Shay Cook [00:00:00]
There are good people working in these facilities, but they're burnt out. And we're seeing it in the doctors and nurses, right? We're seeing it after COVID. We're seeing, I heard even the veterinarians, when my dog was living, may he rest in peace, Titan, you know, the dog, he died, I think it was 22. Veterinarians, short, tired, just, you're just tired. I think somebody told me recently there's only like 20 or 30 veterinarian schools in the country, the whole country. So, you know, people are struggling across the board. Ever felt those awkward vibes when religion and money come up? You're not alone. Welcome to Yahweh's Money, the podcast where we tackle the crossroads of faith and finance.
Shay Cook [00:00:49]
I'm Shay Cook, an accredited financial counselor and the CEO and founder of Crusaders for Change LLC. Join us on our journey as we discuss topics like tithing, saving, and conquering debt through religious perspectives. Let's get started.
Shay Cook [00:01:13]
First and foremost, all praise, glory, and honor to God. Welcome back to Yahweh's Money, and welcome to episode 100. Look at God. I am so overwhelmed with gratitude for every single one of you who has tuned in, prayed for us, and walked this journey with us. But before we jump into today's topic, I have to take a quick praise break because God has been showing out, y'all.
Shay Cook [00:01:44]
We just came back from the podcasting awards, the Black Podcasting Awards, and y'all raised money. brought home 3— can you see me? 3 awards: Best Christian Podcast, Best Branded Podcast, and Best Finance Podcast. Yay! A huge shout out to our incredible podcast producer and partner success manager, Bethany Hawkins. Bethany, look what God did! And the moment didn't stop there. We just wrapped up an incredible time at the Lifespan Network Conference in Ocean City. Even though it was a little gray, rainy, and windy, we had the opportunity to stand before senior care executives to deliver our presentation, Beyond the Paycheck, and host a powerful panel discussion. The ROI, or ROI, return on investment of Resilience with Gabby and Kara and Bethany as the moderator and myself. Standing in those rooms confirmed what God has put on my heart for this entire upcoming season: senior care.
Shay Cook [00:03:00]
Every single day, millions, millions of direct care workers, CNAs, med techs, and dietary aides step into facilities and homes to care for our elders. Our elderly, our seniors, our family members, our friends, our aunts and uncles. It is sacred, compassionate work. But behind that devoted care lies an unseen burden that we like to call here at Crusaders for Change, the silent tax. Today, I'm diving into the hidden economic strain, wage stagnation, and crushing debt that impact the very people keeping our loved ones safe. And why honoring our caregivers is both a moral obligation and a kingdom mandate. Yes, Lord, he is mandating us to take care of our people. So our main scripture for this episode is 1 Timothy 5:18.
Shay Cook [00:03:59]
For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages. So what does this mean, family? This verse makes it crystal clear. Fair compensation, economic dignity, and financial peace are not just HR perks or corporate strategies. They are foundational kingdom principles. All of us should have fair compensation, economic dignity, and financial peace. Caregivers spend their shifts pouring out their energy, just pouring it out, empathy and health to nourish others. Depriving them of financial stability or ignoring their household stress directly opposes God's mandate that the laborer is worthy of their wages. That part.
Shay Cook [00:04:56]
So hitting episode 100 is such a humbling moment, and it brings me back to Why we created Yahweh's Money at Crusaders for Change. To break financial shame, align our everyday money with kingdom principles, and restore dignity where it's needed most. Today, we're pulling back that curtain on that silence tax I talked about earlier, the compounding financial panic, predatory debt, and housing pressure, especially in this country right now, y'all. Affordable housing is real. It's real. There's not a lot of affordable housing. Weighing down our frontline senior care workers. These men and women are doing holy work, yet so many are quietly drowning in financial stress.
