Aspen Capital Management

??? Exciting News! ?? Katie Dow was a guest on an episode of the Ovation Finance podcast! In Episode 114, she shares expert advice on preparing your finances for parenthood. From budgeting tips to long-term planning, Katie breaks down everything you need to know to ensure a smooth financial transition into parenthood. If you have specific questions or family/friends that you think would benefit from more of this type of information, please feel free to send Katie a note: https://lnkd.in/gxbPiKJv Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gnfJ_6Bc

GUEST POST! Hey all, guest post here coming from Colin Dow (aka Katie's husband). Before I tell ya'll which local organization I love to support, let me tell you a story. Back in October of 1969, a young couple in Butte, Montana gave birth to a (mostly) healthy little boy they named Bradley. Not long after, they realized that Brad wasn't like most kiddos - he had Down Syndrome. Not knowing what to do or how to care for him, his birth parents made the decision to give him up and put him in the state institution. After bouncing in and out of the institution and foster families for 8 years, he found his way to my parents' doorstep. Because they were both special education professionals, they brought him into our family and pushed him to expect more from himself than being a bump on a log in some government group home. They instilled a belief in Brad that he could be a contributing member of society and make decisions about what kind of future he wanted for himself. Brad - my big brother - is 56 years old today, owns his own home, works in a job he loves, and could probably run for Mayor of the little ski town where he lives. Because of my parents and organizations like Witco Inc, people like Brad are given the opportunity to live empowered lives through job training and the dignity of work! I'm proud to sit on the board of Witco, which helps hundreds of people like Brad live their best lives...despite having an extra chromosome or some other (dis)ability. https://www.witcoinc.net/

Mike here: Our family has supported Make A Wish Idaho for years. Little did we know one of our children would be the recipient of a Wish! Having been involved with this organization as both a recipient and as a Wish granter, seeing the inspiring stories of families working through critical illnesses is both heartbreaking and inspiring. If you want to learn more about how Make A Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, visit their website https://wish.org/idaho

Brynn here: This year, I chose to use the Aspen Capital Management giving match to support Compassion International. For me, it’s a tangible difference in the lives of children living in poverty around the world. Founded in 1952, Compassion focuses on holistic child development, providing not just basic needs like food, education, and healthcare, but also spiritual and emotional support. Each child is matched with a sponsor who commits to investing in their future, helping them break the cycle of poverty. My favorite part of Compassion is the relationships I’ve built with my sponsored children. I receive letters from the two girls I sponsor, filled with the cutest drawings, updates about their families and schools, and the sweetest encouragement. One of the girls I’ve been sponsoring is 15 years old and aspires to be a nurse so she can help deliver babies and care for mothers and infants. It has been such a joy to watch her dream develop over the years. One thing I love about Compassion’s model is it's community-based approach. Local churches partner with Compassion to deliver programs tailored to the specific needs of their communities. This ensures that assistance is culturally relevant and sustainable. Additionally, Compassion emphasizes child protection, ensuring that children are safe and nurtured as they grow. https://lnkd.in/gnwRWXE8

Another great year of Rake up Boise with the Aspen Team!

All the World's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. - "As You Like It" - William Shakespeare Katie here: The Idaho Shakespeare Festival sits at the base of the beautiful foothills of Boise. An outdoor, 700+ seat amphitheater that brings art, culture, light and laughter to our community. As a young girl, I grew up in the performing arts and it was a window into another creative life that exposed me to wonderful people, literature, and a community I would've never known. The performing arts are very dear to me and this organization delivers not only amazing, first-class performances every year, but serves Idaho through community involvement and arts programming in 73% of the school districts in Idaho, as well as parts of Oregon, Wyoming and Nevada. I serve as a proud board member and our family is a proud financial supporter, as well. We're grateful to Aspen Capital Management for recognizing this amazing non-profit by supporting us with a charitable match to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival!

Rachel here: Every year, I look forward to the charitable giving match from Aspen going to one of my favorite local non-profits: Economic Opportunity by Jannus (EO). EO empowers underserved Idahoans (often refugees) to realize economic mobility through individualized services and support. They work with individuals to become financially independent through one-on-one coaching, credit building, business development, micro lending for business start-ups and expansion or personal emergencies. They also have a program designed specifically to developing home-based childcare businesses. I have been involved with micro-finance and micro-enterprise initiatives since college, so this is a cause near and dear to my heart, and it never gets old!

'Tis the season to be jolly...and charitable! One of the many benefits we enjoy at Aspen Capital is our charitable giving match, which makes giving back even more impactful. Each employee of the firm has the opportunity to choose a nonprofit they financially support, and Aspen will match their donation up to a certain amount. Over the next month, we'll be sharing some of the organizations that are near and dear to our hearts and thus, will be receiving the Aspen Capital Management match donation because of the financial commitment made by one of our team members.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Our team hosted the Investment Banking Club from Boise State University for a discussion on the wealth management industry, the role we play in our clients' lives, how we invest funds on behalf of our clients and career opportunities in our industry. The engagement and questions from the students were excellent! We hope to get a few internship applicants out of the group??.