The Stewardship Podcast

The following is a fictional story of a financial apocalypse - a dramatic imagining of what the scenario might look like if all financial markets collapsed. This is NOT a true story. But it's designed to illustrate a point. Some people think that you need to start stuffing cash into your mattress and keep your wealth out of the stock market and the banks. Is this level of mistrust wise? Is it smart for anyone to liquidate assets to protect against out-of-control inflation? Grant and Daniel take some time to break down the plot points of this dramatic armageddon and tease out what this would look like in reality, and then offer some practical, sober-minded tactics if you are really concerned about our economy deconstructing.Being cautious isn't foolish. We are all stewards. So is it good stewardship to stockpile cash? Or are there better ways to protect those we love and live with peace of mind in these unprecedented times?You can read the full story below. It was written by chat.gpt, an artificial intelligence."The economy was booming. People were investing in stocks left and right, buying houses, and enjoying the good life. But then something happened that nobody saw coming - inflation went through the roof.At first, people thought it was just a blip on the radar, but as the weeks turned into months and the months turned into years, it became clear that this was no ordinary inflation. The dollar became worthless, and people were struggling to buy even the most basic necessities.As the situation worsened, the stock market crashed, dropping to zero overnight. People who had invested their life savings lost everything, and those who had borrowed to invest found themselves in debt they could never repay.Banks were the next to feel the effects of the financial apocalypse. They were on the verge of collapse, and the only way to prevent this was to seize assets. And so, they started repossessing homes - one after another.People were left homeless and without any means of support. They had no money, no shelter, and no hope. Riots broke out across the country as people demanded justice, but the damage was already done.In the end, the financial apocalypse destroyed everything that people had worked so hard to build. It left behind a trail of destruction and despair that would take generations to repair. And all because of greed and the pursuit of wealth at any cost.The lesson to be learned from this story is that sometimes, we need to take a step back and re-evaluate our priorities. Money should never be the sole focus of our lives, and we should always strive to make choices that benefit society as a whole."

As parents, we want the best for our kids. When they are trying to make decisions about school, it may be tempting to tell them exactly how to make this decision. Today, Jean Klinkhamer sits down to share his experiences with guiding his children through this journey and Marshall Tague joins to share his perspective as a former basketball coach and as a father himself. Our hope with this episode is to encourage you as a parent. This season can be complicated and fraught with emotions and biases. We want to help you avoid some unexpected pitfalls and truly steward your children through this transition. The fact is, when our kids are 15, 16, and 17, it's no longer time for us to be telling them precisely what to do. So this podcast is designed to help you open up your paradigm of higher education and equip you to ask the right questions to become a true partner alongside your budding young adult. Here are some of the resources that Jean mentioned in the episode:The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and MoneyMagi InitiativeKolbe IndexClifton StrengthsAnd here you can listen to a short deleted clip from the show!Deleted Clipin that clip, Jean talks about a tuition organization that is helping make college more affordable for any kids who decide on that path.Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)Here are some other episodes about college choice:Are You Ready For The Launch? An interview with Amy CarneySolving Student Loans with Jarred KuiperMake Better Decisions - One Choice At A Time

What do you think of when you hear the word "retirement?"Our impression is that many people think retirement is like the final vacation, where work is over, and it's just time to kick back and go fishing every day until the end. Alternatively, some folks really assume that they'll never really retire and just find other work to do. Some people look forward to this stage of life, and others may dread it. Our belief is that we should ALL look forward to this next stage - because it's not the end of a career - it's the beginning of a whole new stage of impact. Today, Jake and Grant share some REAL stories of clients who have entered this stage of life and how it has actually come to look far different than they expected. Our hope with these stories is to shift the paradigm from assuming that retirement is just like a long weekend and encourage you to dream big about what kind of impact you can have when income is no longer a concern.If you want to receive your FREE financial health assessment from Jake or Brian, send an email to home@stewardship.pro and mention this podcast.

We all want our summer vacations to be restful, fun, and memorable. But with the current state of our economy, such a trip may seem beyond reach. On today's episode, Grant and Daniel discuss some ways to steward summer vacation with our families in the current climate. How can we make sure to create memories and have fun without spending a ton of money? We offer some practical tips, but our encouragement is to get creative and be intentional about the time spent as a family this summer.Some of our other episodes about vacation can be found here:"Am I Resting Wrong?" | Making the Most of Your Time OffServing with Your Family | With Mike Branton, Student Ministries at Sun ValleyHow to Avoid Burnout - The Importance of RestTo buy Grant's book Work-Life Harmony, go here.

