How To Scale Up a Financial Services Firm With Jim Dunlop

Building Generosity That Lasts Generations With Gretchen Duda

Gretchen Duda is a Financial Advisor and Certified Financial Planner practitioner at Advent Partners, a financial planning team that helps clients simplify their financial journeys and plan for meaningful generosity. Gretchen focuses on building financial plans and helping clients explore giving strategies that align with their goals. She also contributes to Advent's client education efforts through market and economic updates that help investors stay informed and ready for what's ahead. In this episode… Generosity that lasts for generations is usually built through more than a single gift. It grows through conversations, repeated choices, and the values people model for those around them. How can families turn generosity into something that continues long after one moment of giving? Building lasting generosity begins when giving becomes a practice people share, not just a transaction they complete. As a financial advisor and planner, Gretchen Duda helps clients think through how their resources can support the causes, people, and values they care about now and in the future. Tools like donor-advised funds can invite children and grandchildren into giving decisions, while everyday acts of time, presence, and kindness keep generosity from becoming only about money. Gretchen's insight shows that generational generosity is strongest when it is planned with intention and lived out in ordinary moments. In this episode of You Can't Take it With You, Jim Dunlop is joined by Gretchen Duda, Financial Advisor at Advent Partners, to discuss building generosity that lasts generations. Gretchen talks about generosity of spirit, donor-advised funds, and spontaneous giving. She also shares how qualified charitable distributions and everyday kindness can help people give with purpose.

How To Scale Up a Financial Services Firm With Jim Dunlop

Jim Dunlop is the Founder and Managing Partner at Advent Partners, a financial planning organization focused on helping clients make informed decisions for their futures. The firm is committed to simplifying the financial planning process and providing tools that enhance knowledge and understanding, enabling clients to make sound financial decisions. Jim started his career as a financial advisor in 2003 and acquired his Certified Financial Planning credentials in 2009. Under his leadership, Advent Partners has become a trusted partner for many, navigating the complexities of financial planning from funding college to debt management, investments, and family protection. In this episode… Faith-based financial planning can offer a meaningful framework for managing wealth with purpose. As more people accumulate resources, many are asking deeper questions about legacy, generosity, and what happens to their money when they're gone. How can financial advisors guide clients toward intentional giving and legacy planning? According to Jim Dunlop, a seasoned wealth advisor, legacy planning starts with aligning finances to core values. After years of helping clients navigate wealth decisions, Jim emphasizes the power of generosity — whether it's supporting family, donating to community causes, or creating lasting impact through charitable giving. Through his firm and podcast, he encourages clients to plan wisely and give meaningfully, even before the end of life. On this episode of You Can't Take it With You, Jim Dunlop joins John Corcoran of Rise25 for a conversation about scaling a financial practice during a crisis, building a faith-aligned client base, and why generous clients often experience the most joy. Jim also shares insights on merging firms, planning with purpose, and the story behind this podcast.

Making Generosity a Foundational Part of Financial Planning With Jamie French

Jamie French is a Wealth Advisor and the Managing Partner at Advent Partners, a financial planning firm focused on helping clients make informed financial decisions to meet their goals. With 18 years of experience in the field, Jamie began his career as a CPA and financial controller before transitioning to financial advising in 2006. He has helped grow the firm by delivering tailored guidance and exceptional service, with a strong dedication to helping clients navigate financial complexity with confidence. In this episode… Generosity is often treated as something to add once everything else is settled, but it can play a central role from the very beginning. When giving becomes a habit rather than an afterthought, how does it change the way we think about security, purpose, and financial planning? Jamie French believes that generosity is not just something financially secure people do later in life; it's a habit that helps create peace and confidence along the way. Drawing from his experience as a financial planner and from watching his parents give freely with their money, time, and home, Jamie explains that generosity works like a muscle — the more you practice it, the more natural it becomes. His perspective reminds us that a strong financial plan is not only about accumulation, but about aligning resources with values that can bless families, churches, and communities. In this episode of You Can't Take it With You, Jim Dunlop is joined by Jamie French, Wealth Advisor and the Managing Partner at Advent Partners, to explore making generosity a foundational part of financial planning. Jamie talks about his generosity origin story, giving as a leap of faith, and helping clients align money with values. He also offers advice on tax-efficient charitable giving.

A Legacy of Generosity Through Daily Actions and Partnerships With Lowell Starling

Lowell Starling is a retired IT executive with more than 40 years of experience, including leadership roles in infrastructure management. He has also served for many years on the client advisory board at Advent Partners, where he's known for his wisdom and valuable perspective. A lifelong learner shaped by strong financial discipline and faith, Lowell lives out generosity through everyday actions, partnerships, and a commitment to giving back. In this episode… It's easy to think generosity is about how much you give. But does the real measure really have anything at all to do with the amount? For Lowell Starling, the key lies in the heart behind the gift. Drawing from decades of lived experience, he explains that generosity begins not with money, but with intention and willingness to act when opportunities arise. What started as disciplined financial giving grew into a broader lifestyle of offering time, hospitality, and encouragement. His perspective reframes generosity as something anyone can practice, regardless of resources. In this episode of You Can't Take it With You, host Jim Dunlop is joined by Lowell Starling to discuss building a legacy of generosity through everyday actions. Lowell shares how financial discipline can support giving, why generosity extends beyond money, and real-life examples of generosity in action. He also shares advice on creating a ripple effect by paying generosity forward.

How Intentional Generosity Can Change Lives With Eric Saunders

Eric Saunders is the Executive Director of New Hope Ministries, a Christian social service agency serving approximately 30,000 people each year across Adams, Cumberland, and York counties in central Pennsylvania. Under his nearly 20 years of leadership, New Hope Ministries has expanded from three to nine locations and has received accolades such as the Central Penn Business Journal's Nonprofit Innovation Award for Eric's leadership and innovation. Eric holds a master's degree in social work from Indiana University and serves on several state and nonprofit boards. In this episode… Generosity is often thought of as an act of giving, but can it be something even deeper, something that transforms both the giver and the receiver? Does the true power of generosity lie not just in the act, but in the way it shapes lives, communities, and the future? For Eric Saunders, a social services leader, generosity is more than just charity; it's a life-changing force that can shift the trajectory of both the giver and the receiver. "Generosity isn't just about giving what you can spare," he explains, "It's about understanding the need and meeting people where they are, with compassion and humility." Eric believes that when we give with true compassion, we don't just change the lives of others — we change our own, creating a ripple effect that can transform entire communities. In this episode of You Can't Take it With You, host Jim Dunlop is joined by Eric Saunders, Executive Director of New Hope Ministries, to discuss how intentional generosity can create lasting change. They explore the importance of meeting immediate needs while empowering long-term solutions, how churches and businesses can work together to address poverty, and the profound impact small acts of generosity can have.