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." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone agrees that the preteen years are awkward. This is not a controversial opinion. Things are changing and there are a lot of unknowns in this stage of life. "You're not an adult yet, but you're not a kid anymore." In this installment of the stewardship podcast, we invited Brandon Ream to tell the story of how he is guiding his eldest son through this transitional phase of life. Resources:- The Intentional Father by Jon Tyson- Passport2Purity- John Mark Comer resources Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes the holiday season can get away from us. Whether it's an office white elephant party, a charity fundraiser dinner, or your 2nd and 4th Graders' Christmas Pageant, December often feels like the busiest season of the year. For some, this is fine, but our hunch is that you could use a few more silent nights.In this podcast, we talk about the importance of being a good steward of your time during the holiday season and provide some practical wisdom on how to make decisions about how we spend our time. The main goal behind this episode is to let you know that it's okay to say no. It's important in this season to spend intentional time with those closest to you. If you found this podcast helpful or encouraging, you're invited to leave us a review! And from the Stewardship Family to yours, merry Christmas! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hard conversations are... not easy. But they are vital to building strong and healthy relationships at home and at work. They are not bad. The problem is we sometimes don't handle these hard conversations very well, or worse, we avoid them altogether. This doesn't have to be the case for you anymore!It has been said that our closest relationships may offer the most challenges to our honesty, compassion, and integrity, but we are often rewarded beyond our imagination. Engaging in these conversations, especially with those closest to us, is worth the risk!In this episode, learn how best to deal with hard conversations. It's worth it! Because through these hard talks, real understanding and growth can take place.Share this episode with a friend, or use it to open the door to growing closer to the people you love most! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that, in Arizona, you can donate your state tax dollars and then get every one of those dollars back?The Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization (or ACSTO) is a non-profit scholarship organization that helps families put their kids into Christian schools.Today we talk with Sally Henry about how it works, who can take part, and some practical ways to make Christian education more affordable. This is also an amazing way to steward your tax dollars well.To learn more about donating to ACSTO or to apply for the next scholarship year, go to acsto.org.Be sure to share this episode to get the conversation started in your community and help more kids get an awesome education! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bringing a new baby home changes everything. Whether it’s your first, second, or seventh, there will always be new challenges and more to do than ever before. You may think that nothing can make this experience any easier- but today, we’re here to offer some hope and some practical ways that you can make bringing home baby a much smoother experience.In 2022, our friend Jeannie Boschma started Provision Doula Services. She is a postpartum doula who comes in after mom and baby are home to “mother new mothers” and helps in this transitional season. Today, she joined us on the podcast to share her experience and provide wisdom for all of us to love new parents better in our lives.This episode is for all of us, whether you’ve got the birth bag packed and are waiting for the day, or your adult child is about to step into parenthood themselves so be sure to share this episode!To learn more about Jeannie and Provision Doula services go to https://www.provisiondoula.com or follow her on Instagram @provision.doula.services Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a lot of negativity about capitalism in today's media, and much of the education system. Many people think that capitalism is fueled by greed and gigantic companies, and that profit is inherently wrong.So is that true?Today we talk with Jean Klinkhamer about why capitalism gets a bad rap and why that’s not the whole picture. He shares his experience as an entrepreneur and man of faith and offers some practical wisdom to help all of us steward the freedom that capitalism facilitates.He and Grant also talk about what they are doing to innovate their businesses to move toward an others-centered model. They talk about what can be done within the structure of capitalism to help create and encourage human flourishing.Go here to learn more about the Children’s Business Fair mentioned in this episode:http://www.childrensbusinessfair.org/And pick up a copy of business for the glory of god by Wayne Grudem here:https://www.amazon.com/Business-Glory-God-Teaching-Goodness/dp/1581345178 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Selling your home can be one of the more challenging and stressful situations you and your family may go through together. There are so many unknowns. Are we doing this right? Are we going to be able to sell for the right price? Do we need to upgrade everything before it goes on the market?  Will we have to be available at the drop of a hat to show the house to potential buyers? How do we even get the right buyers to know it's for sale? All of these questions can be overwhelming. But the good news is, you don't have to go it alone. Today, we talk with Mark Shipley, Stewardship's lead Real Estate advisor, and ask him about his nearly two decades of experience in the valley. He offers some very practical wisdom about how to be a good steward of selling what is most likely the largest single asset you own. We want to help you experience peace in the process of selling your home.To sell your home with us: https://stewardship.pro/sell-a-home/Our video about using an iBuyer: https://youtu.be/58CP_tCp64E Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Choosing to take in children from the foster care system is no small decisionseveral a number of factors to consider and it is a big responsibility. This is not a commitment that should be made lightly. Today, Jake Norton shares his experience being a foster parent in the hope that his experience can help your decision-making process.It is important to note that foster care is not right for every family at every stage of life. So how can you decide if it is right for you and how can you participate in caring for kids in need whether or not fostering is a good fit? To learn more about the foster care system in Arizona, go to http://www.faithandfamilies.com/ or reach out to David Brittain: david@faithandfamilies.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has someone ever asked you to donate to their non-profit? Is every good cause really good? We all want to make sure that our desire to be generous isn't taken advantage of. Today, Grant shares the mindset he strives for when it comes to generosity. He also offers some insight on how to choose which causes to support and how to make the biggest financial impact no matter what the dollar amount.Charity Navigator: https://www.charitynavigator.org/Learn more about Stewardship Realty here: https://stewardship.pro/buy-a-home/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you know when it's the right time to go ahead and call a professional?Today, Brandon Ream joins us on the podcast to discuss the three things you need to consider before you decide to do something yourself or hire a pro. This episode is packed with practical wisdom on stewarding your time, energy, and resources to empower you to live the life you want!Click here to download our list of trusted contractors and if you offer a service of your own and want to be on the list, email us at home@stewardship.pro. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arizona has a new law that will provide thousands of dollars to families to help provide a better educational experience for students - but there are organizations trying to put a stop to it. The Expanded ESA plan is designed to empower Arizona parents to choose the best educational option that fits their needs regardless of zip code or income. Today, Grant and Daniel take time to discuss why school choice is so important, and they talk through the petition that is out there trying to delay the expansion. These organizations are framing the petition as a way to protect public schools, but they are missing the point of the new law altogether. We strongly encourage everyone to read the law in its entirety. It can be found here: https://legiscan.com/AZ/text/HB2853/2022?fbclid=IwAR14eJBq6-_4KWZpFnMc3UzYUzytwwOj9EJGRjDAI5XR1ANphdqyzI8iS54&fs=e&s=clTo find the latest information on the status of the expansion, go to the Arizona Department of Education website here: https://www.azed.gov/esaWe also made a couple of videos that simply explain how the bill works, you can watch them here, and don't forget to share: https://youtu.be/rOqOBbIxLnIhttps://youtube.com/shorts/h1wkeUFj4CM?feature=share Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.