Full Transcript of the episode:
Lisa Arendell [00:00:00]:
Today is a very different podcast from anything I have ever recorded before, and that’s because I’m bringing on an expert to talk about finances with us. As women over 40, this is an area you either have nailed down or maybe you’re like me, And it’s a topic that you’d really rather not talk about. It’s just not your favorite topic. Maybe it is not your strength. That is me. My hand is up. But what if I told you that you could become your own bank? When those words were spoken to me, I didn’t exactly know what it meant, but it stirred something inside of me that got me a little excited and made me want to know more. Today, we are talking with my friend Jilda Green, and she is going to keep it simple. And she’s gonna explain to you something that you are gonna want to hear because it can literally transform your life, get you out of debt way faster, and build wealth for your retirement no matter what your age, buckle up, grab you some coffee because this is a good one, ladies. Alright. Here we go.
Welcome to Lisa Lou Show today. I’ve got a very interesting guest. This is a friend of mine. So let me just introduce you to my sweet friend, and then I’m gonna tell you how we met. So this is Gilda Green. She is a financial fitness entrepreneur in financial fitness. She has more than 18 years of experience working in fixed income sales and trading in New York City. Children retired from Wall Street in 20 16. That was one of the first facts I found out about her, and it just blew my mind. I just think it’s the coolest to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams. She launched her financial freedom business in 2021, inspired by the scripture, Deuteronomy, 156. Gilda helps individuals and businesses across the US eliminate their debt, positioning them to be the lender and not the borrower, while earning guaranteed interest and preserving wealth in a tax favored manner. Gilda, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for being here.
Gilda [00:02:17]:
Thank you for having me, Lisa.
Lisa Arendell [00:02:19]:
You are so welcome. So I just wanna tell our listeners real quick a little bit about how we met. So Gilda and I have been in the same mastermind this past year. She’s actually been in the same mastermind for years. So I came literally to the table almost 1 year ago, and she was the table postess. And she made me feel so welcome, and she just kind of, you know, had all of us at the table telling us all about what to expect and we just had an instant connection. And little did I know she was gonna be one of the speakers speaking at this retreat, this empowering women’s retreat I went to.
And when she got up and she began to speak about finances and how so many times we as women in particular, maybe we maybe you’re listening and you do all the bills in your home. I do not. and how important it is, especially for business women, but even if not, to really have a handle on our financial house, so to speak. And the way she talked and the way she even moved around the stage, I was just really drawn in. She took a topic that to be quite honest with you is one of my least favorite topics in the world, which is keeping up with all your money. and knowing what to do with it, knowing where it’s going, and all the things, because I just wanna play with all the people. I really don’t want the details. That’s just personality, but she made it interesting. And she made me lean in and want to know more. That’s how we met I had her on so that she can help you understand what it means to truly have financial freedom and that you can build wealth and get out of debt in a way that may be new to
So, Gilda, I would just love for you to tell everybody in your words a little bit about why exactly you’re here. What is it that got you to this place of wanting to help women and people in general to get to this place in their finances that gives them so much freedom.
Gilda [00:04:26]:
Well, again, thank you for having me, Lisa. And I remember that day I met you and you were sitting at my table. And I’m just so thrilled that we’re together in this mastermind love you to pieces. So thank you for having me. so I am super passionate about, about women, number 1, and about equipping women around the, you know, the area of finance. And why? Because I think so many women like you, Lisa, you know, kind of put their head in the sand and allow their husband a lot of time to take care of things.
It’s just okay. Listen. You’re in partnership with your husband. you’re gonna split different roles, and some people one person’s gonna be focused on one thing while the other. But I do believe that women should number 1, have a voice, but number 2, have a general, at least, you know, high level understanding of the money that comes in and the money that goes out. And when I speak, I always take the temperature of the room. And the reality is that most of the women in the room when I’m speaking up about these events, about 75% of them, you can see it’s like deer and headlights. And, you know, that makes me sad because women are, you know, the ones that run their household, you know, when it comes to everything from the kids to planning, you know, your everyday life. so it’s only natural that women should also, you know, be in the finances. And, yes, there are those women that pay the bills of the house. They are seeing what’s going on, and that’s awesome. but it’s not the typical role for a woman. So, I came from a place of, you know, finance was my life, my job.
