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What's your business worth? Find out why the answer is important. Join us for an insightful workshop What Your Business Is Worth … And Why It Matters, as Thrivent Business Development Consultant Eric Murphy explains how business valuation can help ensure you’re on track to meet your personal and professional goals. Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 8 am and at 12 pm. Register here: https://connect.thrivent.com/alexander-aldrich/events No products will be sold. For disclosures visit Thrivent.com/social.
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What's your business worth? Find out why the answer is important. Join us for an insightful workshop What Your Business Is Worth … And Why It Matters, as Thrivent Business Development Consultant Eric Murphy explains how business valuation can help ensure you’re on track to meet your personal and professional goals. Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 8 am and at 12 pm. Register here: https://connect.thrivent.com/alexander-aldrich/events No products will be sold. For disclosures visit Thrivent.com/social.
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🚘 The Oil Change 👨🔧 I can give my car an oil change, all on my own. I think I do a pretty good job at it, too. I even change the oil filter and clean the residue from underneath the car. But I don’t. At least, not anymore. Why not? Two reasons: a) It requires time, energy, and getting dirty that I’d rather delegate to someone else. (Not to mention that I don’t have a warm enough place in the winter to do it.) And, probably the most important for me when it comes to complex systems like a vehicle: b) I don’t know what I don’t know, and the risk of missing something in my own inspection is greater than the reward of the few bucks I would save otherwise. I like that my mechanic does an inspection of all the other components of my car when they do an oil change. Yes, it is mutually beneficial: they find upsells and I learn what needs attention now, soon, or later. On the other hand, some things, for some people, make total sense to do on one’s own. I have no argument with that. However, even the things I still do on my own, that I don’t necessarily want to do, I hope to delegate at some point in my life. And the same for things that my wife doesn’t want to do. - Laundry? Delegate. - Cleaning (especially deep cleaning)? Delegate. - Lawn care? Delegate. - Running errands? Delegate. Eventually, I want to get to the point at which I’m spending time doing things that only I can do or that only I want to do. - Being a husband to my wife. - Being a father to my children. - Serving in the Kingdom with my unique skills and abilities. (Not many yet, but I’m trying to grow them to be useful to God.) When it comes to your own financial plan, yes, there are things you can do on your own. You can manage your own investments, insurance risk, and do your own holistic financial planning. Separately, you can get home and auto insurance online and file your taxes using online software. You can even check out at the grocery store, all by yourself! But what will you miss because of doing it on your own? What do you not know that might need attention now, soon, or later? Are the savings worth the time and potential hazards you are missing because you didn’t use a professional? I’d love to hear from you: What things do you do now on your own that you hope to one day delegate to others? What things will you always do yourself, even if you have the financial resources to outsource them? See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
🚘 The Oil Change 👨🔧 I can give my car an oil change, all on my own. I think I do a pretty good job at it, too. I even change the oil filter and clean the residue from underneath the car. But I don’t. At least, not anymore. Why not? Two reasons: a) It requires time, energy, and getting dirty that I’d rather delegate to someone else. (Not to mention that I don’t have a warm enough place in the winter to do it.) And, probably the most important for me when it comes to complex systems like a vehicle: b) I don’t know what I don’t know, and the risk of missing something in my own inspection is greater than the reward of the few bucks I would save otherwise. I like that my mechanic does an inspection of all the other components of my car when they do an oil change. Yes, it is mutually beneficial: they find upsells and I learn what needs attention now, soon, or later. On the other hand, some things, for some people, make total sense to do on one’s own. I have no argument with that. However, even the things I still do on my own, that I don’t necessarily want to do, I hope to delegate at some point in my life. And the same for things that my wife doesn’t want to do. - Laundry? Delegate. - Cleaning (especially deep cleaning)? Delegate. - Lawn care? Delegate. - Running errands? Delegate. Eventually, I want to get to the point at which I’m spending time doing things that only I can do or that only I want to do. - Being a husband to my wife. - Being a father to my children. - Serving in the Kingdom with my unique skills and abilities. (Not many yet, but I’m trying to grow them to be useful to God.) When it comes to your own financial plan, yes, there are things you can do on your own. You can manage your own investments, insurance risk, and do your own holistic financial planning. Separately, you can get home and auto insurance online and file your taxes using online software. You can even check out at the grocery store, all by yourself! But what will you miss because of doing it on your own? What do you not know that might need attention now, soon, or later? Are the savings worth the time and potential hazards you are missing because you didn’t use a professional? I’d love to hear from you: What things do you do now on your own that you hope to one day delegate to others? What things will you always do yourself, even if you have the financial resources to outsource them? See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
