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Raising Grateful and Grounded Kids
in an Age of Entitlement
through developing habits around Work, Finances, and Technology.
My name is Doug.
Welcome to Rich Road Stewardship.​​​
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No parent wakes up praying our kids grow up to be entitled. Why is that? Because entitlement isn't something to be valued. And yet, here we are, raising kids in the Age of Entitlement.
As a father of four, I’ve become convinced that entitlement is not random. It is the natural result of an overabundance of privilege paired with a deficit of responsibility. When that imbalance settles into a family culture, it slowly strains gratitude, resilience, and unity.
Children flourish when responsibility rises to meet opportunity. When they contribute meaningfully at home, learn to steward money wisely, and live within clear and healthy technology boundaries, they grow into adults who are grounded, capable, and thankful. Research and experience consistently show this to be true.
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Rich Road Stewardship exists to help families restore the right order — to elevate responsibility, cultivate financial wisdom, and ensure that privilege (especially technology) never outpaces character.
Check out my new book on Amazon
Some Statistics (scratching the surface)
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Technology
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41 percent of teenagers say they are addicted to their mobile devices, and 36 percent say they sometimes wish they could go back to a time when there was no Meta (Jiang 2018).
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94 percent of children who have received unsolicited nudes from adults did not report the perpetrator, even though 33 percent had previously predicted that they would do so (Thorn 2022).
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In 55 percent of cases where children reported or blocked aggressors, their perpetrators found them again either by creating a new account on the same platform or by using a different platform (Thorn 2022).
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Between 2010 and 2020 girls saw a 200% increase in Major Depressive Episodes while boys saw an even larger increase, albeit with much lower values overall (Digital Parenting Guidebook)
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Over 75% of surveyed youth in a recent study said that they could access Internet pornography at home without their caregiver knowing. (Digital Parenting Guidebook)
Financial Literacy
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Gen Z (young adults) scores the lowest of all generations on financial literacy assessments, correctly answering only about 38 percent of questions on a standard personal finance index. Source
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​32% of teens cannot correctly identify the difference between a credit card and a debit card. Source
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74 percent of U.S. teens lack confidence in their financial education and foundational money skills. Source
Chores
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Only 28 percent of parents require their children to do regular household chores, even though 82 percent of those parents themselves did chores when they were growing up. Source
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In a University of Minnesota study of children and chores and later outcomes in life, based on 20 years of data following 84 children, the study identified specific long-term benefits for those who started chores early:
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These individuals were more likely to complete their education and achieve early career success.
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They developed better relationships with family and friends and were more likely to be self-sufficient.
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The study found a correlation with avoiding drug use in their mid-20s. Source
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About Doug
I’ve been married to my wife, Ashley, since 2008. We have four children — Samuel (14), Maxwell (10), Josephine (8), and Johnny (6). We're a big hockey family, and now figure skating as well.
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I first sensed God calling me to financial stewardship as a brand-new financial advisor around 2009 — a moment of unusual clarity that has shaped both my vocation and my convictions ever since. Over time, that calling deepened as I began wrestling with stewardship in my own home in parenting, priorities, and family culture.
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My work has spanned both financial advising and nonprofit leadership, two arenas that have continually sharpened my understanding of stewardship. Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to teach stewardship workshops, preach on biblical generosity, write and speak on these themes, and serve on financial committees and nonprofit boards.​
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While Rich Road Stewardship is a deep passion of mine, my day-to-day work takes place as a financial advisor at Rich Road Financial, where I help clients grow in gladness for what they have while planning wisely for the future.
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Education
B.A. in Economics, Saint Olaf College, 2008
M.A. in Intercultural Leadership, Bethany University, 2022
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