Looking for a role with impact and growth? Join Thrivent’s Virtual Advice team.
As a Virtual Advisor, you’ll grow your skills and build confidence by supporting clients across the US. You’ll work with them virtually, helping them refine their financial strategies and pursue long-term goals. And you won’t do it alone—you’ll have the support of a collaborative team, modern tools and a proven process that sets you up for success.
Explore our openings: thriventcareers.com/4q9g2HH
So thankful to work alongside Karyn Lembke, a financial professional serving Morton and Stark Counties, who quietly turns good intentions into real-world kindness. Recently at a vendor show in Hebron, ND, Karyn encouraged families to help make cozy stuffed animals for the Morton County Sheriff’s Department. These will be shared with kids who find themselves in accidents or other scary moments, when comfort matters most.
This is what it looks like when values leave the office and show up in the community. Karyn does a tremendous job helping Thrivent clients truly Live Generously.
As we embark on a new year, many people are asking themselves big questions about purpose, fulfillment and what they want next in their career.
If you’re feeling that pull, consider exploring a financial advisor career at Thrivent. Whether you want to build your own practice, join a team or grow on our Virtual Advice Team, you’ll find a path that’s both meaningful and rewarding.
Explore our career paths: thriventcareers.com/4pP2CA6
For seasoned sales and financial professionals ready for a new chapter, Thrivent offers a place where your experience becomes the foundation for bigger possibilities.
Whether you’re building a team or advancing as a financial advisor, you’ll have the tools and support to grow in a meaningful career.
Take the next step in your career journey: thriventcareers.com/3MaLxlM
The Holidays Have Me Thinking…
This time of year reminds me why Thrivent exists—helping people live lives full of meaning and generosity.
Next week, If you happen to meet someone who’s exploring what’s next—or someone who’d thrive on a team that cares deeply about purpose and impact—I’d love to connect.
No pressure. Even a quick introduction now so we can talk later works perfectly.
Here’s what’s happening in Bismarck:
✔️ We just extended an offer a top-notch gentleman who’ll join our Thrivent team early next year in Bismarck
✔️ I’m honored to work alongside Pam Neiwenhuis, who’s passionate about empowering flourishing women in Bismarck/Mandan through financial advice
And we’re looking for one more advisor to complete our team. If someone comes to mind, I’m here. Here’s some contact info:
Kyle Debertin | 701-561-0143 Mobile
Thrivent | Advice. Generosity. Purpose.
#Thrivent #PurposeDrivenCareer #Impact #Bismarck
What a blast swinging through the Valley City Thrivent office to see some wonderful colleagues and friends! Getting a Christmas-season hello from Stephanie Roelfsema and Samantha Quick was a gift wrapped in tinsel and good cheer.
I didn’t actually see Scott Wilmes, but I definitely heard him. The man projects like he’s powered by a small generator.
I t was great to see the Dakota Prairie Associates crew in Valley City and their downtown office is a gem!
We know how meaningful work can be when it aligns with your values. At Thrivent, our financial advisors are encouraged to bring their whole selves to their career - including the beliefs that guide them every day.
Explore a rewarding career opportunity: thriventcareers.com/4iCEMVP
Ready for a new chapter in your career? If you’ve been successful connecting with people, earning trust and delivering results, you may be a great fit for our team.
As a Thrivent financial advisor, you’ll have the opportunity to:
✔️ Help clients gain financial clarity and confidence
✔️ Grow with rewarding pay and ongoing support
✔️ Shape a career where your skills create
lasting impact
Learn more about our financial advisor paths: thriventcareers.com/4oDKg4q
🎉 Welcome Heath Glenn to Thrivent! 🎉
Last night, the Williston community came together to celebrate the beginning of Heath Glenn’s journey as Thrivent’s newest advisor! His open house was a fantastic reflection of the energy and heart he brings to his work—and the strong support surrounding him. (Plus, there were DQ Blizzards!)
Heath is stepping into his new role alongside a phenomenal team in the Williston office, including longtime advisors Stuart Langager and Greg Iverson. We were also thrilled to have Minot’s Andy and Teal Leraas join the celebration!