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To ring in Father's Day weekend, what are your best money-related dad jokes? I'll start. "Putting air in your tires at the gas station has doubled! Talk about inflation!" Please one-up me. See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
To ring in Father's Day weekend, what are your best money-related dad jokes? I'll start. "Putting air in your tires at the gas station has doubled! Talk about inflation!" Please one-up me. See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
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The right financial product is the one that aligns with where you’re at in life. An annuity can provide stable, predictable income. Resonate with where you’re at and what your needs are? Let’s talk about how an annuity can fit into your overall financial plan. Guarantees based on the financial strength and claims paying ability of the product’s issuer. See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures. #AnnuityAwarenessMonth
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The right financial product is the one that aligns with where you’re at in life. An annuity can provide stable, predictable income. Resonate with where you’re at and what your needs are? Let’s talk about how an annuity can fit into your overall financial plan. Guarantees based on the financial strength and claims paying ability of the product’s issuer. See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures. #AnnuityAwarenessMonth
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Last Sunday marked another big event for me in my career: My first Spanish-language financial education workshop. When I set out to change careers, I was looking for one that would allow me to have an impact on the Hispanic community—a bigger one than I felt I was having as a Spanish professor. The last 12 months has brought more opportunities to do that than I had imagined, and just this last Sunday a goal of mine—to provide educational workshops in Spanish to the Hispanic community—was realized. It took a lot of networking, building trust, and even attending mass in Spanish at the Catholic Church, something I had never done before, to fulfill. I'm so grateful for the leaders of St. Francis de Sales and their Hispanic leadership council—El ministerio guadalupano—for their support and trust in me to allow me into their space and do a workshop to their parishioners. As I told all of the attendees of the workshop—and I mean it whole heartedly—whether it's with me, or with anyone else, act today and begin putting your financial plan in place. It could make all the difference for you and those you love. See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
![Image](https://hsl-pnw-downloadable-files.s3.amazonaws.com/256/5a1610af519b499c960cd14a7fcc3b04.jpg)
Last Sunday marked another big event for me in my career: My first Spanish-language financial education workshop. When I set out to change careers, I was looking for one that would allow me to have an impact on the Hispanic community—a bigger one than I felt I was having as a Spanish professor. The last 12 months has brought more opportunities to do that than I had imagined, and just this last Sunday a goal of mine—to provide educational workshops in Spanish to the Hispanic community—was realized. It took a lot of networking, building trust, and even attending mass in Spanish at the Catholic Church, something I had never done before, to fulfill. I'm so grateful for the leaders of St. Francis de Sales and their Hispanic leadership council—El ministerio guadalupano—for their support and trust in me to allow me into their space and do a workshop to their parishioners. As I told all of the attendees of the workshop—and I mean it whole heartedly—whether it's with me, or with anyone else, act today and begin putting your financial plan in place. It could make all the difference for you and those you love. See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
![Image](/themes/custom/hearsay_thrivent/images/eye-icon.png)
