Insights
#FinancialFreedomFriday | Open Enrollment Edition
Open enrollment can become one of those things we put on autopilot.
Email arrives.
Benefits portal opens.
Click. Click. Click.
“Same as last year.”
Done.
But before you hit submit, ask yourself:
Is your life the same as last year?
Maybe your income changed.
Maybe you got married or divorced.
Maybe you welcomed a child or grandchild.
Maybe retirement is one year closer.
Maybe your health expenses changed.
Maybe you're helping aging parents.
Maybe your financial priorities simply aren't what they were 12 months ago.
Your employer benefits are part of your overall financial picture. Your health coverage, retirement contributions, HSA or FSA elections, life and disability coverage, beneficiaries, and other available benefits can all deserve another look.
Open enrollment isn't just a time to renew benefits.
It's an opportunity to ask whether the choices you're making at work still coordinate with the financial strategy you're building outside of work.
📌 Don't renew last year's decisions without reviewing this year's life.
Take the extra few minutes.
Ask the questions.
Understand your options.
Then make an informed decision.
📩 If you're looking at your benefits package and wondering how those choices fit into your bigger financial picture, DM me. Let's look at the whole plan—not just the enrollment screen.
#FinancialFreedomFriday #OpenEnrollment #FinancialPlanning #FinancialClarity
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#ThriveThursday | Don’t Let One Tax Bucket Become Your Whole Strategy
Open enrollment is a good time to look at more than just your benefits.
It’s also an opportunity to look at where your retirement dollars are going.
For many people, most—or even all—of their retirement savings may be accumulating in a tax-deferred bucket.
That can provide valuable tax advantages today.
But remember what “tax-deferred” means:
The taxes are deferred. They aren’t necessarily eliminated.
When retirement comes, withdrawals from tax-deferred accounts are generally taxable as ordinary income.
So instead of only asking:
“How much should I contribute?”
Consider another question:
“Am I building different tax buckets for my future?”
Depending on your circumstances and the options available to you, that could mean considering a mix of:
Tax-deferred money — taxes generally paid when withdrawn.
Tax-free money — when applicable requirements are met.
Taxable money — which may provide another source of assets and flexibility.
The goal isn't to predict what tax rates will be decades from now.
It’s to recognize that having money with different tax treatments may give you more options when deciding where retirement income comes from.
So during open enrollment, don't automatically check the same boxes you checked last year.
Review. Ask questions. Understand your options. Then make an informed decision.
Because diversification shouldn't necessarily stop with your investments.
It can also include how your money may be taxed.
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#ThriveThursday #OpenEnrollment #TaxDiversification #RetirementPlanning
#TruthfulTuesday — Open Enrollment: Don’t Just Click “Same as Last Year”
Open enrollment arrives, and it’s tempting to do the easiest thing:
Keep everything the same.
But before you click that button, ask yourself:
Is everything actually the same?
Did you get married?
Have a child?
Get divorced?
Lose someone you love?
Buy a home?
Experience a significant change in income?
Has your health or your family’s healthcare needs changed?
Are the beneficiaries listed on your benefits still the people you want them to be?
Open enrollment isn't just about comparing health plans and deductibles. It can be an opportunity to review your benefits and make sure your elections still reflect the life you're living today.
Because there's one detail we don't like talking about:
Some mistakes aren't discovered until it's too late to correct them.
If beneficiary information or other important elections no longer reflect your intentions, your family may be the ones dealing with the consequences.
That's when families can be left saying:
“We didn't think about that.”
Truth: Your life can change faster than your paperwork does.
Don't assume last year's decisions still fit this year's life.
Use open enrollment as your reminder to review your coverage, beneficiaries, protection needs, and other available benefits.
And don't just ask, “What did I choose last year?”
Ask:
“What has changed since then?”
Because planning isn't only about preparing for tomorrow.
It's also about making sure your decisions accurately reflect today.
#TruthfulTuesday #OpenEnrollment #IDidntThinkAboutThat #FinancialPlanning #BeneficiaryReview
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#MoneyMovesMonday
Open enrollment is here. Don't just click “same as last year.”
For many employees, open enrollment becomes an annual routine:
Log in.
Keep the same choices.
Click submit.
Done.
But a lot can change in a year.
Your income may have changed.
Your family may have changed.
