Hi, I'm Chris Cagle. I created RetirementStewardship.com after I decided that writing on personal finance, stewardship, and retirement was one of the things I wanted to do in "retirement." I didn't do it to make money—honestly, it actually costs me money. I did it for one reason: I want to help others with this all-important area of stewardship.
For me, "retirement" means I am no longer employed in a 9 to 5 job and, therefore, free to pursue other things—the things that God has called me to do. This blog is one way I try to "steward my retirement" by doing something I enjoy to serve God and help others.
I started this blog in 2015 before I retired from my position as an Enterprise Architect and IT Strategist for a large regional bank in the fall of 2018 after working for over 30 years as an IT professional. I have also been a social worker, social work administrator, account executive, telecom/network engineer and planner, marketing technical consultant, IT architect, consultant, manager, and director. My background is that of an IT professional, not a financial salesperson or advisor. My mission is to help others with their finances, careers, and retirement.
I am not a self-described guru or financial/retirement planning "expert." I don't dispense professional investing or retirement advice as I am neither qualified nor licensed to do so. Therefore, the information here is intended for informational and educational (and sometimes entertainment) purposes only. You can read the full disclaimers page here.
My perspective in authoring content for this blog is someone making the same important decisions you are about retirement stewardship. So if you want to hear from a pretty average, financially conservative guy who writes about the realities of planning and living in retirement from a Christian stewardship perspective, then you may find some help and encouragement here. My goal is to be a trusted independent resource for you as you navigate one of life's most challenging transitions: planning for and living in retirement.
My basic views on personal finance are that I value simplicity over complexity and pragmatism over sophistication. I believe that money is a gift from God and a means to an end and not an end in itself. My goal in writing on this blog and my books are to help make the world a bit better for us, our families, our churches, and our communities by encouraging us to live within our means, save prudently, invest wisely, and give generously of our time and our resources during all stages of life. In other words, to be a good steward of everything God has given us.
I have a B.S. degree from Rollins College, earned an M.B.A. from Florida Institute of Technology, and have done post-graduate work at Nova Southeastern University (Computer Information Systems) and Reformed Theological Seminary (Theological Studies). I am also a graduate of the Executive Leadership Training Program at Emory University in Atlanta. I have taken many other leadership development and management training classes throughout my business career.
Much of what I have learned about retirement stewardship comes from my own research and experience. I have an "always learning and growing" perspective on life and stewardship, so I continually read about and study this topic and others.
In addition to writing for this blog, I have published articles on The Gospel Coalition blog, Desiring God Ministries, and Radial.net.
I have also published three books. The first was Reimagine Retirement: Planning and Living for the Glory of God, which B&H Publishing Group (LifeWay) released in November 2019. Rainer Publishing published The Minister's Retirement in August 2020. And most recently, I independently published Redeeming Retirement: A Practical Guide to Catch Up in April 2021.
I am also a deacon in my local church, focusing on stewardship and generosity, faith and work-life integration. I do a fair amount of financial and career counseling and coaching. I also make time to volunteer in ministries in my local community that focus on poverty alleviation.
I am a trained Ramsey Solutions Master Coach (Ramsey Solutions) and lead the stewardship ministry at my home church. I also lead Ramsey Solutions' Financial Peace University (FPU) seminars at my church. In addition to my training from Ramsey Solutions, I am also a graduate of Dan Miller's (48Days.com) Coaching with Excellence training program.
I am also a certified Coaching Core Essentials Graduate (CCEG) from CoachU. CoachU is considered one of the leading international training programs for professional personal and business coaches and is fully accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF). The CCEG program is 70+ hours of coach-specific training that the ICF has accredited. I subsequently received ICF-approved Coach Mentoring through Coach Approach Ministries.
*Chris Cagle attended and completed Ramsey Solutions' Financial Coach Master Series Training. However, completion of this training does not create an employment or an agency relationship, or give any Coach the right to speak for or bind Dave Ramsey or his company, Ramsey Solutions, nor does it constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Dave Ramsey himself.