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HUGE NEWS TO SHARE! 🥁 .... Today marks the accomplishment of TWO of my BIG goals for 2024, and it came earlier (and differently) than I had anticipated. At the beginning of the year, I set the goal that, by mid-year 2024 I wanted to hire support staff for my financial advisory practice and, by year-end 2024, move into a new office. I was seeking support staff that could help me leverage my time to be the most efficient and the best advisor that I can be to my current and future clients. I was also seeking an upgraded office space and experience for me and my clients. An opportunity presented itself to me in which I got both. ✅✅ Today, I moved into another advisor's office where I rent space and plug directly into the resources he has worked hard to establish, including multiple full-time support staff. Going forward, I'll be able to focus my time on my 20%, which is financial advising, and offload my 80% to someone who is more efficient at it than me. This opportunity is better than the one I had set out to achieve on my own, which would have required hiring someone myself, training them, developing a winning culture, and then finding, prepping, and decorating my own office space, and all the labor and time that that would have involved. I'm immensely grateful for this opportunity and excited for what it holds for the future of my business. See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
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HUGE NEWS TO SHARE! 🥁 .... Today marks the accomplishment of TWO of my BIG goals for 2024, and it came earlier (and differently) than I had anticipated. At the beginning of the year, I set the goal that, by mid-year 2024 I wanted to hire support staff for my financial advisory practice and, by year-end 2024, move into a new office. I was seeking support staff that could help me leverage my time to be the most efficient and the best advisor that I can be to my current and future clients. I was also seeking an upgraded office space and experience for me and my clients. An opportunity presented itself to me in which I got both. ✅✅ Today, I moved into another advisor's office where I rent space and plug directly into the resources he has worked hard to establish, including multiple full-time support staff. Going forward, I'll be able to focus my time on my 20%, which is financial advising, and offload my 80% to someone who is more efficient at it than me. This opportunity is better than the one I had set out to achieve on my own, which would have required hiring someone myself, training them, developing a winning culture, and then finding, prepping, and decorating my own office space, and all the labor and time that that would have involved. I'm immensely grateful for this opportunity and excited for what it holds for the future of my business. See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
![Image](/themes/custom/hearsay_thrivent/images/eye-icon.png)
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Descubra los pasos clave que debe dar para asegurar su estabilidad financiera. Todavía hay cupos disponibles para nuestro taller gratuito del 2 de junio, Base financiera: su plan para avanzar. Aprenda a planificar para su último día y a manejar los contratiempos financieros cualquier día. https://connect.thrivent.com/alexander-aldrich/events
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Descubra los pasos clave que debe dar para asegurar su estabilidad financiera. Todavía hay cupos disponibles para nuestro taller gratuito del 2 de junio, Base financiera: su plan para avanzar. Aprenda a planificar para su último día y a manejar los contratiempos financieros cualquier día. https://connect.thrivent.com/alexander-aldrich/events
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"Is Your Check Engine Light On?" This is a message posted on a sign outside an auto repair shop in town, and I couldn't help but see the metaphor 🤣. We have so many safeguards built around us in our vehicles these days for our protection. Some of them trigger when an issue is right upon us, like airbags. Others are designed to give us a heads up that there is an issue that needs to be addressed in the near future, like the check engine light. Others remind us of service we need to perform, like the oil change light. I have found that these warning lights can be both a) easy to ignore as I go about my busy life, and b) an emotional strain every time I see it as a reminder that something isn't entirely right with my vehicle. Is your financial "check engine" light on? Where it's with me or anyone else, take her in. Get repaired what is broken and even a standard maintenance check on what seems going right. It could make all the difference. See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
"Is Your Check Engine Light On?" This is a message posted on a sign outside an auto repair shop in town, and I couldn't help but see the metaphor 🤣. We have so many safeguards built around us in our vehicles these days for our protection. Some of them trigger when an issue is right upon us, like airbags. Others are designed to give us a heads up that there is an issue that needs to be addressed in the near future, like the check engine light. Others remind us of service we need to perform, like the oil change light. I have found that these warning lights can be both a) easy to ignore as I go about my busy life, and b) an emotional strain every time I see it as a reminder that something isn't entirely right with my vehicle. Is your financial "check engine" light on? Where it's with me or anyone else, take her in. Get repaired what is broken and even a standard maintenance check on what seems going right. It could make all the difference. See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
