Insights
Meet Bill and BettyEvery collection has its stars, and when it comes to size, Bill and Betty are the undisputed giants of Elizabeth's rubber duck collection.Betty joined the collection after a business class trip to New York, where Elizabeth spotted her in a candy store and couldn't leave her behind. Bill's story is a little more mysterious. He was discovered at a thrift store after Elizabeth marched in a parade with her high school band, and he quickly became one of the most treasured ducks in the flock.Bill is especially unique because he still has his original tag attached and his adorable removable rain hat. While nobody knows exactly how old he is, he's certainly one of the most distinguished members of the collection. ☔After more than 20 years of collecting and more than 500 ducks, it's only fitting that the biggest ducks would help us wrap up our rubber duck series.Thanks for following along on this journey through one of the most unique collections in the IWA family. And remember: you never know when a rubber duck might become a lifelong hobby. 🦆❤️
👋 Please Join Us in Welcoming Bryan Baker!We're excited to welcome Bryan Baker as the newest member of the Inspired Wealth Advisors team!Bryan joins us as an Associate Financial Advisor, bringing experience from both Thrivent and Schwab, along with a passion for educating and helping people achieve their goals. In fact, his background is in Early Childhood Education, and he feels that same passion for teaching translates naturally into helping families navigate important financial decisions.Originally from Ashland, Ohio, Bryan has also spent time in Atlanta and Tennessee. These days, he's traveling the country with his wife, Erika, and their three children while living the RV life. 🚐Outside the office, you'll likely find Bryan running, playing guitar, hosting game nights, hiking, cheering on the Cleveland Browns, or talking about chickens. He's also a licensed pastor who enjoys preaching, officiating weddings, and serving his community.One thing we've already learned about Bryan is that he's usually the one taking the family photos. If you look closely, you'll notice his arm reaching behind the camera in all the pictures he sent us. That's great news because, as a virtual team member, Elizabeth will be putting him to work taking photos for our social media. 📸😄Please help us give Bryan a warm welcome to the IWA family! 👏
When You Make an Impact, People NoticeLast week, Brittany attended SLS (Senior Leadership Summit), and this week a thank-you basket arrived at the office. Naturally, Brittany shared it with the team, and we turned it into an impromptu charcuterie-board lunch. The basket was appreciated, but what it represented meant even more.Brittany wasn't invited to SLS simply to attend. She was invited to help leaders, strategists, technologists, and product teams understand what life is actually like in an advisor's office and how the tools they build impact real families every day.During the event, she participated in conversations and panel discussions about AI, advisor workflows, and the future client experience. In many of those discussions, Brittany was the only practicing advisor in the room, helping connect big ideas and technology to the real-world needs of clients and advisors.We're incredibly proud of the work Brittany is doing and grateful to have a leader who is always willing to share what she learns, invest in others, and bring new ideas back to our team.And we're especially grateful she shares her snacks, too. ❤️😄
Elizabeth's Rubber Ducks from AustriaWhen Elizabeth studied abroad in Austria, she intended to learn about international business and business ethics.What she didn't expect was to discover what might be the world's most dangerous destination for a rubber duck collector's wallet.As it turns out, Austria is home to a surprisingly high-quality rubber duck brand that creates ducks inspired by famous Austrian figures and landmarks. Needless to say, Elizabeth did her part to support the local economy. Exactly how much she spent on ducks during her semester abroad remains classified information. 😄Among her favorites are the Austrian-themed ducks shown here, including a Sigmund Freud duck and an accompanying Sigmund Freud rubber duck patch. Who would have guessed a rubber duck version of the father of psychoanalysis would become popular enough to earn its own merchandise?For those playing along at home, here's a challenge: see if you can spot any of these Austrian ducks hidden among the larger collection featured in previous posts. 👀And for any fellow rubber duck collectors planning a vacation, Elizabeth has one travel recommendation: Austria.Stay tuned for one final rubber duck post before we wrap up this surprisingly educational journey into the world of rubber duck collecting! 🦆❤️
🍎🎃 Tickets Are Now Available for Fall Fun at Eckert's Orchard! 🎃🍎One of our favorite events of the year is back!Fall Fun at Eckert's Orchard isn't about presentations or planning conversations. It's about gathering with family and friends, making memories, and enjoying everything that makes this season so special before the holiday rush begins.Join us Eckert's Orchard in Versailles for an evening filled with playground activities, hayrides, entertainment, food, bonfires, s'mores, fellowship, and even an opportunity to give back through a community service project. For those looking for a little extra excitement, haunted hayrides begin later in the evening. 😱👻📅 October 17, 2026 🕓 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM 📍 Eckert's Orchard | Versailles, KYWe'll gather under the Thrivent tent for dinner beginning at 5:00 PM, enjoy bonfires starting at 6:30 PM, and spend the evening together celebrating all things fall.🎟️ Reserve your spot today: https://connect.thrivent.com/inspired-wealth-advisors/events/107326This event is always one of the highlights of our year, and we'd love to spend a fun fall evening with you and your family. ❤️
