394. The Real Reason You're Still Stuck Financially

Learn more about Roots here: https://www.debtfreedad.com/rootsmain

You're working hard. You're making money. You're trying to do all the right things.

So why does it still feel like you're not getting ahead?

In this episode, Brad shares why the problem isn't a lack of information, discipline, or effort. Most people already know what they should be doing with their money. The real challenge is creating systems, habits, and accountability that help you stay consistent when life gets busy.

If you've ever felt stuck financially despite your best intentions, this episode is for you.

Transcript

Why Hard Work Still Feels Behind

Brad Nelson 0:00

Hey, so if you're working hard, you're making decent money, and you're still wondering why you're not getting ahead. This episode is going to be for you because chances are your problem isn't a lack of effort. The truth is, most people don't need more information. We don't need to learn more stuff. What we really need is support, accountability, and a system that works in real life. So today we're going to be talking about why so many people stay stuck financially and the missing piece that helps people finally break free from their financial stress.

Announcer 0:34

You're listening to the Debt Free Dad podcast with Brad Nelson. Brad and his co-hosts experience the anxiety of living paycheck to paycheck before learning the fundamentals of financial success. They are now on a mission to empower regular people to pay off their debt for good and enjoy happier, less stressful lives. Keep listening for inspirational interviews, tips, tricks, and practical advice to gain financial freedom.

Motivation Fades When Life Hits

Brad Nelson 1:01

Hey guys, welcome to today's show. My name is Brad Nelson. I'm the founder of Defree Dad. I paid off about $45,000 of debt. Thankfully, I've been debt-free now for more than 13 years. I've also been fortunate to help thousands of other people save and pay off tens of millions of dollars with the work that we do here at Defree Dad. Now, after listening to this episode, if you are someone who's ready to take things to the next level, you want to break free from living paycheck to paycheck, you want to reduce financial stress, you want to finally build your savings and finally pay off the debt for good, but maybe you're not quite sure where to get started. Heck, that's probably why you were attracted to this podcast. Well, we've created some incredible free resources. And especially today on this episode, I've got one excellent resource for you that I'm going to share on how you can get started with that later on in today's episode. So, guys, let's start with a question. How many times have you said to yourself, this is the month and I'm finally going to get serious about my money? Maybe you downloaded a budgeting app. Maybe you uh read a book, maybe you listened to a podcast. Hopefully, this podcast maybe got you motivated. Maybe you watch some of the workshop videos that we have at defreedad.com. Maybe you've downloaded some of the trackers and tools that we offer for free there. And you promise yourself this time is going to be different. And for a little while, it might be, right? You get started because everyone's great at starting. We're all motivated, you're focused, you're excited, but then life happens, right? Work gets busy, the car needed repairs unexpectedly, the kids needed something unexpectedly, you got stressed, you overspent, and slowly you drifted back into old habits. Now, if that sounds familiar, I want you to hear this. You are not the problem. You don't lack discipline, you don't lack intelligence, and you certainly don't lack information. The problem is that information alone doesn't create any results or any sort of transformation. And if you think about it for a second, most people already know what they should be doing, especially when it comes to their finances. I mean, we all know we should spend less than we make. We all know that, man, having an emergency fund or having some sort of savings would be a good idea, right? Many of us know we should be paying off our debt rather than accumulating more of it. A lot of us know we should not be tempted or buying into those impulse purchases. A lot of us know we should plan ahead. We've known these things for years. It's common sense stuff, right? So if information was enough, we'd be financially free. We would be really good at managing our finances, but we're not. Because knowledge isn't the problem. It's all about implementation, right? Implementation is the problem. Consistency is the problem. Support is the problem. The truth is, living paycheck to paycheck, it's exhausting. It's stressful. Watching your income disappear before the month even begins, it's exhausting. Feeling anxious every time your phone buzzes with a bank notification is exhausting. Avoiding conversations about money, it's exhausting. Wondering how you'll pay for the next emergency while you're still trying to figure out how to pay for the current emergency, it's exhausting. And maybe you've felt some of these things. You feel like you're always behind, you're never gonna get ahead. You feel guilty every time you spend money. Uh, you avoid checking your bank account. You worry about how you're gonna save enough money for your retirement. You worry about how you're gonna provide for your kids, you stress over unexpected expenses, you wonder if you're ever gonna catch up. And maybe the hardest part, you started actually believing that this is just how life is going to be forever. And that money stress is normal, that debt is normal, that living payment to payment is normal. But normal doesn't mean healthy, and normal doesn't mean permanent.

