what's keeping people stuck. It's it's extremely frustrating. And we're just trying to move you past that. So really consider everything we talked about on the show when you're looking at those budgets and ask yourself, do we have only expenses or are we really investing in our lives in our financial life?
So we're gonna kick it off with our celebrations with Laurie Lynch. Laurie says I'm getting back on track I have $600 Back in my emergency fund and have the house payments caught back up after the hospital stay. Congratulations to you, Laurie, great job.
Amber Taylor 28:37
Cindy Burman, major mind shift towards budget, something I haven't had before and understanding finally, baby steps, but steps forward.
Brad Nelson 28:48
That is amazing. Congratulations to you, Cindy. Great.
Ryan Nelson 28:50
Kim Stocker. I have gone through my October budget to see where I could improve for November and I've done my November budget. I've added a couple of envelopes to my envelope budget. And I've paid off two small credit cards today for $120
Brad Nelson 29:02
Awesome that is great knocking out two credit cards. Congratulations to you, Amelia Welch. I've been drinking coffee at home again. Fantastic.
Amber Taylor 29:15
Heather Vinson, instead of making my $149 payment I made $300.
Ryan Nelson 29:19
Terry Klausner, we are chaperoning a trip to New York in March and we paid cash for the first deposit no credit card used. Also the target card has been paid off.
Brad Nelson 29:29
Heck yeah. Terry, huge congratulations to you paying cash for a trip and one credit card down. Those are some great wins so huge congratulations to you guys who are working so hard at reaching financial freedom and
Thanks for hanging out with us here today. We love your feedback and it also helps us grow our podcast so please leave us an honest review. We read every single one of those and as you guys know the debt free dad podcast is here to help you live a happier and stress free financial life. So if you know someone who could benefit from the show, please give us a share. We appreciate you. And we will see you guys on an upcoming episode. Take care
Announcer 30:05
Thanks for listening to the debt free dad podcast. For more free resources to kick debt and financial stress. Head over to the real debt free dad.com
On the show, Brad shares tips and tricks that have helped him, and thousands of others save and pay off millions of dollars. By listening, you'll gain the confidence and motivation you need to kick debt and financial stress for good!
Money and personal finance are one of the leading causes of stress among adults, but it doesn't have to be that way. By mastering the basics, you can completely change your entire life. Welcome to the Debt Free Dad Podcast! We're glad you're here!
Brad, and his wife, Sarah, run two at-home businesses where they spend the majority of the time with their kids. Entrepreneurship and living debt-free has provided them with the freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere, and the ability to spend more time on the things they love most!