Debate: How to Retire Like a Christian - Christianity Today📖 Brittany Featured in Christianity TodayOne of the things we appreciate most about Brittany is her ability to help people see retirement as more than reaching a financial goal. Retirement is a new season of purpose, impact, relationships, and becoming more fully who God created us to be.That's why we were excited to see Brittany join Christianity Today alongside Arnie Cole and Bishop Walter S. Thomas Sr. for a thoughtful discussion on what it means to "retire like a Christian." The conversation explored topics such as purpose, stewardship, legacy, health, and making the most of the opportunities that come with this next chapter of life.One thought Brittany shared during the conversation continues to resonate with us:"I often describe retirement as becoming paycheck optional. But it's not purpose optional."The article is a wonderful reminder that some of the most important retirement questions aren't financial at all. They're questions about purpose, family, faith, service, and the legacy we hope to leave behind.We're proud of Brittany for sharing her perspective and honored to be part of conversations that help people think more deeply about living with purpose in every season of life.A special thank you to Kristy Etheridge and Christianity Today for including Brittany in such a meaningful conversation. ❤️📖 Read the article here: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/09/debate-retire-like-a-christian/See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
Happy International Coffee Day!Today is the perfect excuse to enjoy your favorite coffee drink. And yes, that absolutely includes the pumpkin spice latte that's starting to look suspiciously more like a dessert than a beverage. 🎃A few fun coffee facts:☕ Coffee's story begins in the Ethiopian highlands, where legend says a goat herder noticed his goats becoming unusually energetic after eating coffee berries.☕ The first shipment of coffee beans from Brazil arrived in the United States in 1723, helping launch America's long-lasting love affair with coffee.☕ Coffeehouses have historically been gathering places for conversation, learning, and community for hundreds of years. Some things never change.☕ International Coffee Day was officially established in 2015 to celebrate coffee and the millions of people around the world whose livelihoods depend on it.Here's to celebrating the caffeine drink that keeps many of us going Monday through Friday so we can get work done! Whether you're drinking black coffee, a fancy latte, a cold brew, or something that barely resembles coffee anymore, we hope you enjoy every sip!
🍂 Our First IWA Newsletter Has Arrived! 🍂We're excited to share the very first edition of the Inspired Wealth Advisors Newsletter! 🎉Over the years, we've realized there are always stories, office updates, community projects, lessons learned, and fun moments that don't always make it into a meeting. This newsletter is our way of sharing a little more of what has been happening around IWA and staying connected between meetings and events.Inside you'll find team updates, upcoming events, planning reminders, community impact stories, and a few fun surprises along the way. We plan to publish a Spring Newsletter and a Fall Newsletter each year to help keep everyone informed and connected.📖 Read the newsletter here:https://www.thrivent.com/inspired-wealth-team-newsletter We'd greatly appreciate it if you'd take a peek and let us know what you think! This is our very first edition, and we'd love your feedback as we continue to improve future issues.Thank you for being part of the IWA family. ❤️
Learning, Growing, and Bringing New Ideas Home 🌟A couple of days away from the office last week left Rob and Brittany with full notebooks, tired brains, and grateful hearts.They recently attended the Growth Minded Advisors Conference and spent time with fellow advisors who are passionate about serving families well and building businesses that make a meaningful difference. One idea that kept surfacing throughout the conversations was simple:People rarely need more information. They need more clarity, confidence, and accountability.One theme especially stood out: the goal isn't to make planning more complex. The goal is to make complex decisions more understandable. The best advisors aren't necessarily the ones who know the most, but the ones who can help people turn knowledge into action.Rob and Brittany returned home with new ideas, fresh perspectives, a few challenged assumptions, and an even stronger commitment to continually improving the experience we create for our clients.We're thankful for the conversations, new friendships, and the opportunity to keep learning. Now it's time to put those ideas to work. ❤️