Please join us in congratulating Heath on this exciting milestone. We’re confident he’ll make a meaningful impact in the lives of those he serves in Williston and beyond. 💼🌟
#Thrivent #WillistonND #DiscoverDevelopDeliver
We believe that being a financial advisor isn’t just about growing wealth. It’s about helping others create lives filled with purpose and generosity—and creating that life for yourself, too.
As a Thrivent financial advisor, you’ll benefit from:
🌟 A supportive, values-driven culture
🌟 Attractive pay and benefits
🌟 Opportunities to advance your career
Whether you’re an experienced financial advisor or transitioning into the field, you’ll have the tools, independence and support you need to succeed.
Learn more: thriventcareers.com/4qAM53Y
🌟 Welcome Brenda Clark to Thrivent! 🌟
We’re thrilled to welcome Brenda to our Thrivent team in the Northland Area — serving eastern Montana and the western two-thirds of North Dakota. Hailing from Loring, MT, Brenda brings a genuine, good-natured, and down-to-earth spirit that fits perfectly with our mission and culture.
She’s got a wonderful family, a heart for helping others, and we can’t wait for you to meet her someday. Please help us give Brenda a big welcome to Thrivent! 👏💛
The Humility of the Spreadsheet
I’ve been in enough leadership meetings to know that a spreadsheet can be a powerful tool. It can track budgets, measure outcomes, and, if you’re not careful, drain the very soul out of a room. If you’ve ever tried to motivate a team of smart, tired people with a pivot table, you know what humility feels like. It’s the quiet realization that your perfectly crafted formulas don’t account for the messy, unpredictable, and deeply human parts of the work.
And that’s where the good stuff starts.
I grew up in the Midwest, where humor isn’t so much a performance as it is a utility. It’s the oil that keeps the gears from grinding, the gentle nod that says, “I see you, this is hard, and we’re in it together.” We learn early on that taking your work seriously is different from taking yourself seriously. The former is about competence; the latter is a fast track to becoming the guy everyone avoids at the potluck.
There’s a certain kind of leader who believes their job is to be the hero of the story. They have the vision, they make the tough calls, and they expect the team to fall in line. I’ve never found that particularly inspiring. It’s lonely at the top, they say, but I’ve always thought that if you’re lonely, you’re probably doing it wrong. The best leaders I know aren’t trying to be heroes; they’re just trying to be human in the story.
They’re the ones who can laugh at their own quirks. They’ll admit they once tried to fix a morale problem with a memo or thought a new coffee machine would make up for a brutal quarter. That kind of self-awareness is a gift. It doesn’t undermine authority; it builds a bridge. When a leader can say, “Well, that didn’t work,” it gives everyone else permission to be imperfect, too. And in that space, real innovation happens. No one ever came up with a brilliant idea when they were terrified of being wrong.
I think of it like teaching my boys to fish. One of them loves it. He’ll sit there for hours, patient as anything, watching the line, asking questions about lures and weather patterns. The other one? He could not care less. He’s there because I’m there, and he’d rather be skipping rocks or poking around in the mud. My job isn’t to force them both to love fishing the same way. It’s to create a morning where one kid gets to feel the thrill of reeling something in, and the other gets to feel like it’s okay to be bored sometimes — and that we’re still spending time together. It’s about finding a little joy in the mess, even when the mess includes a tangled line and a kid who’s already asking when we can leave.
That’s what humor and humility do. They’re not distractions from the serious work; they’re the tools that make the work possible. Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. It’s the pressure release valve that lets out the tension before it builds into something corrosive. And humility is the quiet confidence that you don’t have to have all the answers. It’s the understanding that the collective wisdom of the team will always be greater than your own.
In the end, the work matters. It matters deeply. But the spreadsheet will never be the whole story. The real story is written in the moments of connection, the shared laughter after a long day, and the quiet grace we give each other when things don’t go according to plan. It’s about building something meaningful, together, with people you respect. And if you can do that, well, that’s a metric worth tracking.
