“Do you have a bank account?” Neiman’s Journey from Participant to mentor

Neiman speaking to his graduating class.

A New Chapter

For Neiman, buying a truck meant more than purchasing a vehicle.

It represented years of discipline, sacrifice, and a growing belief that his future could look different.

Before joining Financial Catalyst, Neiman had a work van but no personal vehicle. His employer let him use the van for personal needs, including getting to church, but he knew one accident could jeopardize his job.

“There’s a sense of consciousness,” he said. “You must be conscious. It creates a lot of anxiety and stress.”

Then Neiman joined Financial Catalyst.

Learning to Steward What He Had

Neiman was already saving money when he entered the initiative. But he quickly realized that saving and stewardship were not the same thing.

“I was saving money, and I didn’t know what I was saving it for,” he said. “I didn’t have any goals. I didn’t have any plan. And I just knew I needed to save money.”

Through Financial Catalyst, Neiman began learning how to intentionally manage what God had entrusted to him. He created a plan, monitored his spending, and confronted habits that had previously gone unchecked.

“I was able to actually sit down, manage my money, watch my finances, and address certain spending habits that I had,” he said.

The process wasn't an overnight transformation. It was a series of intentional decisions that gradually changed how Neiman viewed his money and his future.

A Goal Becomes Something He Can See

By the time Neiman completed Financial Catalyst, he had been saving for approximately two years. He had been disciplined, patient, and intentional.

The initiative's matched savings opportunity helped turn that discipline into something tangible.

“I was able to actually buy something because of the match that I may have been saving another year for,” Neiman said.

That something was a truck. He purchased it outright, and when he pulled into his driveway and saw it, he saw much more than a vehicle.

“For so long, I lived a lifestyle where I didn’t have anything to show for anything,” he said. “When I got off work, I didn’t have anything to show for it.”

Now he did.

“Just knowing that I was able to get this,” he said, “it’s a sense of accomplishment.”

But the truck also became motivation for what could come next.

“It’s motivation to get up every day and go back to work,” Neiman said. “Just knowing that I was able to get this. So, if I just continue to push hard, there’s no telling what God’s going to do for me.”

For Neiman, the truck became a testimony—not simply of what he had purchased, but of what God had helped him accomplish through discipline, sacrifice, and faithfulness.

“It’s because of God,” he said. “There is nothing else that I can say.”

Neiman and his ally, Bill.

When Transformation Becomes a Testimony

Neiman's transformation eventually became visible to the people around him. Family members began asking questions about the changes they saw in his life. Then came a moment he never expected. After seeing what Neiman had accomplished, a family member told him: “I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

The words caught Neiman off guard.

“I almost just started crying,” he said. “Because for so long, I was never able to give them anything. I was never able to be a light.”

Now, he was. His response was simple: “Do you have a bank account?”

For Neiman, transformation starts with small, practical decisions that can eventually become something much bigger.

From Participant to Mentor

Today, Neiman is returning to Financial Catalyst as a volunteer.

He knows he doesn't have everything figured out. In fact, that's part of why he wants to serve.

“I still don’t know everything,” he said. “I still have problems.”

But he sees volunteering as an opportunity to keep growing while helping someone else along the way. For Neiman, it's also a form of discipleship.

“Maybe I can learn how to speak to others,” he said. “Maybe this will help me understand how to listen to others.”

He understands that helping someone isn't always about having the right answer. Sometimes it's about listening long enough to understand.

“Even though I went through the initiative and I may have been successful, it’s really not success until I can identify with somebody else’s problem and help them out of a problem into a solution.”

That perspective has changed the way Neiman thinks about his own success.

“It Works If You Work It”

If Neiman could tell someone beginning Financial Catalyst one thing, it would be simple: trust the process.

He remembers hearing the phrase before: “Trust the process.” He also remembers another familiar phrase: “It works if you work it.”

He believes the same is true of Financial Catalyst.

“If you work the program, it will work for you,” he said.

He encourages stewards to give themselves fully to the 15-month journey—not simply to check boxes, but to allow the process to change how they think, live, and plan for the future.

“You will be surprised where you will be and who you will become at the end of those 15 months,” he said. “It’s a form of transformation.”

It’s not complete transformation, and it’s not an overnight fix. But it’s a beginning.

Neiman and his truck!

Still Becoming

Neiman's journey isn't finished.

His goals have grown beyond a vehicle. He is thinking about homeownership, building wealth, and learning how to make his money work for him. He has built his credit, established savings, and developed a clearer understanding of what financial stability means.

He is even saving again alongside the stewards he is mentoring.

While he won't receive the matched savings this time around, he wants the people around him to see what is possible.

If he can do it, they can do it.

And perhaps that's one of the most significant changes in Neiman's story. He once saved money without knowing what he was saving for.

Now he has a vision for where he is going—and a desire to help someone else find their own path forward. Through it all, Neiman gives God the credit.

“It’s God who deserves the credit,” he said. “Everything…came from God.”

His story isn't about reaching a finish line. He still has decisions to make, goals to pursue, and things he doesn't understand.

But the man who once felt like he had little to show for his work now sees the fruit of years of discipline every time he pulls into his driveway.

The steward who once needed someone to walk alongside him is now returning to walk alongside someone else.

Because sometimes transformation doesn't end when you reach your goal.

Sometimes that's when you realize you have something to give.

And for Neiman, it starts with a bank account, but it doesn't end there.