Shay Cook [00:05:42]
And I saw this working with the military for over 20 years in financial readiness and family readiness. You know, they're serving our nation here and abroad, and they too are affected by this silent tax. But we're focusing on senior care here. But I have this experience, y'all. I've been down this road before. I've suffered from it myself. In this episode, I'm sharing the heart and thesis behind Crusaders for Change specialized senior care financial wellness program. We also call it FWP.
Shay Cook [00:06:10]
We're breaking down how targeted financial education, custom tailored spending plans— we got to know what money's coming in and money's coming out— debt reduction strategies, one-on-one financial counseling just don't just change a caregiver's personal life. They reduce facility turnover, boost residential safety and fulfill scripture. Yes, Lord. Now let's get into our rapid-fire reflection.
Rapid Fire Question Jingle [00:06:40]
Take your seat, let the wisdom inherit. Hit the rapid-fire questions, uh, say what's on your spirit. Take your seat, let the wisdom inherit. Hit the rapid-fire
Shay Cook [00:07:09]
So when we talk about silent tax on care workers, what is the single biggest hidden cost they carry that traditional spreadsheets completely miss? Even the apps, if you're using— if you're not using the spreadsheet, you're using the apps, right? What is it missing? A lot of these workers, again, I would say this is for senior care, but beyond that, right, are living with zero cash buffer. When 68 to 98% of your check goes straight to rent or your mortgage, a simple $500 car repair or your refrigerator breaking, the washing machine ain't working, you know, you need some uniforms for your kids at school, whatever it may be, can force a caregiver into a 400% APR payday loan trap. They're going to the payday loans. You know, they're using the high credit cards and interest rates on the credit cards are crazy right now, right? Anywhere from 20, 30-plus percent. That hidden mental burden and survival panic follow them right onto the floor. They coming from the house with all the stress of the finances and relationships and all the things, right? They're bringing it right into the floor, right into the facility. And the spreadsheets completely missed this. So why is financial wellness for senior care staff a spiritual issue of stewardship and not just an economic one? I would say it was both, but because it's about kingdom stewardship and human dignity.
Shay Cook [00:08:34]
1 Timothy, or 1 Timothy 5:18, tells us that the laborer is worthy of their wages. Just shared that earlier, right? God didn't create our caregivers to live under crushing financial shame, enduring They have peace of mind, honors the sacred work they do every single day. And how does eliminating debt stress for a CNA on the floor directly save lives and improve care for the resident in the bed? It really comes down to it. Distraction-free care literally saves lives, right? Distraction-free. I mean, again, talking senior care here, but just imagine. Whatever kind of work you do, retail, childcare, truck, doctor, lawyer, all the things, judge, whatever, Congress, whatever, right? If they even work, right? So, but what if you were bringing that stress into work? You're not going to focus on writing policy or defending a law or taking care of children or taking care of seniors, our elderly. When a CNA isn't worrying About an eviction notice or eviction notice or how to pay off a loan while on a shift, their full cognitive focus returns to the resident. Data shows that eliminating, eliminating that distraction leads directly to a 41% drop in resident safety incidents.
Shay Cook [00:10:02]
That's crazy. 41%. Wow. Let's get into our main discussion. So what exactly is this silent tax that Crusaders for Change talks about in many circles? And I don't know if we coined the term. I don't know if we coined it, but we talk about it a lot and a lot of people ask, don't even know what that means, right? It's the unbudgeted operational leakage happening behind the scenes, manifesting as sudden absenteeism. People are just not showing up. They're absent.
Shay Cook [00:10:34]
They're burnt out, constant turnover. When a caregiver leaves with zero cash cushion, again, a $500 car repair or skyrocketing rent forces them into predatory 400%+ APR payday loans or credit card debt. They aren't leaving their jobs over a 50-cent raise out of disloyalty. They're doing it out of survival. We're trying to survive. You know, I've been there where, you know, you're wanting to meet certain goals or have certain things. You have to get a second job. You have to get a couple side hustles.