Your health care needs may have changed.
Your financial goals may have changed.
And your employer's benefits may have changed, too.
This is a good time to review more than just your health insurance.
Take another look at your:
✔️ Health plan options
✔️ HSA or FSA elections
✔️ Life insurance benefits
✔️ Disability coverage
✔️ Retirement contributions
✔️ Beneficiary designations
✔️ Other benefits available through your employer
The question isn't simply:
“What did I choose last year?”
Ask:
“Do these choices still fit my life and my financial strategy today?”
Your workplace benefits can be an important part of your overall financial picture.
This week's money move: Don't automatically renew. Review.
📩 If you'd like help understanding how your workplace benefits fit with the rest of your financial strategy, let's talk.
#MoneyMovesMonday #OpenEnrollment #EmployeeBenefits #FinancialPlanning #WorkplaceBenefits #Thrivent
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#WisdomWednesday
Open enrollment isn't only about choosing benefits. It may also be an opportunity to make sure you're not leaving part of your compensation on the table.
If your employer offers a retirement plan with a company match, that match is part of your benefits package.
But depending on how the plan works, you may have to contribute enough to receive the full available match.
Think about that for a moment.
You negotiated your salary.
You show up for work.
You earn your benefits.
But if you haven't reviewed your retirement contribution lately, you could be missing an opportunity your employer already provides.
Open enrollment season is a good reminder to look beyond health insurance and ask:
“Am I taking full advantage of the benefits available to me?”
Review the match formula.
Know how much you're contributing.
Understand any eligibility or vesting requirements.
And determine what contribution level makes sense for your overall financial situation.
You don't have to blindly select the same options you chose last year.
Wisdom is understanding what your employer offers—and making an informed decision about how those benefits fit into your financial plan.
#WisdomWednesday #OpenEnrollment #RetirementPlanning #401k #EmployeeBenefits #FinancialWisdom
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#TruthfulTuesday — Open Enrollment: Don’t Just Click “Same as Last Year”
Open enrollment arrives, and it’s tempting to do the easiest thing:
Keep everything the same.
But before you click that button, ask yourself:
Is everything actually the same?
Did you get married?
Have a child?
Get divorced?
Lose someone you love?
Buy a home?
Experience a significant change in income?
Has your health or your family’s healthcare needs changed?
Are the beneficiaries listed on your benefits still the people you want them to be?
Open enrollment isn't just about comparing health plans and deductibles. It can be an opportunity to review your benefits and make sure your elections still reflect the life you're living today.
Because there's one detail we don't like talking about:
Some mistakes aren't discovered until it's too late to correct them.
If beneficiary information or other important elections no longer reflect your intentions, your family may be the ones dealing with the consequences.
That's when families can be left saying:
“We didn't think about that.”
Truth: Your life can change faster than your paperwork does.
Don't assume last year's decisions still fit this year's life.
Use open enrollment as your reminder to review your coverage, beneficiaries, protection needs, and other available benefits.
And don't just ask, “What did I choose last year?”
Ask:
“What has changed since then?”
Because planning isn't only about preparing for tomorrow.
It's also about making sure your decisions accurately reflect today.
#TruthfulTuesday #OpenEnrollment #IDidntThinkAboutThat #FinancialPlanning #BeneficiaryReview
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#MoneyMovesMonday
Open enrollment is here. Don't just click “same as last year.”
For many employees, open enrollment becomes an annual routine:
Log in.
Keep the same choices.
Click submit.
Done.
But a lot can change in a year.
Your income may have changed.
Your family may have changed.
Your health care needs may have changed.
Your financial goals may have changed.
And your employer's benefits may have changed, too.
This is a good time to review more than just your health insurance.
Take another look at your:
✔️ Health plan options
✔️ HSA or FSA elections
✔️ Life insurance benefits
✔️ Disability coverage
✔️ Retirement contributions
✔️ Beneficiary designations
✔️ Other benefits available through your employer
The question isn't simply:
“What did I choose last year?”
Ask:
“Do these choices still fit my life and my financial strategy today?”
Your workplace benefits can be an important part of your overall financial picture.
This week's money move: Don't automatically renew. Review.
📩 If you'd like help understanding how your workplace benefits fit with the rest of your financial strategy, let's talk.