Whether you're buying a home or selling, the Real Estate Agent you choose to work with can totally transform the experience. So how do you choose the right realtor? What kinds of things should you look for in the search?Today, we sit down with Mark Shipley who draws on his nearly two decades in the industry to help you think critically about your agent experience. Our goal today is to help you avoid defaulting to working with the wrong agent out of obligation, or worse, out of guilt and shame. We want to offer practical wisdom and some common sense to help you find someone to partner with in your buying or selling journey.You can listen to our podcast on difficult conversations here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1839122/11803883

We've all heard that comparison is a trap and that it is the thief of joy. We all know that comparing our everyday life to the highlights people post on Instagram can be a terrible habit. Today, Grant wants to let you in on a little secret - Comparison is one of the least utilized wealth-building tools. We want to help shift your mindset from "comparison is bad!" to "the right kind of comparison is invaluable."It's important to note that comparison must be done properly in order to be helpful. And this podcast will provide some practical methods of comparison that you can use to remind yourself to celebrate, build confidence in your wealth-building journey, and ultimately reach your goals in life.Check out our blogs about some financial benchmarks here: How Much Wealth Do You Need to Make Work Optional?What’s Your Burn Rate and Why Should You Keep Track?In Your 30’s? It’s Not Too Late. In Fact, It’s the Perfect Time!Finances In Your 40’s: What You Should KnowFinances In Your 50’sThe Stewardship Blog And here is our video about tax withholding: https://youtu.be/G5GqVJRt-q04njw3ayJuqamrxM79rmI

Managing all of your kids' extracurricular activities can be overwhelming. It can feel like coaching a team who hasn't read the playbook - in a word, chaotic.But we all want our kids involved. We want them to gain valuable life experience, learn about working as a team, and experiencing the excitement of victory! In today's podcast, Grant and Daniel discuss specific reasons why these kinds of activities can be huge benefits to our kids. And they share some practical wisdom on how to make the best of the challenges faced in these environments, as well as some tips on how to not feel overwhelmed by chaotic schedules.Our hope with this installment of The Stewardship podcast is to spark conversations within your family about what kinds of activities can enrich your kids' lives.

Have you ever gone on vacation and come back feeling more exhausted than you were beforehand? We know the feeling. We've all heard the well-worn remark, "I need a vacation from my vacation."In order to rest well, and truly come back refreshed, you need to take some intentional actions before, during, and even after your time off. Today, Grant shares some practical wisdom on the matter. Over the years, he and his wife have developed some best practices when it comes to taking time off to ensure that they get a real respite from the areas of life that are the most draining, and they come back refueled.The fact is, vacation is not a magic remedy for the stressors of life, but with some deliberate moves, we can gain an honest reprieve, be restored, and truly experience rest.You can listen to our first episode on the Importance of rest here: How To Avoid Burnout - The Importance of RestWe also talked about our podcast about creating an ideal calendar here: Spend Your Time Better - Create Your Ideal Year

Today we talk with Mike Branton, a father and the Student Ministries Pastor at Sun Valley Church, about cultivating a culture of service in your family. Any loving parent would want their kids to develop strong character traits like selflessness, perseverance, and genuine compassion for others. What better way to grow these traits than through serving within a community?In this installment, Mike and Grant share some practical wisdom from their experience as fathers and from years of serving in youth ministry. One of the primary ways to promote service in our kids is to model it ourselves consistently and be sure to explain why to your kids. Mike does this in many ways, but one way is by creating repeatable slogans within his family. For example, "Brantons put others before us. Brantons show respect in words and actions. Brantons give generously. Brantons listen, trust, and obey. Brantons work hard in all we do. Brantons speak truth."Our encouragement to you is to develop some family mottos for your family. feel free to steal these, adapt them, or start from scratch based on your family values. What's most important is not to lose sight of who you want your kids to become.For more on that, here is a podcast from Andy and Sandra Stanley about Parenting with Vision.And if you are interested in helping Mike and Grant at the Sun Valley Summer Camp, go here to learn more: Sun Valley Summer Camp