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By most quantitative metrics, the economy is doing great right now. But if you are like most Americans, it feels quite the opposite. Why, and what can you do about it? Here are my thoughts (and my takeaway at the bottom). First, let's take a look at some numbers 📈. - Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Up 3.4% in Q4 2023 and 1.6% in 2024. Up is 👍. - Inflation (measured by Consumer Price Index [CPI]): Down from 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.4% in April 2024 (down 0.1% from March). Down is 👍. - S&P 500 Index: All time highs in 2024. Higher is 👍. - Unemployment rate: Down from 14.8% in April 2020 to 3.9% in April 2024. Lower is 👍. So why do just about all of us feel so crummy about the economy? It's probably a combination of two factors: a) even though the rate of inflation has come down, and (kinda) continues to do so, prices are still 3.4% higher today than they were this time last year. And this time last year they were 4.9% higher than the year before that, which were 8.3% higher from the year before that. That's a 15%+ average increase in prices in about two years. In other words, just about everything costs a whole lot more today than it did two or three years ago, and we haven't forgotten. And it's hitting our pocket books. Total household debt, including credit card spending, and credit card payment delinquency is also on the rise. b) interest rates are high. The loans people can afford are smaller today than they were a couple years ago. Materials to build a home cost more, as well. And credit card rates are higher, too. Most of this, however, is outside of our control. So, what CAN we do about it? a) reduce spending on wants and focus more on needs. Although it's hard to cut back on things that we're accustomed to having, ask yourself: Do I really NEED [e.g. multiple streaming subscriptions]? Probably not. Maybe I cycle through one every few months and save myself ~$50/mo. Ideas like this and more can be found in a free money/budgeting coaching program that Thrivent offers called Money Canvas. Google it, and yes, it's really free. b) this kind of environment is hard on spenders, so be a saver instead and take advantage of the high interest rates. Money market accounts are yielding over 5% right now. High-yield savings accounts are also doing great. TAKEAWAY: In sum (my favorite phrase from when I was an academic), a) quantitatively, the economy is actually doing great, but b) qualitatively—how it feels—isn't. Work with a money coach, increase your cash flow by reducing spending, and start taking advantage of higher interest rates by being a saver, not a spender. See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
By most quantitative metrics, the economy is doing great right now. But if you are like most Americans, it feels quite the opposite. Why, and what can you do about it? Here are my thoughts (and my takeaway at the bottom). First, let's take a look at some numbers 📈. - Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Up 3.4% in Q4 2023 and 1.6% in 2024. Up is 👍. - Inflation (measured by Consumer Price Index [CPI]): Down from 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.4% in April 2024 (down 0.1% from March). Down is 👍. - S&P 500 Index: All time highs in 2024. Higher is 👍. - Unemployment rate: Down from 14.8% in April 2020 to 3.9% in April 2024. Lower is 👍. So why do just about all of us feel so crummy about the economy? It's probably a combination of two factors: a) even though the rate of inflation has come down, and (kinda) continues to do so, prices are still 3.4% higher today than they were this time last year. And this time last year they were 4.9% higher than the year before that, which were 8.3% higher from the year before that. That's a 15%+ average increase in prices in about two years. In other words, just about everything costs a whole lot more today than it did two or three years ago, and we haven't forgotten. And it's hitting our pocket books. Total household debt, including credit card spending, and credit card payment delinquency is also on the rise. b) interest rates are high. The loans people can afford are smaller today than they were a couple years ago. Materials to build a home cost more, as well. And credit card rates are higher, too. Most of this, however, is outside of our control. So, what CAN we do about it? a) reduce spending on wants and focus more on needs. Although it's hard to cut back on things that we're accustomed to having, ask yourself: Do I really NEED [e.g. multiple streaming subscriptions]? Probably not. Maybe I cycle through one every few months and save myself ~$50/mo. Ideas like this and more can be found in a free money/budgeting coaching program that Thrivent offers called Money Canvas. Google it, and yes, it's really free. b) this kind of environment is hard on spenders, so be a saver instead and take advantage of the high interest rates. Money market accounts are yielding over 5% right now. High-yield savings accounts are also doing great. TAKEAWAY: In sum (my favorite phrase from when I was an academic), a) quantitatively, the economy is actually doing great, but b) qualitatively—how it feels—isn't. Work with a money coach, increase your cash flow by reducing spending, and start taking advantage of higher interest rates by being a saver, not a spender. See Thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.