I worked on Wall Street, like you said, for 18 years in sales and trading, and spent a lot of time in the institutional side of finance, but not really on the personal finance side. And, you know, I really believe there’s such a lack of education. I know there is. I have 2 young boys. We don’t teach financial literacy in the schools anymore. So and then we’re expected to kind of run a household, run businesses, do all these things, and You know, personal finance is so important, but moreover, the idea of purse of a financial strategy So what is out there that you might not know about that could help you, you know, stored your money better that could help you pay off debt that could help you build wealth. and, unfortunately, you know, everyday mainstream you know, financial literacy out there does not address those topics.
So I’m passionate about women getting equipped. becoming knowledgeable and being able to make well informed decisions, around their finances and how they manage their finances in partnership with their partner’s husband’s, whoever else might be in their life. But women have to be in the position where they understand what is coming in, what is going out, and if there’s gonna be enough for the future and the retirement you dream of. If you don’t have a plan, you’re kind of throwing things against the wall and hope whatever you’re doing is gonna work. And that’s not a very good plan. So — Yes. — I wanna help women understand, get equipped and make really, really good decisions.
Lisa Arendell [00:07:53]:
I love that, and I love your heart. And thank you for sharing that. You know, before we get into the brass tacks of things, I just really wanted everybody to hear the heart behind everything else they’re about to hear because that that’s the only reason I opened up to you is because I knew you cared, and I you gave me so much confidence that it was okay that I didn’t understand half of the words you started speaking to me, and then you started speaking in a way that I could understand. Like you said, you just kind of read the room.
And so I do wanna let women know if you’re listening right now and you already have that deer in the headlights look on your face. Like, I don’t know what she’s about to talk about, but I’m probably not gonna understand it. And, again, this may be your thing. This may be your vent. It was not mine at all, but what I can tell you is that she has made this a very simple process. So let’s talk about what this is, what it is by just diving into the first question. And, Gilda, that is what is infinite banking?
Gilda [00:08:54]:
So infinite banking is a concept. And it’s the concept of becoming your own bank. Now why would you wanna become your own bank? Well, You know, there’s a reason banks are the most powerful and richest institutions of the world. And that is because they give their money to many jobs. You see, a typical American, just banks that are normal, you know, maybe their regional bank, maybe a big, you know, national bank, you have bank accounts, And, that’s the way you kind of run, you know, your everyday life, and that’s that’s okay.
But what if I told you, Lee, so that you could become your own bank? And what I mean by that is you would have the ability to take in deposits and earn interest on that money, as well as cash flow use that money at the same time. And that’s, what, in essence, is becoming your own bank, and you get to do that in a tax favored manner as well.
Lisa Arendell [00:09:56]:
So that is on a very high level what infinite banking is. It’s just the concept of becoming your own bank. And be and what that does in me if I’m wrong, but it puts you in control of not only the money you have in possession right now, but the next car that you want and how that’s gonna be paid and how fast that’s gonna be paid off.
And if your child’s going to college, and there’s a plan surrounding it instead of giving your money to an institution that really you don’t have much power or control over, it gives you that control. Would that be a good way to put it?
Gilda [00:10:34]:
Correct. And you know what? I’d love to run through a really quick little scenario to, like, help put this in context for your audience. Right. So if you were to walk into a bank today, Lisa, you had $10,000 of your hard earned money that you had worked hard to see and deposit that money, what would that bank pay you?
Lisa Arendell [00:10:54]:
I don’t even know. Not much.
Gilda [00:10:57]:
Well, right now, we’re in a rising interest rate environment, which you would think would be a really good thing if you are putting deposits in a bank but you’re still being paid maybe 1%, probably less than that, on, you know, a savings account. On a checking account, you get 0. You get zipped. Right. So let’s just say you open a traditional savings account, let’s say conservatively, they’re they’re paying you
Lisa Arendell [00:11:20]:
1%.
Gilda [00:11:21]:
Now, Lisa, let’s say you have a brilliant business idea, and then the next day you walk into that same bank and you go in requesting a $10,000 business loan. Now I want you to remember, you already have $10,000 in savings deposited in that bank. Now you’re asking them for a $10,000 big business loan. What do you think they would charge you for that business loan?
