Covey, Scripture, and Strategy: Redefining Love as Financial Stewardship

Valentine's Day is coming, and every jewelry store and flower shop wants you to think love is measured in carats and petals. But here's the truth: Real love isn't about what you buy on February 14th. It's about what you build over a lifetime.

Stephen Covey nailed it when he defined love as "Choosing only to see that which is good and giving value to others." That's not a feeling. That's a decision. It's tactical. It's intentional. And if you're married, it means you're called to provide something far more valuable than flowers that die in a week.

You're called to protect, provide, and cover your wife financially, physically, and emotionally. That's not toxic masculinity. That's scripture. That's leadership. And that's exactly what financial stewardship tools like Life Insurance and Living Trusts are designed to do.

Love is a Command, Not a Suggestion

Here's what most people miss: In scripture, men are commanded to love their wives. Women are commanded to respect their husbands. The difference matters.

Love, for a man, isn't just affection. It's action. It's covering. It's protection. It's making sure your family is taken care of, whether you're there or not. That's the heart of Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."

Christ didn't just say nice things. He sacrificed. He provided. He covered his people with protection that outlasted his physical presence.

So what does that look like in 2026? It looks like making sure your wife doesn't have to panic if something happens to you. It looks like having a Living Trust so she's not drowning in probate court while grieving. It looks like having Life Insurance that replaces your income so she's not forced to sell the house and move in with relatives.

That's not "just finances." That's tactical love.

Covey's Definition Meets Real-World Strategy

Stephen Covey said love is about giving value to others. Let's break that down in blue-collar terms:

If you're a welder, you give value by creating strong joints that hold structures together. If you're a barber, you give value by making people look sharp and feel confident. If you're an HVAC tech, you give value by keeping families comfortable in their homes.

Financial stewardship is the same thing, just on a longer timeline.

When you set up a Living Trust, you're giving value to your wife by making sure she doesn't have to fight the legal system when you die. When you buy Life Insurance, you're giving value by replacing your income so she can keep living the life you built together. When you work with a financial advisor to create a strategy, you're giving value by making sure your kids don't inherit a financial mess.

This isn't abstract. This is as practical as changing the oil in your truck so it doesn't blow a gasket on the highway. You do it because you care about what happens down the road.

The Three Pillars of Financial Stewardship

Let's get tactical. If you want to show love the way scripture commands, here are the three financial pillars every husband needs to lock down:

1. Life Insurance: The Ultimate "I've Got You"

Life Insurance is the most direct form of financial protection you can give your wife. If you die tomorrow, does she have enough money to:

• Pay off the mortgage?

• Cover the bills for the next 5-10 years?

• Send the kids to college?

• Retire without working until she's 75?

If the answer is "no" or "I don't know," you've got work to do. Life Insurance replaces your income. It's your presence in dollar form. It's saying, "Even if I'm gone, you're covered."

And here's the kicker: It's cheaper than you think. Most guys spend more on their truck payment than they would on a solid term life policy. The question isn't whether you can afford it. The question is whether your wife can afford to live without it.

2. Living Trusts: The Legal Shield

Probate is a nightmare. It's expensive, it's slow, and it's public. When you die without a Living Trust, your wife has to go to court just to access the accounts with her name on them. She has to wait months (sometimes years) while lawyers and judges decide what happens to your stuff.

A Living Trust bypasses all of that. It's a legal structure that transfers your assets directly to your wife without probate. No lawyers. No waiting. No drama.

Think of it like this: A Will is a roadmap that still requires your family to drive through a toll booth (probate court). A Living Trust is a private road that goes straight to the destination.

If you've got a house, a business, or any assets worth protecting, a Living Trust is non-negotiable. It's how you cover your wife legally so she's not fighting the system while she's grieving.

3. Strategic Financial Planning: The Long Game

Life Insurance and Living Trusts handle the "what if something happens" scenarios. But strategic financial planning handles the "what if everything goes right" scenarios.

This is where you work with someone (like me) to:

• Maximize your tax efficiency

• Build wealth that compounds over decades

• Create multiple income streams

• Plan for retirement that doesn't depend on Social Security

• Set up your kids to inherit wealth, not debt

Strategic planning isn't just for rich people. It's for disciplined people. And if you've got the work ethic to show up at 5 AM for a job site or grind through overtime to provide for your family, you've got what it takes to build long-term wealth.

Why Most Guys Skip This (And Why You Shouldn't)

Here's the uncomfortable truth: Most men avoid financial planning for the same reason they avoid the doctor. They don't want to hear bad news.

They don't want to find out they're underinsured. They don't want to face the fact that they've been winging it financially. They don't want to admit they don't have a plan.

But here's the thing: Ignorance isn't protection. It's just delayed failure.

Your wife deserves better than "I'll figure it out later." She deserves a husband who makes the hard decisions now so she doesn't have to make impossible decisions later.

That's what Covey meant by "giving value to others." It's not about grand gestures. It's about doing the unglamorous, unsexy work that protects the people you love.

The Valentine's Day Challenge

This Valentine's Day, skip the overpriced dinner reservation. Instead, sit down with your wife and ask her a simple question:

"If something happened to me tomorrow, would you be financially okay?"

If she hesitates, you've got your answer. And if you want to give her the ultimate gift this year, it's not jewelry. It's peace of mind.

Set up a meeting. Get the Life Insurance sorted. Get the Living Trust in place. Build the strategy that protects your family for the next 30 years, not just the next 30 days.

That's what real love looks like. Not flowers. Not chocolates. Protection, provision, and coverage.

Because when you understand that love is a choice: a decision to give value to the people who matter most: you stop looking for the easy gestures and start building the legacy that lasts.

Ready to Make the Move?

If you're serious about protecting your family and building a financial strategy that actually works, let's talk. Book a consultation through the LAUNCH YOUR STRATEGY tab and let's turn this Valentine's Day into the start of something real.

Because your wife deserves a husband who doesn't just say "I love you." She deserves a husband who shows it every single day.

And that starts with making the call.