News & Views
April 25, 2021
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The Past Year
What word or phrase would you come up with to describe the past year? Our receptionist, Debbie Richards, challenged each employee to sum up their 2020 in a descriptive word or phrase. She compiled the responses and then created this unique graphic as a reminder to all of us about the unwavering resilience, perseverance, and spirit of unity we had during the pandemic.
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Siblings Day
April 10 was National Siblings Day honoring the relationships of siblings. Syverson Strege has their very own sibling pair - Managing Director Lance Gunkel and Chief Investment Officer Jason Gunkel. Lance provided these entertaining photos for our social media posts! We are grateful they have teamed up for life to make a difference for our clients.
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Fruity Office Treats
Working at Syverson Strege definitely has its perks! Fresh fruit from Capital City Fruit is brought in two times per month for all employees to enjoy!
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Exciting Announcement About Monday, May 3! |
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We are thrilled to announce that Syverson Strege is reopening the office on Monday, May 3!
What can you expect when you come to the Syverson Strege office?
- The front door will be unlocked during our normal office hours of 8-5.
- You will be greeted and served by Debbie Richards, our cheerful and energetic receptionist!
- All our staff will be back in the office.
- Masks will be optional.
- Client meetings will take place in conference rooms or in our venue spaces.
Be assured that you will still have the option of a virtual meeting if you have safety concerns or want the convenience.
You all have been so patient, understanding, and just plain wonderful during the pandemic! We are thankful for you and very thankful things are getting back to normal!
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**************Contest************** |
Win a Syverson Strege tumbler! Reply to this email with your best guess on how many Zoom or virtual meetings Syverson Strege conducted in 2020. The closest five guesses will win a Syverson Strege tumbler. |
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Webinar – “Your Investment Journey: What You Can and Cannot Control”
Are you in control of your personal investment journey? Join Syverson Strege’s free educational webinar, “Your Investment Journey: What You Can and Cannot Control” on May 20 at 3:00 PM.
Learn how:
- practicing broad diversification increases the odds of having a positive investment experience.
- to focus on other controllable factors to help create a favorable investment experience.
- advisors play a vital role in the investment process.
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Featured speaker is Aaron Alley, Senior Manager and Vice President of Conference Strategy in Dimensional’s Global Client Group. Aaron helps develop the strategy on advisor education, conference content, speaker training, and industry event participation. A CFP® professional, Aaron earned his MS in strategic communication from Columbia University in the city of New York and his BA in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Aaron, along with Syverson Strege’s Chief Investment Officer Jason Gunkel, will facilitate an interactive Q&A session at the end of the presentation.
Open to the public. To register, click here.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Financial Foundations…financial coaching for the next generation.
Syverson Strege will be offering your children and/or grandchildren, ages 20-40, free financial education (two courses) on August 5 and 12. Course content includes the purpose of money, spending, savings planning, taxes, insurance, investments, estate planning, and charitable giving. More details to come!
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A longstanding tradition at Syverson Strege has been to provide our clients free document shredding, usually for three days in the month of April.
For this year, our goal is to have the annual Shred-It event, but we have scheduled it for September 22-24 instead of this spring. Thanks for your patience!
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Last month, we introduced our new FIT Video Series…Financial Instruction and Teaching designed to help provide peace of mind and clarity on a variety of financial planning and investment topics. We also shared the first video on Gifts of Ag Commodities featuring Financial Planner Wayne Johnson and Associate Financial Planner Jerin Young. Here are two more new FIT videos.
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You can find all the released FIT Videos at a new page on our website.
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Community Involvement/Philanthropy |
Last month, we told you about a new way to learn about local charities called Charity Discovery. With the in-person Giving Club meetings suspended, we thought it was important to highlight the work of some awesome charities. We hope you’ll enjoy learning something new about this month’s featured charity, Elliott Test Kitchen.
The Elliott Test Kitchen is a nonprofit organization founded by a former chef, Kumar Wickramasingha, and local volunteers who are passionate about education. The mission of the Elliott Test Kitchen is to inspire passion for lifelong learning and appreciation for healthy food.
The Elliott Test Kitchen is located in historic downtown Fort Madison, Iowa. The Elliott Test Kitchen was created to provide area students and educators with a comfortable place to gather during after-school hours to celebrate education and great food. Programs include ACT prep, STEM studies, culinary lessons, Math Night, and online cooking and learning.
The great ambiance, relaxing atmosphere, smell of great food, and the availability of modern technology make students excited to return. To visit their website, click here.
Watch this video to learn more about the Elliott Test Kitchen.
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If you’d like to donate, click here.
To view previous nonprofits highlighted in Charity Discovery, click here.
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Employee News
Administrative Professionals Day
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April 21 was Administrative Professionals Day, a day we honored and thanked our dedicated team members who provide detailed support for Syverson Strege employees. Their positive attitudes and cooperative spirits serve our team and clients well! Thank you!
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Job Opening
Do you know someone looking to join our dynamic team? Syverson Strege has a job opening for a Business Development Agent. Click here to learn more about the position.
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Meri Grogan, Director of Finance and Administration, attended the virtual Iowa Employment Conference on April 7 and 8. The conference is the largest of its kind in the state of Iowa, offering over 50 informative, interactive, and educational sessions delivered by some of the top employment lawyers, payroll professionals, workforce development leaders and many others, from Iowa and surrounding states.
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How did Syverson Strege employees “Rock the Block?” They served all day with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity for “Rock the Block,” a volunteer event to assist low-income residents with needed repair, maintenance, weatherization, and beautification of homes in Polk and Dallas counties. Employees who served were Megan Geary, Meri Grogan, Wayne Johnson, Mike Murkins, Ryan Simpson, Tim Schau, and Julie Summa.
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The Kingdom Advisors (KA) study group is now resuming after a year of virtual meetings. Several Syverson Strege planners and associate planners will attend this study group the third Tuesday of every month. KA provides advocacy, training, and community for financial professionals who are specialists in offering biblically wise advice.
The vision of Kingdom Advisors is to serve the public by creating a recognized and credible specialty of Christian financial, legal, and accounting professionals within the financial services industry offering biblically wise financial advice.
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Tyler Conley, past president of FPA of Iowa, attended the Iowa chapter board meeting. The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) is the principal professional organization for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professionals, educators, financial services providers, and students who seek advancement in a growing, dynamic profession. |
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The Kansas City Estate Planning Symposium is the Midwest’s leading estate planning event, featuring the latest developments in trust, estate, and gift taxes. Johnne Syverson, Matt Roberts, and Wayne Johnson all attended the virtual KCEPS Symposium on April 22-23. |
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1st Quarter Market Update Video
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Our 1st Quarter Market Update Video is packed with important stats and interesting observations about the stock market and economy so far in 2021. Watch Jason Gunkel share his insights and explain:
- how positive momentum from Q4 2020 has carried over into 2021.
- how much the inflation expectations have risen in the first quarter.
- if the Feds plan to let inflation “run hot” before acting.
- what economists are predicting about GDP growth in 2021.
- how much the S&P 500 Index is up so far in 2021.
- how rising inflation rates affect the stock and bond performance.
- why the 10-year treasury bond yield has risen so quickly.
- which industries may see a big rebound in the second half of 2021.
- why Syverson Strege is optimistic about the stock market.
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