#MoneyMovesMonday #OpenEnrollment #EmployeeBenefits #FinancialPlanning #WorkplaceBenefits #Thrivent
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#FinancialFreedomFriday
Quick question:
If I asked you why you own each investment or financial product you have, could you answer?
Not where it is.
Not how much is in it.
Not who sold it to you.
Why do you have it?
What job is your 401(k) supposed to do?
Why is that money sitting in savings?
What purpose does that insurance policy serve today?
How does that investment fit into your retirement strategy?
What is supposed to provide income later?
What are you doing to protect what you've accumulated?
Sometimes we collect financial products over decades without ever stopping to ask whether they still fit the life we're living—or the future we're preparing for.
Ownership without understanding isn't a strategy.
Financial freedom includes understanding your money well enough to know what you have, why you have it, and how each piece relates to your goals.
Your financial plan shouldn't be a collection of things you've accumulated.
Every piece should have a purpose.
📌 If you can't explain what something in your financial life is supposed to accomplish, it may be time to review it.
📩 DM me. Let's look at what you have and make sure you understand how each piece fits into the bigger picture.
#FinancialFreedomFriday #FinancialClarity #FinancialPlanning #FaithAndFinance
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#ThriveThursday | Your Plan Should Be Built for Real Life
A financial plan can look great when everything goes according to plan.
But life rarely does.
The car needs a major repair.
The roof starts leaking.
A job changes unexpectedly.
A family member needs help.
An opportunity comes along that you weren’t expecting.
That’s why financial planning shouldn’t only be designed around the life you expect to happen.
It should also consider the life that might happen.
Do you have reserves?
Is your family appropriately protected?
Does your strategy have enough flexibility to adjust?
Are you so financially stretched that one unexpected expense changes everything?
You can't prepare for every possibility.
But you can build a financial strategy that recognizes something unexpected will eventually happen.
A good plan doesn't require life to go perfectly.
It gives you a framework for adjusting when it doesn't.
That’s part of what it means to thrive.
If your financial strategy only works when everything goes according to plan, maybe it's time to take another look.
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#ThriveThursday #FinancialPlanning #FinancialPreparedness #FinancialClarity
#WisdomWednesday
Your financial life has a maintenance schedule—even if nobody gave you the manual.
Think about your car.
You don’t buy it, drive it for 10 years, and assume that because it’s still moving, everything must be fine.
You check the oil.
Rotate the tires.
Replace worn parts.
Pay attention when something changes.
Not because you expect the car to break down tomorrow—but because things change with use and time.
Your financial life changes too.
Income changes.
Expenses change.
Families change.
Goals change.
Tax laws change.
Retirement gets closer.
Yet sometimes we make a financial decision at 35, 45, or 55 and never look at it again.
Having a financial plan is important.
Maintaining it is part of the plan.
Maybe it doesn't need an overhaul. Maybe everything is still aligned with your goals.
But you won't know unless you look under the hood occasionally.
Wisdom is knowing that “I already took care of that” and “I recently reviewed that” aren't necessarily the same thing.
#WisdomWednesday #FinancialPlanning #FinancialWisdom #RetirementPlanning #PlanWithPurpose
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#TruthfulTuesday — When Did You Last Look?
You have a financial plan.
Great.
But when was the last time you actually looked at it?
Since you created it, maybe…
Your income changed.
Your family changed.
You changed jobs.
You bought a home.
Your children grew up.
Your priorities changed.
Your retirement got closer.
Or maybe life simply didn't unfold exactly the way you expected.
Yet the financial decisions you made years ago may still be operating as if nothing changed.
That's when I sometimes hear:
“I didn't think about that.”
Here's the truth:
A plan built for the life you had may not fit the life you have.
Financial planning isn't necessarily something you do once and put on a shelf. It's something you revisit as your circumstances, goals, and priorities evolve.
Sometimes you don't need an entirely new plan.
You just need to make sure the one you have still points toward where you're trying to go now.
When was the last time you reviewed yours?
#TruthfulTuesday #IDidntThinkAboutThat #FinancialPlanning #PlanWithPurpose #FinancialWisdom
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#MoneyMovesMonday
Doing nothing is still a financial decision.
“I’ll increase my contribution later.”
“I’ll finally look at that old 401(k) later.”
“I’ll review my insurance later.”
