🎉 Welcome, Family!
Hello, friends! We’re Johnny and Teresa Bartelle, the voices behind Bartels Money Talk. It’s been a year and a halfsince we launched this podcast on November 21, 2023, and we finally wanted to take a moment to properly introduce ourselves—and thank YOU.
Thank you for subscribing to our podcast, following us on Substack, and sharing our content with friends and family. Your support fuels this mission, and we are truly grateful.
💸 Why We Started This Journey
When we got married, we were 22 years old, full of love—and flat broke.
We were in debt up to our eyeballs, living paycheck to paycheck, and completely financially uneducated. Neither of us even knew what a stock was. In fact, most of the financial conversations we had growing up revolved around what we couldn’t do or afford.
We weren’t taught to invest. We didn’t talk about saving. And we definitely didn’t understand how to build a legacy.
But by God’s grace—and through some divine appointments—we learned.
📚 The Turning Point
Everything changed when some friends introduced us to financial author Suze Orman. That book was the beginning of our financial awakening. Teresa, a natural bookworm, dove headfirst into personal finance literature and hasn’t looked back since.
We began to:
Read
Budget
Save
Invest
Pay off debt
And most importantly—start planning for our future
💬 Why We Share Our Story
We share our journey not to boast, but to bear witness.
✅ We’ve been broke.
✅ We’ve made bad money decisions.
✅ We’ve been afraid to check the bank account.
But we’ve also learned how to overcome, and we believe you can too.
That’s why we created Bartels Money Talk—to help others gain the financial literacy we never had and empower families, couples, and individuals to take control of their money and their future.
🎙️ What You’ll Hear on the Podcast
We’ve hosted financial experts from all over the country who’ve taught us—and our listeners—about topics like:
Real estate investing
ATM ownership
Build-to-rent housing
Budgeting tools
Retirement planning
Christian financial principles
And so much more. Every guest adds value. Every story gives hope. Every episode offers something new to learn.
💬 Real Talk: Our Monterro Truck Mistake
One of our biggest financial lessons came in the 90s. We were young, proud, and broke. And we walked into a car dealership with no money and a maxed-out credit card, determined to buy a shiny new Monterro truck.
Even the car salesman tried to talk us out of it.
But pride said yes—and we paid for it dearly.
👉 Credit card debt
👉 Car payments
👉 Sky-high insurance
👉 Barely affording gas
Looking back, it was foolish. But we made it through. And we want you to make it through too.
💍 Our Heart for Couples & Families
We have a special place in our hearts for:
Engaged couples
Married couples
Couples thinking about marriage
Families trying to build a better future
That’s why we started the Bartels Marriage Cohort, a coaching program focused on financial compatibility and long-term legacy building.
Finances are the #1 cause of divorce—but they don’t have to be.
We want to help you:
Get on the same page about money
Build a realistic budget
Develop a shared financial vision
Eliminate secret debts or hidden stressors
Plan for marriage beyond the wedding day
If you’re interested, visit our website and sign up for a discovery call. Whether you're dating, engaged, or married—we are here to help.
💡 Additional Resources
Teresa is a certified YNAB (You Need a Budget) coach
If budgeting has been a struggle in your marriage or personal life, she can walk you through a spending plan that brings clarity and peace.Check out Teresa’s book on Amazon:
📘 Living Within Your Reality
A quick, practical guide to spending wisely and building financial discipline.
🙌 Legacy Over Lifestyle
It’s not about impressing others.
It’s about leaving a legacy.
So no, we don’t drive Teslas. But we do have:
A healthy emergency fund
Growing retirement accounts
Peace in our finances
A plan for our future
And joy in the journey
🙏 Our Mission
We believe Bartels Money Talk is more than just a podcast—it’s a ministry.
It’s our way of pouring into the next generation, saving marriages, building families, and showing others how to walk in both freedom and financial wisdom.
💛 How You Can Support the Mission
Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform
Share this with a friend who needs financial encouragement
Join our Substack as a free or paid subscriber
Pray that God would use this platform to change lives
Sign up for coaching or our marriage cohort if you need personal help
🎯 Our goal isn’t numbers. It’s impact.
If even one life is changed because of what we’ve shared, our job is done.
🎓 Final Words
“People perish for lack of knowledge.” – Hosea 4:6
We’ve been there.
We’ve come out.
And now, we want to bring you with us.
Thank you for walking with us.
Thank you for supporting us.
And thank you for trusting us with your time, your story, and your next step.
Warm regards,
Johnny and Theresa Bartelle
Founders of Bartelle’s Financial Coaching
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