The Three Ducks That Started It All 🦆Every collection has a beginning, and for Elizabeth's rubber duck collection, it was these three dog-themed ducks pictured here.Back in 1st grade, Elizabeth's teacher, was also a rubber duck collector, had a classroom "math store." Students could earn math bucks by correctly answering questions and then spend them on small prizes. Apparently, the system worked exactly as intended, because Elizabeth spent weeks saving up enough math bucks to buy the three ducks she fell in love with at first sight. 🐶🦆Those three ducks not only started a collection that has grown to more than 500 ducks, but they may have helped spark a love of math as well. Looking back, it's hard to say whether the teacher accidentally created a duck collector or intentionally trained a future office professional to work hard for a reward.Either way, more than 20 years later, these original ducks are still part of the collection and remain some of Elizabeth's favorites. ❤️Stay tuned for more rubber duck stories and highlights from the collection. With 500+ ducks, we're just getting started! 🦆👀
SLS and the Power of Radical Connection 🤘🎸🛹🤝Last week, Brittany attended SLS, and while the keynotes and workshops were excellent, the moments she'll remember most happened between the sessions.One of her favorite takeaways came from Kim Scott's message on Radical Candor: caring personally while challenging directly. But what Brittany experienced throughout the week felt more like Radical Connection.The networking. The meals. The hallway conversations. The WhirlyBall competition. The laughter. The chance to spend time with people who genuinely care about growing, serving others, and helping those around them succeed.Brittany returned home with pages of notes, fresh ideas, a few challenged assumptions, and an even greater appreciation for the power of bringing good people together.Because sometimes the most important thing you learn at a conference isn't found on a slide. It's found in a conversation. ❤️
618 Reasons to Be Proud of This Community ❤️When we ask this community to do something good, you never just show up... you overwhelm us with your generosity.Over the past several weeks, together we collected 618 food items through our Better Together: Food Drive for Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). Every can, box, and bag of food represented someone choosing to help a neighbor they may never meet.Yesterday, we had the privilege of seeing that generosity in action during our CAP Volunteer Day. Together, we spent three hours sorting and organizing food collected through CAP's Hunger Walk efforts and learning more about the incredible work CAP has been doing in Appalachia for generations.One quote from a CAP team member especially resonated with us:"When you think of the children receiving school backpacks, seniors enjoying nutritious food, and families gathering around full tables, know that your service is making a meaningful difference in their lives."For everyone who donated food, volunteered their time, or helped spread the word, thank you. We are proud to be part of a community that looks for opportunities to share its blessings with others.A special thank you to Christian Appalachian Project for welcoming us, sharing your story, and providing this volunteer opportunity.If you'd like to learn more about CAP's mission or discover additional ways to volunteer and support their work, we encourage you to visit their website: www.christianapp.orgThank you for helping make our community a little stronger, a little kinder, and a little more generous. ❤️
An Evening of Stories, Legacy, and MeaningLast night, we gathered for Purposeful Legacy, and what an incredible evening it was.The food was wonderful, but the speaker was even better. We were fortunate to be joined by John Busacker, whose stories, illustrations, and thought-provoking questions helped us explore what it means to leave behind more than a financial legacy. A legacy of character, values, wisdom, faith, and life lessons that continues through the people we love.One theme that resonated throughout the evening was the importance of finishing strong and intentionally sharing our stories so future generations can learn from them, build on them, and carry them forward.Thank you to everyone who joined us and shared a piece of their story. For those who couldn't attend, we hope these photos offer a glimpse into a meaningful evening filled with new ideas, fresh perspectives, and great conversation.We hope to see you all at our next event. ❤️
🍂 Happy First Day of Fall! 🍂Whether you've been celebrating since pumpkin spice season started in August or you've been patiently waiting for the official date, fall finally arrives today! 🍁Technically, autumn begins tonight at 8:05 p.m. EDT with the autumnal equinox, the moment when the Sun crosses Earth's equator and day and night are nearly equal in length around the world. After tonight, we'll officially begin the march toward shorter days, cooler weather, and all the best parts of the season.For us, fall means colorful leaves, football games, apple orchards, Thanksgiving pies, and suddenly realizing the holidays are much closer than we'd like to admit. 🏈🍎🥧We'll admit it—we've been emotionally celebrating fall for weeks already. But it's nice to know the calendar is finally catching up.What's your favorite part of fall? 🍂❤️
A Duck Collection 20+ Years in the Making 🦆🐥Some people collect stamps. Some collect coins. Elizabeth collects rubber ducks.What started in 1st grade has grown into a collection of more than 500 ducks collected over the years. Since heading off to college, most of them have been packed away in storage tubs, making this the first time Elizabeth has displayed her entire collection in one place.Before setting everything up, she sorted through the collection, donating duplicate and damaged ducks. Even after parting with more than 100 ducks, she still had enough to completely fill the display and then some. She still has holiday duck waiting in the wings for their time to shine.Needless to say, this is only the beginning. With a collection this large, there are plenty of unique ducks, stories, and themes left to share.Stay tuned for future posts highlighting different parts of Elizabeth's collection. There are plenty more rubber ducks where these came from! 🦆👀