Sequence of returns risk: What it means for your retirementThe market can shift at any time, and big drops early in retirement could affect your savings. The right approach can help keep your savings resilient. Check out this article, then reach out to talk through ways to help protect your savings.👇
After an impactful business planning meeting in Denver, I was grateful to return home to Bismarck a little earlier than expected.
My daughter noticed on Life360 that I was back—and within minutes, I got a text: "Dad, want to go on a little date for a milkshake?"
My treat. Her idea. And I didn’t hesitate.
Mel Robbins often says: “You can’t control how you feel. But you can always choose how you act.” That moment reminded me—being a good dad, a good husband, a good friend… those are the choices that matter most. They’re the foundation that allows me to show up as a good work colleague.
I’m deeply grateful for the meaningful work. But I’m even more grateful for the people who make it all worth it—especially here at home in Bismarck.
#Gratitude #Thrivent #DiscoverDevelopDeliver
At Thrivent, there’s no one-size-fits-all path to success as a financial advisor.
Whether you’re drawn to the freedom of building your own practice, the collaboration of working on a team, or the flexibility of serving clients virtually, you’ll do work that matters while building a career that’s truly your own.
Each career path offers training, support and the freedom to grow on your terms.
➡️ Explore all paths: thriventcareers.com/4nvkkrJ
Help your money last in retirementA long life is a gift—let’s help make sure your finances can keep up. Start by building financial resilience against inflation, market swings, and rising health and care costs.
Build a future that aligns with your goals at Thrivent.
As a financial advisor, you’ll enjoy an inclusive, collaborative workplace where you can build a rewarding career and make an impact on the people and communities that matter to you. You’ll have access to the right tools, unmatched team support and an ecosystem designed to grow with you as your career evolves.
Explore the opportunities: thriventcareers.com/3IPgAlD
10 Years of Purpose at Thrivent
Today marks a milestone I never imagined when I first stepped into this—10 years with Thrivent.
One of the reasons I’ve truly enjoyed this journey is because of how it began—as a client. My wife and I were fortunate to wo rk with a dedicated Thrivent professional, Andy Wintermute, whose approach helped us experience the value of thoughtful, values-based financial conversations. That experience planted a seed that eventually grew into a calling.
I’m forever grateful to those who believed in me and supported a leap of faith into this meaningful work:
Mike Paulson, Sherry Cooper, Arika Johnson, Andy Wintermute, Ron Gullet, Andy Leraas—thank you.
And to those who continue to collaborate in this mission-driven work:
John O’Day, Ali Schumacher, Kelly Edwards, Ryan Ruckdashel—you make this journey meaningful.
What a gift it is to work alongside the newest advisors in our area:
Brenda Clark, Karyn Lembke, Pam Nieuwenhuis, Heath Glenn, Kristy Coleman, Trevor Opp, Travis Thielges, Teal Leraas, and Cade Strasheim.
It’s been an honor to support communities across Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana with a team that lives out our values every day. Our experienced advisors—those with 5, 10, 15, 20+ years—are truly the salt of the earth.
Here’s to the next chapter—and to continuing to invite great people into a career that makes a difference.
Discover. Develop. Deliver.
💬 If you’re searching for a career with purpose, impact, and community—don’t ignore that nudge. (I did for a while.) It might just lead you somewhere you never imagined… and exactly where you’re meant to be.
#Thrivent #CareerWithPurpose #Gratitude #10YearAnniversary #DiscoverDevelopDeliver #Leadership #Impact.
Is your goal to grow, serve others and lead with purpose? Join us in a career where you can thrive.
As a Thrivent financial advisor, you’ll benefit from:
✔️ A supportive culture rooted in values and community
✔️ Attractive income potential
✔️ Ongoing training and development
✔️ Flexible career paths tailored to your goals
✔️ Work that makes a lasting impact
Start your journey 👉 thriventcareers.com/4nUFcbC
Grateful and honored to be part of the 2025–2026 Leadership Bismarck-Mandan cohort. The caliber of entrepreneurs and successful leaders in this group is extraordinary, and it’s great to be surrounded by so many people who are smart, funny, considerate, systematic and direct.
Plus, today there were doughnuts!
Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC
