Creating a comprehensive financial plan for clients is just part of what differentiates us. Investable assets are not just numbers on a page. They represent hopes and dreams. The best financial advice is that which is tailored for the individual, advice that creates a better life for you and those you love. So when we meet with you we take into account all of these issues all the while looking at the big picture and the tax consequences of your decisions. This is what custom comprehensive planning is all about. And we will be here when you need us. There will be no automated response to any of your questions or calls. We are here to serve you. Call or stop by our office to set up an appointment or to learn more about how we can help.
Team Intro
Creating a comprehensive financial plan for clients is just part of what differentiates us. Investable assets are not just numbers on a page. They represent hopes and dreams. The best financial advice is that which is tailored for the individual, advice that creates a better life for you and those you love. So when we meet with you we take into account all of these issues all the while looking at the big picture and the tax consequences of your decisions. This is what custom comprehensive planning is all about. And we will be here when you need us. There will be no automated response to any of your questions or calls. We are here to serve you. Call or stop by our office to set up an appointment or to learn more about how we can help.
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News and insights
Commentary August 2025
Working in the yard recently, I cut my hand deeply and thought I might need stiches. After consulting with my daughter for her medical opinion, she explained that while I may not need stiches and could clean the wound myself, my day working outside as I had planned was over. My skin provided a protective barrier to keep me safe but now I needed to ensure it healed properly. And if I forgot, my nerve endings definitely reminded me if I got careless. We often take our skin for granted, but it does serve as THE protective barrier against the things out there in the world that could harm our internal organs. We also would not survive if it didn’t regulate our body temperature 24/7. You might have more of it than you would think. The average adult has about 22 square feet of skin. Each square inch of skin is made up of roughly 19 million cells. Astonishing numbers.
As I sat on my deck later that night enjoying the rare night with a cool breeze gently wafting over me, I thought about how our skin is also the way we directly encounter the world. If not for our skin we wouldn’t feel the breeze or the sunlight. We wouldn’t know the softness of a baby’s cheek or the feeling of holding the hand of a loved one. Our skin is actually considered an organ, a very unique one that must do two things that seem to be complete opposites. It must act as a shield, as impenetrable as possible. Yet, at the same time it must be porous enough to let us encounter the world.
I thought about how this mirrors what we do at the Maar Financial Group when we structure a financial plan. That plan, for it to be successful, must also do seemingly opposite things. Many clients discuss their assets with our team which includes capital that they’ve worked hard to acquire. Working together we develop a plan to protect and preserve their capital, but as we have discussed here before, that isn’t always as easy as it might sound. After all, it might seem we could accomplish that goal by locking the capital in a vault protected by armed guards but, in reality, that would not work. Little by little, due to inflation and taxation, the capital would vanish because it was unable to grow. Whatever plan we implement must protect clients from those silent effects.
Many clients are looking for growth, but the only way to make that happen is to engage with market forces, which calls for very different strategies. We all know markets--whether they be in stocks, bonds, or commodities—rise and fall in value. To engage in the markets is to expose capital to risk, and the word “risk” carries a whiff of “danger.” We all know that any action in life carries with it a degree of risk. The key is acceptable risk. Getting in the car and driving to the store contains an element of risk. Jumping out of an airplane with a parachute also contains an element of risk. While they might be equally safe, most people would find one risk acceptable and the other unacceptable. Every client is different in their relationship to risk.
What we must do is create a financial plan that does two very different things—preserve capital while at the same time putting it to work in order to grow. And that is the tricky part, “at the same time.” It would be easier if we could first do the one and then the other. But it doesn’t work that way. Both of these two very different tasks must be taking place simultaneously. Just as our skin simultaneously protects us and allows us to engage with the world, so too must a sound financial plan function seamlessly.
Those of you who have worked with us have first-hand knowledge of the process and the results. If you have not worked with us, I believe you will be excited to see how your financial plan takes shape as we work together to design a structured path that will help you meet both your goals and your desires.
When you began reading this, you may have thought it was a bit of a stretch to liken our skin to financial planning. I can understand that. When something complex works almost invisibly there is a tendency to not pay attention to the details and maybe take it for granted. So, I am pleased if many of our clients feel that way. We work hard for that result. That way they can do things without worry, like working in their yard. Just watch out for the sharp tools.
Thrivent is the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Insurance products issued by Thrivent. Not available in all states. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., a registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC, and a subsidiary of Thrivent. Licensed agent/producer of Thrivent. Registered representative of Thrivent Investment Management Inc. Advisory services available through investment adviser representatives only.Thrivent.com/disclosures.
Insurance products, securities and investment advisory services are provided by appropriately appointed and licensed financial advisors and professionals. Only individuals who are financial advisors are credentialed to provide investment advisory services. Visit Thrivent.com or FINRA's Broker Check for more information about our financial advisors.
Thrivent provides advice and guidance through its Financial Planning Framework that generally includes a review and analysis of a client’s financial situation. A client may choose to further their planning engagement with Thrivent through its Dedicated Planning Services (an investment advisory service) that results in written recommendations for a fee.
Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The mutual fund prospectus contains more information on investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses, which investors should read carefully and consider before investing. Available at Thrivent.com.
Commentary June 2025
Every action we take causes ripples in time, their ultimate significance impossible to predict. After seeing the Beatles perform on television, a teenage Bruce Springsteen bought a guitar from an auto parts store for $18.95. Who could have guessed what this set in motion? When in high school, a girl was assigned to a study hall seat behind the boy that was to become my father-in-law. She tapped him on the shoulder, and they began a conversation that has lasted 55 years. While going to college, I managed a steak house where my wife just happened to work during a brief summer break. We now have four children. It is said our beginnings never know our ends.