Legacy Isn't Just About What You Leave Behind ❤️Most of us hope to pass something meaningful on to the people we love. Not just our possessions, but our values, wisdom, and the things that have shaped our lives.If that idea resonates with you, don't forget about our upcoming Purposeful Legacy event on September 22. We'll be exploring how to intentionally pass along the lessons, stories, and values that matter most to future generations.And if you'd like to continue the conversation, we also invite you to join us for Leaving a Thriving Legacy with Eric Bilger on October 7. While Purposeful Legacy focuses on the personal side of legacy, this virtual event will dive deeper into the planning considerations that help support those intentions, including estate planning, beneficiary designations, long-term care, charitable giving, and more.The October event is also a great option for our friends and family members who live farther away and may not be able to join us in person on September 22.📅 Leaving a Thriving Legacy with Eric Bilger 💻 Virtual Event 🕛 October 7, 2026 | 12:00 PM ETLearn more and RSVP here: https://connect.thrivent.com/inspired-wealth-advisors/events/106933We'd love to have you join us for one—or both—of these meaningful conversations about caring for the people and values that matter most.
A New Look for the Conference Room! ✨A few recent additions have given our large conference room a fresh look.First, we swapped out the old conference table for a new one that better matches the style of our smaller conference room. As an added bonus, the room feels more open and gives everyone a little more breathing room.But the real star of the show (according to Rob) is the new Vibe Board. 😄Rob has been wanting one for quite a while, and now that it's here, he can hardly keep his hands off it. While we've always had a TV available for virtual attendees, the Vibe Board makes it much easier to pull up presentations, collaborate, and mark up ideas for both in-person and virtual participants to see.Rob claims it's going to revolutionize his meetings. We're not sure if that's true yet, but we're pretty confident he's going to give it every opportunity to prove itself. 😂Here's hoping you're as excited as Rob is about the new conference room setup. If not, don't worry... he'll probably show it off during your next meeting. 👀
❤️ 544 Reasons to Be Grateful... and One Week Left to Help!?!One of the things we've learned over the years is that whenever we invite this community to do something good, you're quick to respond... and this time you've completely overwhelmed us with your generosity.Since our last update, donations have been pouring in, and we're excited to share that we've now collected 544 food items through our Better Together: Food Drive benefiting Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). What started as a few cans on an empty table has quickly become a challenge of finding enough room for everything—and figuring out how to fit it all into a photo for our social media friends. 😄📸We're collecting shelf-stable, unexpired food items through September 22 for Christian Appalachian Project (CAP), and for every item donated, Thrivent and IWA together will donate $1 to CAP.There's now just one week left to participate before collections close.✅ Bring a few items to your next meeting✅ Stop by the office to say hello, enjoy a drink, chocolate, and good company✅ Bring a few items to an upcoming IWA eventThank you to everyone who has participated so far. Your kindness, generosity, and willingness to care for others are what make this community so special.Let's fill the shelves and help care for our Appalachian neighbors ❤️
Another Certification in the Books! 🎉Please join us in congratulating Adam on passing the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam! 👏The SIE is one of the first major milestones for those pursuing a career in the financial services industry, and it's an exciting step forward on Adam's professional journey.Between classes, client service, and helping keep things running smoothly around the office, Adam has been putting in the work behind the scenes. We're proud of his dedication and commitment to learning, and we're excited to see what comes next.It certainly looks like he's well on his way toward a promising career in the industry. 🚀Congratulations, Adam! We can't wait to see where your hard work takes you next.
A couple of days away from the office last week left Rob and Brittany with full notebooks, tired brains, and grateful hearts.Rob and Brittany attended the Growth Minded Advisors Conference, and Brittany also had the opportunity to participate in a regional advisory board retreat. The biggest takeaway? There are a lot of really smart, caring people working hard to serve families well and build businesses that make a meaningful difference.They always come back from events like these with new ideas, fresh perspective, and a healthy dose of reassurance that Inspired Wealth Advisors is headed in the right direction.The conversations around leadership, advisor development, community engagement, and creating opportunities for the next generation of advisors were especially valuable. Most of all, they are grateful for the chance to learn from others who are willing to share openly about what's working, what's challenging, and what they're learning along the way.Now it's time to take those ideas and put them to work. ❤️