More Income Will Not Fix Habits

Brad Nelson 5:02

Here's one of the biggest misconceptions people have about financial change. They think if I just make more money, everything would be better. I can't tell you how many people have said this. Like, and I lived this live my life too. I always said that get that next bonus, I get the next pay raise, I'm gonna do better, I'm gonna save more money, I'm gonna pay off more debt. Now, don't get me wrong, more income can definitely help, but income alone doesn't solve the behavior problem. We've seen people making six figures living paycheck to paycheck here at Deaf ReDad. I've helped many of them get out of debt. We've seen families with modest incomes, though, build incredible financial lives. Again, income matters, but habits matter way more. Systems matter more, support matters more. Here's another misconception people think they need uh more willpower, and they tell themselves, I just need to be more disciplined, I need to stop messing up, I need to try harder. But relying on willpower is exhausting because willpower disappears when you're stressed, when you're tired, when life gets chaotic. And let's be honest, life is normally pretty chaotic, especially if you've got kids. Real change doesn't come from white knuckling your way through all of your financial problems. It comes from building systems that support you even when the motivation disappears, because I can guarantee you it is going to disappear and it's going to disappear very quickly. Here's another misconception. People think that they have to do this alone. And that asking for help means we're failures, that they should be able to figure it out for themselves. But if you think about any meaningful change you've made in your life, let's pick on getting healthier, learning a new skill, building a business, raising kids. Would you expect yourself to do all of that without any support? Of course not, right? We get support in many areas of our life. So why do we expect that with money? I talked about this recently with my son getting his uh learner's permit and learning to drive. And he's so close to taking that test,

Support Builds Confidence Like Driving

Brad Nelson 7:16

and I'm excited for him too because I'm tired of playing taxi. But I think about him learning to drive when it comes to this misconception. Because the first time he got behind the wheel, uh, he was nervous. He was hesitant, he overthought everything and still does from time to time. He made mistakes, which he still does from time to time, but not nearly as many as he did when he first started. But here's the thing when he first started driving, I didn't hand him the keys and just say, good luck, you're on your own. No, I sat in the passenger seat with him. I showed him what everything did in the vehicle. I coached him through every single intersection. I corrected him when he made those mistakes, and I encouraged him when he got things right. And over time, guess what? His confidence grew. And now he's driving with ease. And not because he suddenly became fearless, but because he had support. And money works exactly the same way, you guys. You don't need someone to judge you. You need someone in the passenger seat, someone to guide you, someone to encourage you, someone to help you stay on track when life gets busy, someone who's actually walked the walk, done the work, and also helped thousands of other people do the same things. Because again, confidence isn't something you wait for. It's something that you build over time. And confidence is only built when you take action and get results. And here's what I've learned after helping people improve their finances for more than a decade now. The people who succeed aren't the smartest people. I'm not the smartest people by the smartest person by any means. We aren't the ones with the highest incomes. We're not the people with the perfect budgets. There is no perfect budget. Uh, we are the people who stayed engaged, who show up, who asked questions, who accepted support and accountability and saying, like, I've got some bad habits and behaviors, I need to change those. We stayed accountable. And most importantly, we didn't quit when things got hard because we had that support and accountability. Because financial freedom isn't built through one big decision, it's built through small actions repeated consistently over time. And consistency becomes easier when you're not doing it alone.

A System For Budgeting And Debt Payoff

Brad Nelson 9:30

And that's exactly why we created Roots of Personal Finance here at Defree Dad. Now, Roots is it isn't just another budgeting app and something that you download and do on your own. It's it's not another spreadsheet and it's not another do-it-yourself course you buy and you never finish. Roots is a complete designed system for your real life. And inside Roots, you're gonna learn how to build a budget that actually works for real life. We're gonna help you create a plan to save money, to build your emergency fund and to show you how you can eliminate your debt very, very quickly. We're gonna teach you how to build new habits that create lasting change in your life. But most importantly, you're gonna get the support, you're gonna get the accountability, you're gonna get that ongoing encouragement, that community, because again, knowing what to do isn't enough. And again, motivation isn't gonna last. You need help doing this consistently. And that's what the majority of people struggle with the most. And for over 10 years, we've helped thousands of people save and pay off tens of millions of dollars with the work that we do here at Deaf Free Dad. We've helped people through going through COVID. We've helped people going through the crazy inflation and rising costs every time we turn around. And we've helped people discover that there is hope even when it feels like it's impossible and you're never gonna get out. So just for a second, I want you to take a minute, even after listening to this podcast, and just imagine where you could be in six months if you decided to do some things different. You could have less stress, you could have less worry, more savings, have less debt, a heck of a lot more confidence in your life, fewer money arguments in your relationships, more peace. Not because you become perfect at this, because none of us are, we're human, but because we finally had the right support. And if you're listening to this thinking, I know I need to make a change, don't ignore that feeling because the truth is nothing changes until something changes. And if you tried to do this alone before, maybe it's time to try something different.

Join Roots Before Doors Close

Brad Nelson 11:38

Now, here's the cool part. As I mentioned, we've got great resources here. Roots is our best one, and it is open right now until this week, Thursday, June 25th, 2026. Now, here's the thing: we only have limited spots available, and again, it will close on Thursday at midnight. And after the doors close, they close until we reopen it again. Now, if you're ready to stop relying on motivation and start building real momentum in your life, and if you've been listening to this podcast, you've heard a lot of our stories from our roots members. Now is your turn. So all you have to do is click the link at the top of the show notes to learn more about Roots. We're going to share some amazing testimonial stories in there who you can hear from real people working real jobs that had real financial struggles that are now on the other side. And uh, I know it's going to motivate you to say, yes, today is the day and I need to do this. Because again, like I said, you don't necessarily need more willpower, you need a better system, and you don't need to do this on your own.

Announcer 12:47

Thanks for listening to the Debt Free Dad podcast. Connect with us on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Just search Debt Free Dad. If you found value in today's episode, please leave us a rating and review. We so appreciate it. For resources, show notes, and links mentioned in today's show, visit debtfreedad.com. Catch you next week.