“I always thought if we could help people, we could make the world better.”
“We didn’t have much growing up and I always thought that if we could help other people, we could make the world better,” Jerrod Stearnes, a local financial advisor with Thrivent Financial, said. “I can look in the mirror and smile a little easier knowing I’m working for such a unique company.”
Jerrod, who grew up in a small Missouri farming community and was a first-generation college student, was recruited by Thrivent Financial 15 years ago. The nonprofit financial firm is a Fortune 500 company which gives millions of dollars back to the community, including more than $10 million annually to Habitat for Humanity, and has been voted one of the most ethical companies by Ethisphere for the past 11 years.
Jerrod is married to Tiffany, and has three children, Brode (11), Lliam (9), and Amilia (6).He learned the importance of giving back when he became involved with the Sertoma Club in southwest Missouri and is currently involved with Habitat for Humanity and Kiwanis. The Stearnes family moved to Arizona seven years ago and spent three months in a rented home in Scottsdale before moving to Fountain Hills.
“We decided to take a drive down Shea Boulevard on July 4th and ran into Fountain Hills and fireworks,” he remembered. “We said to each other ‘what is this paradise’? We fell in love.”
Jerrod calls Thrivent “probably the largest company you’ve never heard of” and appreciates the variety of financial planning, investment, and insurance solutions he’s able to provide his clients.
“I’m not just their investment guy,” he said. “I’m their true advisor. I can sit down, talk about goals, and know that we have every tool out there to try to meet them.”
He believes it’s important to sit down with every client quarterly on a face-to-face basis.
“I won’t set something up for a client and be content to run into them in the grocery store two years later,” he said. “Retirement is a moving target and things change so you need to constantly revisit your goals and financial situation in the market to make sure they all align.”
The Four Peaks Group of Thrivent Financial is located at 16930 E Palisades Blvd, STE 101. Learn more about Thrivent Financial on their website at Thrivent.com. To make an appointment to speak to Jerrod about Thrivent’s planning and insurance services, call 480-498-6184.