In a world that screams for you to spend your money here, there, and everywhere, financial planning involves a real struggle for clarity – especially for people of faith. It can be hard to remember what’s important, and to maintain a healthy relationship with money through the ups and downs of life. What could it really look like to faithfully steward your money – to create a financial plan driven by your values?

Jeff Jaworski, the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Triune Financial Partners, LLC, built their business with that very idea in mind. Triune is a financial planning, wealth management firm, and small business retirement plans firm. The faith-based organization’s purpose is to honor God by empowering people with life-changing financial counsel. One of Jeff’s favorite life inspirations comes from the parable of the talents:

“You've been faithful in little things, now I will put you in charge of bigger things.”

Jeff was recruited to financial services right out of college. He quickly gravitated towards the advisory side of the business, and in 2005 he found himself making a proposal to a friend while playing golf: “What do you think about starting a firm together?”

While Jeff was intrigued by the idea of starting an independent financial planning firm where advisors would sit on the same side of the table as their clients, his partner brought his own twist: he was deeply interested in bringing a faith aspect into the business. Each of them also offered distinct skill sets, with Jeff focused on direct client care, and his partner more focused on the operational managing partner role. Within just a few months, they were off and running.

Nearly 20 years later, Triune manages over 1 billion dollars worth of assets for clients. Jeff’s partner stepped aside in 2020, leaving Jeff to fill the managing partner role. There’s no intention of selling, he says: “We’re treating it like it belongs to God, so we’re stewarding it, and thinking through how we can transition to the next generation while continuing to serve clients well.”

“Our job is to be great stewards of
whatever we have.”

What exciting breakthroughs has Triune experienced throughout the years?

• Shifting to include a focus on small business 401k retirement plans and 403b plans for churches and other faith-based organizations early on proved to be one of the company’s best decisions! By investing in the project, Triune was able to grow from managing a handful of retirement plan clients to now serving over 100 401k/403b plan clients in 27 states.
• During the 2008 financial crisis, the Triune team watched clients who had engaged them for comprehensive financial planning handle the turbulence with calm – while those who had only come to them for money management floundered. From that point on, Triune would not accept money management clients without a comprehensive planning process happening first.
• A great deal of Triune’s natural growth came through a single client’s endorsement of them in the veterinary practice space. There’s nothing like those positive client relationships when it comes to driving organic growth!
  
  

Jeff has been a part of Acumen for 4 years, and is a member of the Accel team led by Growth Catalysts Dan Cooper & Sean Miller. When he found himself stepping into Triune’s managing partner role after years focused on client care, he did not know what he did not know. Joining Acumen was a natural choice that he has celebrated ever since.

“Being a part of Acumen has been invaluable to me in that leaders are oftentimes found on a deserted island. They have to figure out a lot of stuff on their own… Acumen has surrounded me with people that are in the very same position and that don’t want to do it alone. They realize that together we can become better leaders by working through the good, the bad, and the ugly of business ownership and people management.”

Acumen’s real-time, practical leadership skills – discussed in a faith context during monthly councils – have been foundational for Jeff’s growth as a leader. Every month, he relishes the opportunity to come together with other leaders who value their faith and seek to incorporate it into their day-to-day business leadership.

Jeff’s amazing wife, Laura, has been very supportive of the time he commits to his business and to philanthropic organizations. The couple has raised two boys together, and Jeff’s favorite thing to do outside of work is playing golf with his sons and spending time traveling and experiencing the world as a family. Jeff also serves as the board chair for the Catholic Education Foundation, which exists for the single purpose of providing access to Catholic schooling for those that otherwise would not be able to afford it. That role, Jeff says, has been a huge blessing to be a part of. As in every area of his life – personal and professional – Jeff knits together and stewards what he has been given, and calls others to do the same.