Sometimes little moments in time that bring us together result in significant impacts either in our own lives or in our community. That is what struck me when Thrivent released its community impact date for Maar Financial Group’s members. In 2024, Maar Financial Group had 355 Thrivent Choice®️ participants and 164 Thrivent Action Teams. These are good numbers of which we should all be proud, but as in the previous examples, the ripples that resulted are nothing short of amazing. Those Action Teams ultimately involved 1,598 leaders and volunteers that resulted in 12,224 hours donated to designated worthy causes.
But even more eye-opening was the financial impact of your Choice Dollars®️, personal online donations, Action Teams funds raised, and the value of the volunteers’ hours which amounted to $1,014,740. Now this number also included Charitable and Thrivent Community event funds raised, but the fact is that from the acorn of 164 Action Teams and 355 Thrivent Choice®️ participants we grew a mighty oak of over one million dollars! And the ripples set in motion will continue through time. None of us can predict the number of lives touched, improved, and even transformed by the actions of you, our Maar Financial Group members!
Some might call this charity but that is the wrong word. What we are ultimately discussing is the concept of altruism, which is defined by the Oxford Language Dictionary™️ as “selfless concern for the well-being of others.” Believe it or not, the very idea of altruism is hotly debated inside various disciplines. It’s questioned whether pure altruism really exists: is it possible to separate doing good from the expectation of reciprocity, acclaim, self-esteem, or the promise of heavenly rewards?
Without getting too deep in the weeds with a scientific or philosophical debate, I don’t accept the argument that altruism doesn’t exist. I believe it is a part of our nature, a blessed part, that enables us to be willing to do things for others with no expectation of any type or reward. We can all think of many examples of people who sacrifice their own well-being for the benefit of others including soldiers who gave their lives in the service of our country.
I don’t have to look further than our members who contributed to the data with which I began this commentary. Those of you who used your Choice Dollars®️, took part in Action Teams, or contributed your time and money to worthy causes were not looking for rewards or acclaim. You didn’t care whether your neighbors knew the good you were doing or not. You were responding to that best part of what makes us human, love and concern for others. We don’t have to look further from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount to know what He believes about altruism.
When I read the report on the Maar Financial Group Financial Impact 2024, I was filled with joy and pride. I also thought about all the other groups throughout the country who are also doing good works. If we spend too much time watching or reading the news, it can be all too easy to be filled with sadness or cynicism regarding the behavior of our fellow humans. It is good to be reminded that there is another side to the story. It happens quietly and it happens every day. You are a part of that story.
The Thrivent Choice®️ charitable grant program engages Thrivent members in providing grants that support charitable activities, furthering Thrivent's mission and its purposes under state law. All grant decisions, including grant recipients and amounts, are made at the sole discretion of Thrivent. Directing Choice Dollars®️ is subject to the program's terms and conditions available at thrivent.com/thriventchoice.
Commentary April 2025
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing several people comment that the volatility of the markets and current events have left them feeling insecure. I can understand that feeling and, given all that is happening in the world, it seems like a normal reaction.
The word “security” is handed down to us from the Latin “securus” which meant “safe, without care.” (Although to be without care might be setting the bar a bit high.) Adding “in” to Latin words often reverses their meaning, so insecurity evolved to mean “the lack of security, of assurance.” This pretty much sums up the ways we use these words today. I am not expressing an opinion about any changes and whether I think they are good or bad. That is irrelevant. What matters is that any change, by definition, unsettles and introduces new elements of risk.
Interestingly, “insecurity” has come to imply personal failing. A common dictionary definition is “a lack of confidence within oneself, especially having to do with one’s abilities.” The DSM, the key reference guide for psychologists, defines it as “self-doubt, often due to a recent failure.” This is where I think the significance of the word has undergone a major change. The insecurities people are feeling these days are not due to self-doubt caused by personal failure. Instead, they may come from a sense of powerlessness, an awareness that events beyond our control are shaping our lives. Since many of these changes feel unprecedented, they may trigger anxiety about what lies ahead.
So, what can we do? Much of the psychological advice, I believe, focuses on the wrong things because there’s an assumption that our insecurity is coming from personal shortcomings. But that is not always the case. Many of our insecurities stem from societal shifts that feel beyond our control. To understand the most basic concept of security is to understand the human brain is a prediction machine. It begins at birth when the baby acquires the ability to predict the source of food and comfort. That prediction mechanism has continued through your entire life to where you are now. The inability to make accurate predictions is unsettling and that is the true source of insecurity.
I’m not going to pretend to be a psychologist—I’m a financial advisor. From my perspective, security is rooted in my daily work. I focus on individual planning, which not only helps people build financial stability but also considers the very factors causing so much distress. The cornerstone to feeling good about your asset management is the organization with which you work with. Over the last thirty years, I’ve had the privilege of serving our clients at Maar Financial Group of Thrivent. Thrivent is a Fortune 500 company with $179 billion assets under management that was established in 1902 as a fraternal benefit company. Thrivent has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for the 14th year in a row. Think of all that has happened in the world since 1902. Thrivent knows how to deal with change.
As this brief commentary attempted to demonstrate, security is more than just a word, it is a concept that includes many attributes. My clients and I have experienced quite a bit together. All the way from the ups of overly enthusiastic bull markets to the downs of the financial crisis of 2008. During the last thirty years, we have weathered many storms together and we have planned for times of uncertainty. We are still, and always, surrounded by opportunities for growth.
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“World’s Most Ethical Companies” and “Ethisphere” names and marks are registered trademarks of Ethisphere LLC. For details, visit worldsmostethicalcompanies.com.
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