Lisa Arendell [00:11:46]:
I’m gonna throw out a number because I have no idea. 10%.
Gilda [00:11:50]:
That’s a pretty good guess. probably, you know, 8, 9, 10% and this interest rate environment because interest rates are going up right now. k. So that’s pretty good. So tell me, Lisa, you’ve deposited
Lisa Arendell [00:12:04]:
$10,000
Gilda [00:12:05]:
into a savings account, they’re paying you 1%. And now they’re going to loan you $10,000 at 10%.
Who’s winning here? Yeah. Not me. Not you. Yeah. And that’s what typical Americans do every single day. They deposit their money into the bank, get paid very, very little interest on it, and yet they have to finance businesses. They have to finance cards. They have to finance credit cards, student loans, everything. And there is an interest rate assigned to all those different types of debts. Mhmm. And so that’s where, you know, you’ve gotta scratch your head and say, why am I doing things this way. Why am I, I always say, giving away your seed?
Why are you giving away your hard earned money? Putting it at a bank earning very little interest on it. And then when you need a loan, you know, to buy a house, to buy a car, to finance your child’s education, send them to college, you’re paying interest rates much, much higher than what you’re earning on your own money sitting in that bank. And so I wanna know that I’ve kind of, you know, given you that picture, you know, I wanna ask your audience the questions. What if you could become a bank? What if you could become a bank, earn the guaranteed interest, and still be able to cash flow your money? and use it when you need it. borrow it from yourself when you need it. and so that’s what infinite banking is.
It’s putting you in the position. to become pink. And that means giving your money multiple jobs, giving your money the job of earning uninterrupted compounded interest. as well as giving your money the job of cash flowing for you when you need that money. And so Infinite banking is the only vehicle of its kind that is able to do that and is able to do that in a tax favored manner.
Lisa Arendell [00:14:06]:
That is an incredible explanation and analogy. My brain thinks of an analogy. So thank you for that. That’s so good. And again, if you’re listening, and if maybe you’re even a little tempted to think, yeah, but I’m x years old, it’s probably too late. Or, you know, I don’t really even understand some of what she’s saying, or I understand it all, but I don’t know that that’s a good idea.
What would you say to the person who’s maybe just a little cautious or a little confused? What advice would you give them just at the onset of even trying to figure out if this is the direction I wanna look into a little bit more?
Gilda [00:14:46]:
I would say if you’re confused, if you’re, if it piques your interest, if you’re like, it’s too good to be true, learn more about it. I mean, take the time to research, to explore. I can recommend an amazing book. There’s a book by mister Nelson Nash, It’s called becoming your own banker. It’s an excellent book. It’s an easy read. It’s not hard. It’s really written for the layperson that really goes into depth and explains the concept. This is the concept that the wealthy have been using for 100 years. It is not new. It has been employed for 100 years, and it works. So if you’re curious, if you’re like, it’s too good to be true, if you’re just confused, I always tell everyone like, just take the time to learn about it.
So then you can make a well informed decision if it’s for you or if it’s not for you. And You know, this is for everyone. This is not just for the Uber wealthy. It used to be something that only the Uber app or Uber at wealthy people really have access to. but it really is a concept that can be comp employed by anyone. And, you know, whether it is you’re in debt, and you find yourself indebted and you don’t know what to do about it, or you just, you know, want a way to be able to conserve your capital, make a nice, you know, a compounded interest rate, and be able to use your money at the tie at the same time, or maybe you’re just someone that’s like like you said, like, I’m I’m way too old.
Maybe you’re in your, you know, sixties and your seventies. You’re like, have I missed the boat on this? Absolutely not. I tell everyone, let’s explore it. and let’s see, you know, before you make a decision. You know, it’s not that you’re never gonna learn anything new by just judging something by its cover. You have to dive deeper. And that’s why I’m so, so very, very passionate about financial literacy and really exploring financial strategies because there might be something that you’re missing that could have an enormous impact on your financial future and the generational wealth you’re able to build and leave behind to future generations. So whether it’s your interest to speak, whether you’re like, I have no idea what she’s talking about. You know, I would just, you know, whether it’s talking to me directly, we can talk about my contact information later, Lisa, buying the book, becoming your own banker, do it. Do it. Spend the time to learn something new and actually be able to make a well informed decision if it’s for
Lisa Arendell [00:17:28]:
Yeah. Great advice. And, you know, that’s exactly what my husband did who he calls you his new BFF.