“I’ll make an appointment with an advisor later.”
Later has a way of becoming next month… next year… someday.
You don't have to fix everything today.
But you can do one thing.
Make the call.
Schedule the meeting.
Review the account.
Increase the contribution.
Ask the question you've been putting off.
As we head into the final quarter of the year, don't focus only on what you haven't done.
Ask yourself:
“What's one financial decision I can make now?”
Then start there.
📩 If that first step is having a conversation, DM me. Let's talk.
#MoneyMovesMonday #FinancialPlanning #TakeAction #FinancialDecisions #PurposeDrivenPlanning #Thrivent
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#FinancialFreedomFriday
A bigger paycheck can give you more options.
But it doesn't automatically give you a better financial future.
Because here's what often happens:
Income goes up.
The house gets bigger.
The car gets nicer.
Vacations get more expensive.
Subscriptions multiply.
And somehow, despite earning more…
there still isn't much left.
That's lifestyle creep.
And if you're not intentional, every raise can simply become permission to spend more.
Financial freedom isn't determined by how impressive your income looks.
It's influenced by what you intentionally do with the resources you have.
When your income increases, ask yourself:
How much of this should improve my lifestyle—and how much should improve my financial position?
Maybe you increase retirement contributions.
Build your emergency reserves.
Address debt.
Review your protection strategy.
Invest toward another goal.
Or prepare for the legacy you want to leave.
📌 Don't let every increase in income automatically become an increase in lifestyle.
Give some of tomorrow's goals a raise, too.
📩 If you're earning more but wondering why you don't feel like you're making financial progress, let's talk. We can look at where you are, where you want to go, and how your resources can be aligned with those goals.
#FinancialFreedomFriday #FinancialPlanning #LifestyleCreep #FinancialClarity
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#ThriveThursday | Autopilot Still Needs a Destination
Automatic contributions are great.
Your 401(k) comes out of every paycheck.
Money automatically moves into savings.
Your investments receive regular contributions.
Bills are on autopay.
So everything must be on track...right?
Not necessarily.
Automation can keep you moving.
But it can't determine whether you're still moving in the right direction.
Your income may have changed.
Your family may have changed.
Your goals may have changed.
Retirement may be closer than it was the last time you reviewed your strategy.
And something you set up years ago may still be doing exactly what you told it to do—even if that's no longer what you need it to do.
That's why financial planning requires more than “set it and forget it.”
Automate the habits that make sense.
But periodically review the destination.
Autopilot can keep you moving.
A plan helps determine where you're going.
When was the last time you checked whether your financial strategy still matches your destination?
Let's take a look.
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#ThriveThursday #FinancialPlanning #FinancialClarity #ReviewYourPlan
#WisdomWednesday
Your financial plan shouldn’t depend on everything going right.
Most of us make plans based on what we expect to happen.
The paycheck continues.
The car keeps running.
The house doesn’t need a major repair.
Everyone stays employed.
Retirement happens when we expect it to.
But life doesn’t always follow the script.
That doesn’t mean you should plan for every possible thing that could go wrong.
It means asking a better question:
“If something changes, does my plan give me options?”
An emergency fund.
Appropriate insurance coverage.
Manageable debt.
Diversified resources.
A retirement strategy that can be reviewed and adjusted as circumstances change.
These aren't predictions about what will happen.
They're ways of preparing for the possibility that life may look different tomorrow than it does today.
Wisdom is not trying to predict every detour.
It’s building a plan that can be reviewed when the road changes.
#WisdomWednesday #FinancialPlanning #FinancialWisdom #PlanWithPurpose
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#TruthfulTuesday — A Collection Isn't a Plan
You have a 401(k).
An IRA.
Some life insurance.
Maybe an old retirement account from a previous employer.
Savings.
Investments.
Maybe even an estate plan.
That's great.
But here's the question:
Do all of those things actually work together?
Having financial products isn't necessarily the same as having a financial plan.
Each account may have been opened at a different time, for a different reason, based on what made sense at that moment.
But who's looking at the whole picture?
Does your investment strategy support your retirement income goals?
Does your protection strategy match what you're trying to protect?
Do your beneficiaries reflect what you want today?
Have taxes been considered?
Does your estate plan align with everything else?
That's when I sometimes hear:
“I didn't think about that.”
