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Insights

I've got valuable information and resources to share. Explore away! And check back often.

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A foundational principle in one's financial life is what some have called, "The Eighth Wonder of the World." That is . . . compound interest. The bottom line . . . start sooner than later. In Morgan Housel's book, "The Psychology of Money" his fourth chapter is titled as Confounding Compounding. And it is truly confounding. For instants, Warren Buffett's $81.5 billion of Warren Buffett's $84.5 billion net worth came after his 65th birthday. Housel writes, "Our minds are not built to handle such absurdities." Start early, let me show how. Hypothetical example is for illustrative purposes. May not be representative of actual results. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

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A foundational principle in one's financial life is what some have called, "The Eighth Wonder of the World." That is . . . compound interest. The bottom line . . . start sooner than later. In Morgan Housel's book, "The Psychology of Money" his fourth chapter is titled as Confounding Compounding. And it is truly confounding. For instants, Warren Buffett's $81.5 billion of Warren Buffett's $84.5 billion net worth came after his 65th birthday. Housel writes, "Our minds are not built to handle such absurdities." Start early, let me show how. Hypothetical example is for illustrative purposes. May not be representative of actual results. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

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What's one of the hardest financial skills? Getting the goal post to stop moving. Continuing my series on "The Psychology of Money", Morgan Housel identifies the human problem of "Never Enough." In our world of social comparison, promoted shamelessly by curated social media posts, there is a temptation to keep moving one's financial goals based upon the envy of others. Another temptation is to glory in one's success without thinking about how that God-given success is to be leveraged for others. Financial planning requires regular check ins from your financial advisor. All of us need to have the challenging questions of, "When is enough, enough?" and "How are you going to give your God-given success away?" Allow me to walk this journey of life with you . . . a journey that requires hard but value questions. See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

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What's one of the hardest financial skills? Getting the goal post to stop moving. Continuing my series on "The Psychology of Money", Morgan Housel identifies the human problem of "Never Enough." In our world of social comparison, promoted shamelessly by curated social media posts, there is a temptation to keep moving one's financial goals based upon the envy of others. Another temptation is to glory in one's success without thinking about how that God-given success is to be leveraged for others. Financial planning requires regular check ins from your financial advisor. All of us need to have the challenging questions of, "When is enough, enough?" and "How are you going to give your God-given success away?" Allow me to walk this journey of life with you . . . a journey that requires hard but value questions. See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

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You are not crazy! A timeless lesson from "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel is that what we do with our money may seem crazy to one person, but not to another. Certainly not to you. Often an advisor will present a recommendation to invest or insure based solely on a rational set of numbers. But while that may be rational it may not be "reasonable". Reasonable takes into account more than math, it takes it to account one's values, experiences and personality. An advisor who knows you; knows your values, experiences and personality will give recommendations that may seem "crazy" in terms of the math, but fits who you are as a person. I'm here to say, "You're not crazy."

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You are not crazy! A timeless lesson from "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel is that what we do with our money may seem crazy to one person, but not to another. Certainly not to you. Often an advisor will present a recommendation to invest or insure based solely on a rational set of numbers. But while that may be rational it may not be "reasonable". Reasonable takes into account more than math, it takes it to account one's values, experiences and personality. An advisor who knows you; knows your values, experiences and personality will give recommendations that may seem "crazy" in terms of the math, but fits who you are as a person. I'm here to say, "You're not crazy."

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September 2025 Market Update: Expectations for lower rates return

Economic data from August showed that growth is slowing. Read Thrivent's September market update to learn more.

August economic data helped increase market expectations for lower rates to come.

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Reading "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel. There are some great nuggets here in terms of how we understand money. In my coming posts, I will share a few thoughts. One nugget comes from the chapter, "You'll Change", alluding to the fact that what we thought about how our lives would look when we were 20 is a lot different in reality in our 40s. We really do change. Thus this begs for the importance of meeting with your advisor at least once a year to adjust to the changes that inevitably come over time.

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Reading "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel. There are some great nuggets here in terms of how we understand money. In my coming posts, I will share a few thoughts. One nugget comes from the chapter, "You'll Change", alluding to the fact that what we thought about how our lives would look when we were 20 is a lot different in reality in our 40s. We really do change. Thus this begs for the importance of meeting with your advisor at least once a year to adjust to the changes that inevitably come over time.

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Are you curious about qualified charitable distributions (QCDs)? Reach out to learn more about tax-smart charitable giving at age 70½ or older. See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

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Are you curious about qualified charitable distributions (QCDs)? Reach out to learn more about tax-smart charitable giving at age 70½ or older. See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

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8 ways to get serious about paying off student loan debt

Is paying off your student loans high up on your priority list? Here are ways to pay off your loans faster, while managing your other financial priorities. ⬇️

While the value of education is priceless, student loan debt you've accrued can follow you long into the future. If you're looking for ways to pay off your...

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2025 Midyear Market Outlook

Will market volatility continue into the second half of 2025? Thrivent leaders share thoughts on what may happen in the Midyear Market Outlook.

We don’t anticipate the market roller coaster will get less bumpy in the second half of 2025.

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I was able to celebrate with Support Inc. and their newest location for day services. Support Inc.'s value statement is this: "Every day is a day to thrive. That’s why our mission is simple: to serve intellectually and developmentally disabled clients in innovative, personalized and cost-effective ways." A great organization to have in Greeley supporting our community of adults who are intellectually and developmentally disabled. Pictured here are Brian Farestad, Vice President of Operations and Eric Nielsen (son of a Lutheran pastor and fully aware of Thrivent), Senior Director of Operations.

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I was able to celebrate with Support Inc. and their newest location for day services. Support Inc.'s value statement is this: "Every day is a day to thrive. That’s why our mission is simple: to serve intellectually and developmentally disabled clients in innovative, personalized and cost-effective ways." A great organization to have in Greeley supporting our community of adults who are intellectually and developmentally disabled. Pictured here are Brian Farestad, Vice President of Operations and Eric Nielsen (son of a Lutheran pastor and fully aware of Thrivent), Senior Director of Operations.

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What a great weekend. On Saturday we had the privilege of being hole 6 sponsor at the Genesis Project of Northern Colorado's golf scramble. The Genesis Project of Northern Colorado offers assistance to single mothers who need assistance to gain self-sufficiency and independence. On Sunday after morning worship, my wife and I, hiked up to Bridal Veil Falls at Rocky Mountain National Park. Like I said, what a great weekend.

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What a great weekend. On Saturday we had the privilege of being hole 6 sponsor at the Genesis Project of Northern Colorado's golf scramble. The Genesis Project of Northern Colorado offers assistance to single mothers who need assistance to gain self-sufficiency and independence. On Sunday after morning worship, my wife and I, hiked up to Bridal Veil Falls at Rocky Mountain National Park. Like I said, what a great weekend.

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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.

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For additional information on professional designations and the requirements to earn them, visit https://www.thrivent.com/designations

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