Gilda [00:17:37]:
Randy is — Randy’s awesome.
Lisa Arendell [00:17:39]:
Randy is smitten with him with some Gilda. Let me just tell you because, you know, we had a plan in place, and it was fine, but he knew it could be better. And so when I told him about Gilda, and with the limited amount of understanding I had said, would you just be interested in hopping on a zoom and hearing more? He said, Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, if it’s anything like what you’re trying to explain to me, and I wasn’t doing a great job, he said, I definitely wanna hear what she has to say and what Gilda has done for us is she has set up a bank. We have our own bank now. We are our own bank as a family. and me as a business. I am my own bank, and that is so exciting. So can you speak to that just a little bit, Gilda, as well? Like, if somebody’s like, yeah, I’ve got a college student or I have a kid that’s about to, you know, graduate high school. Could this be for them too? Could you explain why that is such an amazing idea to really, really set up their future.
Gilda [00:18:38]:
Yeah. So, I would say if you have a child that’s eighteen or older This is something that they should be exploring as well. It just creates a vehicle for them to be able to save, to earn a guaranteed rate of interest, while being able to, you know, save up money to use whether it’s for a future car purchase, whether it’s for college, whether it’s for that future home, purchase they’ll make at some point.
You know, it’s just an amazing vehicle to be able to bank their money in a tax favored manner, earn guaranteed interest, you know, upwards of 5%, which no bank is paying that. Right. And do it in a tax favored manner. So it’s an amazing concept. it’s for everyone, you know, it really is for everyone granted there are things that you need to qualify to be able to to have your own bank, to become your own bank. But, you know, that’s the process we go through. You know, when we study and we look, if this is the concept that’s a good fit, then we go through the, you know, the hoops of setting it up and making sure you’re qualified. So Yeah. It’s a wonderful concept for, I would say, anyone 18 or older. Okay. And, yeah, Okay. — your question?
Lisa Arendell [00:19:59]:
Yeah. Absolutely. And just, you know, as you’re talking, I’m thinking back again to when I was 17, 18, 19, 20, 25. You know, everything was going on a credit card. That was how I lived my life. That’s how I learned to handle and manage money. So, again, no matter how you are, but seriously, if you’ve got, you know, young adults in your life, what an amazing way to teach them, to help them learn how to not just manage their money, but truly secure their future early on without just getting riddled with debt, which is just so typical. I love that. I absolutely love that. Okay. This is an interesting question.
This is actually one that Randy came up with for today, and I love this because I know some people are thinking this. How does creating and putting money into my own private bank differ from investing in stocks or bonds?
Gilda [00:20:59]:
That’s a great question. And I will address it, but I want to hit on a point that you just need. Okay. Visa. Because I think it’s one of the most important topics that most people are ashamed or afraid to talk about, and that is debt. We are the most indebted nation in the world. What you just described as your young adulthood and how you financed your lifestyle is very, very typical, you know, and and through credit cards. And what people don’t understand is debt is what’s really holding them back from having that dream retirement from owning assets from having that investment portfolio because when you’re in debt, the reality is most of your money will go to servicing that debt, to paying the interest on that debt. Yes. And most Americans don’t understand the concept of interest volume.
What is interest volume? It’s all of the interest you’ll pay over the time of having that debt on your books. And so through these infinite banks, we’re able to position people to pay debts much faster. And when they’re paying them to still be able to benefit from having a vehicle to cash flow their money and pay themselves back as they pay the debt down. And so that’s what was really, really interesting to Randy and what really caught his interest. Yeah. Because the reality is all of us are in debt in one way, shape, or form, whether it’s a mortgage Whether it’s student loans, whether it’s credit cards, whether it’s car loans, you name it business debt. And Most people just look at the scheduled payments and they just do what the scheduled payments tell them to do. You pay the minimum balance. You pay the scheduled payment on your mortgage. Very few people overpay. And even if you do overpay, it’s not a very efficient or effective way to do it.