Shay Cook [00:11:08]
You have to cut back on some things, right? The senior care providers, they're out here struggling, and it's just a lot. It's a lot. That silent text can really affect a business owner where they own a facility or care provider organization or business. It really affects their bottom line because somebody's absent. Who's going to do the work? You got to hire somebody, maybe temporarily if they're out for a longer period of time, or got to call somebody in. Maybe they got leave, maybe they don't. You got to pay it. You know, people burnt out, they're making mistakes.
Shay Cook [00:11:45]
You know, they might not— they might give the wrong medicine to somebody. They might not even have the energy to clean up after somebody. I mean, a lot of things, right? Or they just leaving. Turnover is real. And there's really a harsh economic reality and hard data out there that shows all of this. According to PHI National Research, over 40% of direct care workers live in or near poverty, and roughly 1 in 8 lack health insurance coverage. Again, this ain't just senior care workers, right? I know people, I'm sure y'all know people, friends, family, coworkers, like, I can't afford no healthcare, I ain't getting no healthcare, it's too expensive. It is.
Shay Cook [00:12:27]
It is too expensive, right? A lot of us struggling right now. If you're listening to this in September, October, November of 2026, you know it is expensive right now. And this whole country is struggling. This economic squeeze drives annual facility turnover rates to 40 to 60% nationwide. Losing just one CNA costs a facility $3,000 to $5,000 in onboarding and agency fills. The current system is burning out of workers and training facilities. Facilities are just like, wow, there's amazing people. I hear the stories, people's like, I heard about this bad, somebody didn't take care of this, or maybe there's some elder abuse.
Shay Cook [00:13:17]
But I believe, and I've been told, and being in these circles for over a year or so, and meeting these people, there are good people working in these facilities. But they're burnt out and we're seeing it in the doctors and nurses, right? We're seeing it after COVID. We're seeing, I heard even the veterinarians, when my dog was living, may he rest in peace, Titan, you know, the dog, he died, I think it was 22. Veterinarians, short, tired, just, you're just tired. I think somebody told me recently there's only like 20 or 30 veterinary schools in the country. The whole country. So, you know, people are struggling across the board. So this season is going to be all about honoring caregivers and requiring us to move past that transactional, just recognition 1.0, like gift cards and annual pins and delivering structural support, right? Hey.
Shay Cook [00:14:19]
A gift card and your pens, we love them. I love a good pen. I have them on my little board right here, the pens I've been collecting for years. I ain't gonna deny a gift card, especially to gas or groceries where a lot of people are struggling with right now. So don't stop doing that, but we also got to enhance that. We need to deliver structural support. Through our Workforce Stress Audit and 90-Day Stability Plan, which we give out for free to people, we showed them how How you— from just within your facility, how your people are stressed out. We audit that and then we give you a 90-day plan that includes deploying confidential one-on-one financial counseling with accredited financial counselors, AFCs.
Shay Cook [00:15:09]
So I'm on one. Shout out to our lead financial counselor, Adriana. She's one. We help caregivers eliminate predatory debt, build emergency savings, and gain real peace of mind. Even if you feel that you got more month than money, there is a way, y'all. Either you might have to cut back, you might have to go get another job or get more education so you can make more, but there is a way to gain this real peace of mind. But it takes work, right? It's not easy. He never said it was easy, but we're here to support those senior care providers and employees in these facilities.
Shay Cook [00:15:49]
Because true faith moves us from reactive charity to proactive justice. We cannot just pray for caregivers while ignoring the systemic traps keeping them in debt. This country is keeping us in so many ways. It's a way of oppression. Oh Lord, that's a whole nother episode. But there is a way around this if we come together as a community, if we really help each other. And that's what Crusaders for Change is. We're out here helping the community through our Community Financial Empowerment Series, whether it's a homeless shelter, rehab, or reentry program, through our financial wellness program with senior care providers and beyond, and facilities, organizations that are really just helping our elderly.