Truth: A collection of financial products is not automatically a financial plan.
Think about an orchestra.
Every musician can be talented. Every instrument can be excellent.
But without coordination, you don't necessarily get music.
Your financial life works the same way.
The goal isn't simply to own more financial products.
It's to have every piece working together toward your goals, your values, and your legacy.
That's what a plan is supposed to do.
#TruthfulTuesday #IDidntThinkAboutThat #FinancialPlanning #RetirementPlanning #PlanWithPurpose
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#MoneyMovesMonday
A 401(k) is not a financial plan.
Neither is an IRA.
Neither is life insurance.
Neither is an investment account.
They are tools.
And having good tools doesn't automatically mean you have a good plan.
Think about it this way:
You can own a hammer, a saw, a drill, and every tool in the hardware store...
That doesn't mean you know what you're building.
Your financial tools should work together toward something:
The retirement you envision.
The family you want to protect.
The experiences you want to enjoy.
The legacy you want to leave.
The question isn't simply:
“What financial products do I own?”
It's:
“What are they working together to accomplish?”
That's where planning begins.
This week's money move: Take inventory of the financial tools you already have—and make sure there's a plan connecting them.
📩 If you have the tools but aren't sure what you're building, let's talk.
#MoneyMovesMonday #FinancialPlanning #FinancialStrategy #PurposeDrivenPlanning #Thrivent
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#FinancialFreedomFriday
“I’m putting money away.”
That sounds responsible.
But there’s another question that matters:
“Am I putting away enough for what I actually want?”
You can contribute to your retirement account every paycheck.
You can have savings.
You can own investments.
You can pay your bills on time.
And still have no idea whether you're on track for the future you envision.
Because saving money and having a strategy are not the same thing.
How much might retirement require?
What income sources may be available?
What happens if you retire earlier—or later—than expected?
How could inflation, taxes, healthcare, or a market downturn affect the plan?
Those are the questions that turn “I think I'm doing okay” into a clearer understanding of where you stand.
Financial freedom isn't just accumulating money.
It's having the clarity to know what you're preparing for and why.
📌 Stop asking, “Am I saving?”
Start asking, “Am I on track?”
📩 If you don't know the answer, that's a conversation worth having. DM me and let's look at where you are, where you want to go, and what steps may help connect the two.
#FinancialFreedomFriday #FinancialClarity #RetirementPlanning #FaithAndFinance
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#ThriveThursday | Leave Some Room in Your Financial Life
Every dollar doesn’t need to be spent.
Every raise doesn’t require a lifestyle upgrade.
Every bit of available credit doesn’t need to be used.
Sometimes one of the healthiest things you can create financially is simply...
MARGIN.
Room for the unexpected.
Room to give.
Room to enjoy life.
Room to handle an opportunity you didn’t see coming.
Room to make a decision without immediately wondering, “How am I going to pay for this?”
When every dollar is already committed, even a small disruption can feel like a major financial crisis.
But when you intentionally create some breathing room, you give yourself something valuable:
Options.
Financial planning isn't only about what you're trying to accumulate someday.
It's also about creating enough flexibility to live your life today without constantly feeling financially stretched.
You don't have to fill every available space.
Sometimes the space is part of the plan.
If your finances don't have much breathing room, let's talk about how we can begin creating some.
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.
#ThriveThursday #FinancialMargin #FinancialClarity #PurposeDrivenWealth
#WisdomWednesday
A spare key only helps if someone knows where to find it.
You can have everything organized in your own mind.
You know where the accounts are.
You know which bills get paid automatically.
You know where the insurance policies are.
You know who to call.
You know the passwords—or at least how to access them.
But does your spouse or family know?
Financial planning isn't only about preparing for retirement. It's also about making sure the people you love aren't left trying to piece everything together during a difficult moment.
That doesn't mean sharing every password or giving up control.
It means having an organized plan for how important financial information can be located and accessed when it's truly needed.
Think of it like leaving a spare key.
You hope no one ever needs it because of an emergency.
But if that day comes, you don't want the people you love standing outside the door wondering how to get in.
Wisdom is not just having a plan.
It's making sure the right people know how to find it.
#WisdomWednesday #FinancialPlanning #FinancialWisdom #LegacyPlanning
📌 See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.