Through the infinite bank, it makes it much more efficient and much more effective in the sense that you can be capturing and compounding interest there while you’re still paying off debts faster. So debt is a very, very important point you made because I believe if we can get more and more Americans to pay off their debts faster than they ever thought possible, you actually put people in a position to be financially free.
If you’re indebted to someone else and this is what the Bible you brought up that Deuteronomy scripture, and that’s what I the foundation of my business is we are called to be the lender and not the borrower. And there’s a reason for that because when we are the borrower, we’re enslaved to that lender. And that’s just the truth. And I’m not against Listen, I am not against using other people’s money and borrowing money. However, you have to have a plan to pay it off as fast as possible. And, because the longer you carry it on your books, the more interest you’re paying to somebody else. Instead of paying it to somebody else, pay it yourself.
Lisa Arendell [00:24:10]:
Right. Right. It’s just such an incredible concept that I know it just took me you’ve been so patient with me. It’s like just trying to wrap my brain around this because I’m fifty years old, and this is not the way I learned to do things. And so, again, if you’re out there and you’re listening and you’re just like, okay, I’m trying to process this. It’s okay. Understand that it’s just It’s not new, as Jilda said, this has been around for 100 years, but it’s not a concept most of us are aware of, and it’s certainly how hardly I don’t know anybody before Jilda who’s actually operated this way.
And so the more if, you know, again, if you’re listening to this and maybe your husband is the one that keeps the books and maybe, you know, you are thinking, I don’t know how to explain this to him, share this podcast with him. Listen to it again with him. Y’all talk this through and process it through because I will be sharing Gilda’s contact information at the end so that you can know how to get a hold of her, but also go grab that book, do some research, dive in, and find out is this the right thing for me.
Gilda [00:25:13]:
Exactly. Exactly. So I wanted to go back to your question. So ask me Randy’s question of the last question you just asked me.
Lisa Arendell [00:25:22]:
Yeah. How does creating and putting money into my own private bank differ from investing in stocks or bonds?
Gilda [00:25:29]:
Okay. Wonderful. So this is not an investment vehicle. So infinite banking is not an investment. So you gotta put those 2 things in different categories. I am a big proponent and believer in diversification. There is the money that you put aside. That’s for emergencies. That’s for you know, that’s the cash you have on hand in case something happens. That’s the cash you have in savings. And then there’s money that you are going to invest and take more risk gone because you need that higher rate of return.
I am not talking about that money. I’m talking about your safety net. I’m talking about the money that you keep in a savings account, the money you keep in an emergency fund. That is what you use for your infinite bank. And so, it is not an investment. So let me just propose another kind of scenario for you so people can understand why this is so powerful. Okay. So most people will, you know, be indebted.
So they’ll have the mortgage, the car loan, maybe some credit card debt, maybe some student loan debt, and then they’ll have an investment portfolio. They’ll have a 401 k and IRA. You know, maybe they’re they’re they’re contributing through their employer, and that’s great. However, I wanna pose the question to you. If you’re indebted, and you have a mortgage and all these things I talked about, and you’re paying a scheduled payment.
How much of that money do you think going to principal versus interest? And I’m just asking you, Lisa. How much money do you think is going to principal versus interest?
Lisa Arendell [00:27:06]:
Okay. I have no idea. I’ll send those people. Don’t.
Gilda [00:27:13]:
I love it, and I wanted to put you in that place because most people don’t. Right. They don’t look at their statement. They just think of the whole nut. Right? Right. Okay. Mortgage is $1000 a month. but they’re not actually looking at the fine detail to see how much of that money is actually being allocated to the interest versus the principal. And if you actually look closely at your statement, I challenge all of you to do it. Depending on where you are in terms of the scheduled payments, if you’re 1 year young, 5 years 10 years in, you’ll probably want to throw up when you see how much money is going to interest.
Wow. So That, with the Randy question, is amazing because if you’re putting money in a 401 K in an IRA, And I know if, you know, you got the company match, it’s pretax dollars. That’s all well and good. However, if you look at what you’re actually, you know, earning on that money, meaning your rate of return on that investment in your 401 K IRA.