Shay Cook [00:16:42]
Through our— even our Tickle My Money Bone. You know, sometimes you gotta laugh because instead of cry, right? Because you just go to— it's a lot. It's expensive. It's so expensive. I've been telling my team and, and many people in my circle lately, even me, somebody I feel like I am a personal financial expert, but I'm struggling with these gas and grocery prices. I'm not able to save and invest like I used to. It's not easy. And I make decent money.
Shay Cook [00:17:10]
My husband makes great money. We make great money as a family, but it's hard. I don't care if you're making $40,000 a year, $120,000 a year, $300,000 a year, even $400,000 or $500,000 a year. That is hitting your pocket somewhere, especially if you're used to a certain quality of life. And then now everything's going up and your raise, you're not getting raises or promotions like we used to, right? And, and try as we try as best as we can as business owners, but You know, it's affecting us too. Cost of supplies, everything's so expensive, travel, everything. Literally, I don't think there's anything that's not expensive right now. So when we stabilize a caregiver's household and cognitive distraction drops, like they're not worried about that money because now they know a financial counselor or workshop or resource is gonna help them, clinical safety again rises by 41%.
Shay Cook [00:18:04]
They're not distracted. They're not making mistakes. They're not giving the wrong medicine. They're able to clean the room. They're able to sit with that senior and really care for them the way they need to be cared for without worrying about, oh my God, I gotta go get gas. It's $5, $6. It's so expensive right now. Oh man, my child needs some food.
Shay Cook [00:18:29]
I need to eat. I really don't want to cut down my meals to 1 or 2, but I mean, I might have to. You know, it's expensive. And then that focus returns to where it belongs. Again, caring for our elders. If we can take that away, you know. But again, I know this season's really going to be all about senior care, and I'm sure we're going to have nuggets even if you're just an individual just listening, or in our network and our family. Thank you, community, for your support.
Shay Cook [00:19:01]
Please continue to check us out. We're gonna have some great guests from professionals, hopefully from like Lifespan and beyond, senior executives, CNAs, hopefully some nurses, and just caregivers that are really in any level of the organization. Dietary support, you know, housekeeping, whatever it may be. We're gonna hopefully have all of those in so we can have different perspectives of how You know, this kingdom stewardship and really proactive justice, really helping them, again, getting away from that reactive charity, just really proactively helping them, will really make a difference in not only their personal lives, their family, their legacy, but also in the people they're serving. So senior care workers carry out some of the most sacred work on this planet, but they cannot care for our families well if they're constantly struggling to survive in a financial crisis. By addressing the silent tax through Crusaders for Change financial wellness program, we aren't just teaching budgeting, we're restoring human dignity, fulfilling 1 Timothy 5:18, and building a culture of care anchored in faith, fairness, and true stewardship. So as we wrap up episode 100, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay! Here's your action step for the week. If you lead a senior living community, manage a care team, or know an administrator, share Crusaders for Change financial wellness resources with them today.
Shay Cook [00:20:46]
Visit us at www.c4c.llc or crusaders4change.org. or crusaders4change.com. Yes, we own all the domains. Yes. To see how we're helping facilities stop turnover and protect their care teams. And spiritually, let's all of us pray, pray over the caregivers in your life. You may be a caregiver listening to me today. Somebody knows a caregiver.
Shay Cook [00:21:25]
Or you may be one in the future. Either way, pray for their mental peace, their physical strength, and God's divine provision over their households. Let's be the hands and feet that bring economic relief to those who serve. Thank you for 100 episodes of grace, growth, and kingdom impact. Keep walking in faith. Align your money with God's purpose. Again, align that money, y'all, with God's purpose, and be blessed. Thank you.
Shay Cook [00:22:11]
A big thank you for listening to this episode. We hope you found today's chat about the intersection of religion and money insightful. We would love to hear your feedback. Hit that subscribe button or follow the podcast, and please feel free to leave us a review. For the latest Yahweh's Money content, visit us at crusaders4change.org or find us anywhere you listen to podcasts. Until next time, stay financially fit and spiritually inspired. And remember, it's always better Yahweh's way.