I would challenge anybody to find me an IRA in a 401 k that is outperforming, meaning earning more than what you’re paying in interest on your debts. And so what I advise people to do, And I’m not a financial advisor, but what I do myself is, you know, I would rather pay some of those high interest debts off than putting that money into investments. Right. Because if I’m paying more in interest, on my debts than what I’m earning in the stock market or on an investment, it just, you know, just logically that makes no sense I know.
So I wanna position people to be able to take control of their debt situation. pay it off as quickly as possible. And usually through these infinite banking vehicles, we can get, on average, people out of debt in 10 years or less, and that’s including your mortgage. And I know you know that, Lisa, because you guys are in that place. So it’s, you know, it’s a big topic. It doesn’t have to be complicated. However, it involves every area of your financial picture because you know, to create these banks, we need to really understand how you use money, how you need money, and create something that’s personalized to you.
Lisa Arendell [00:29:41]:
Yes. And, you know, one of the things that you said about well, everything you just said, it’s one of the things that he was so excited about. So this question that he had me ask was because he knew so many people in the audience would probably be thinking the same thing because I think it was one of the first things that came up in his mind, and you have explained everything so well to us. And, of course, he got into the books and he has multiple books, actually, at this point. He’s just so intrigued by it but I just can’t reiterate enough.
If you’re listening and you’re a listener of this show, this is the first time I have ever brought on a financial fitness entrepreneur, which I just love that title. We’ve ever really talked about finances before because it is not my strength. all the more reason to have someone on to talk to you about this because as, you know, we for the 40 plus crowd that listens to me, Gilda, what this audience is is the this is a group of women who know that to be a good steward of their body means they need to move their body. To be a good steward of their relationships means they need to invest in their relationships, to be a good steward of how they think and process things through.
They need to be a good steward of their mindset. And why would we forsake the financial aspect? We also need to be good stewards and that doesn’t mean just saving a bunch of money, we can do better than that. And, Jilda, you’ve just explained that so well to us. And I know we’re coming up on our time, but I wanna make sure that everybody knows how they can contact you. Can you just give us the best 1, 2, 3 ways, whatever it is for them to be able to reach out to you?
Gilda [00:31:28]:
Absolutely. So I would say my email for now, my website, and all the things are in the works right now, but I’m not launching until October.
So but you can email me directly at Gilda, and it’s gilda@genfinadvisors.com, and I will gladly get back to you. So the best way to reach me is via email. And if you have questions or if You know, you wanna do a free consultation. I do free consultations. They’re about 15 minutes long.
We can have a quick conversation about what you’re looking for and explore if it’s a good fit for you, and I’m happy to do that. And I can provide if they send me an email, I can provide my Calendly link and they can book a time right there. Happy to do that.
Lisa Arendell [00:32:26]:
Amazing. And we will absolutely have that linked up in the show notes. So if you’re driving right now and you don’t have a pen and paper, No worries. I got to show notes, and I will have her email down there. And I highly, highly encourage you.
There’s really nothing to lose at a bare minimum to research and then consider reaching out to Gilda and have that consultation because the way she looks at what it is, where you are, where you wanna go, and helps you figure out a plan to get where you’re wanting to go, which what we all want is a walk in retirement, how to get debt paid off faster, and how to reach that retirement level at a place you want to be.
It’s really staggering, and it’s quite exciting. Even for those of us who don’t get jazzed about finance, it’s really exciting. So, Gilda, I just can’t thank you enough for coming and loving on my community with your knowledge, with your passion, with your expertise, with your explanation. You are just such a gem, and I’m so grateful for you. Thank you. Is there anything else you wanna say before we go?
Gilda [00:33:31]:
No, Lisa. I’m so grateful for you. Thank you for having me and, and just telling more people and posing this idea. Like I said before, I’m so passionate about it because I want people to know that there’s a better way and that they can jump in and get involved too. And so thank you. Thank you for drawing attention to this important topic and And just thank you for being you. You’re amazing.
Lisa Arendell [00:33:58]:
Oh, I adore you. Well, thank you again, Gilda, and you and I will be in contact because we just are. and those of you listening, please share this with a friend, share it with your husband, share it with your children, share this episode so that it can actually get people really excited.
It’s a topic we don’t think is very sexy, but it actually is when you really understand it. So be sure to share it. Give the episode a 5 star review if you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for being here, Gilda. Thank you again, and I will see you all next time. Bye bye.
