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We had the privilege of attending PA Week with the Missouri Academy of Physician Assistants (MOAPA) last week.One of my ...
10/15/2026

We had the privilege of attending PA Week with the Missouri Academy of Physician Assistants (MOAPA) last week.

One of my favorite parts wasn't the presentations. It was the conversations.

• "What do clinical rotations really look like?"
• "I graduate in December. When should I start applying for jobs?"
• "What should I be looking for in my first contract?"
• "How do I avoid financial mistakes early in my career?"

These conversations are a reminder that while healthcare professionals spend years mastering patient care, many receive little education around career and financial decisions.

Your first employment contract, benefits package, retirement plan, and student loan strategy can impact your finances for years to come.

At Staggs Financial, we're honored to help Physician Assistants, physicians, NPs, and CRNAs navigate these transitions with confidence.

To all the future PAs we met last week: congratulations on the incredible work you've put in to get here. Your future patients will be better because of it.

What's one thing you wish someone had told you before accepting your first healthcare position?

10/14/2026

$860,000,000.

That's how much the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway program has raised for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

My aunt, Jan Elkins, helped host the first St. Jude Dream Home in the nation.

For 45 years, she has used her platform as an award-winning journalist at KTBS 3 On Your Side - Celebrating 71 years to support the mission of St. Jude.

Her community alone has raised more than $45 million.

Growing up, I heard story after story about the children and families St. Jude serves.

Kids in critical care.

Parents sleeping in hospital rooms.

Families putting careers, routines, and normal life on hold because nothing mattered except helping their child get well.

The fear those families carried.

Years later, I found myself sitting across from people carrying a different kind of fear.

A physician who worried about what would happen to his family if an illness ended his career.

A widow trying to figure out finances after losing her husband.

A PA with six figures of student debt wondering if she'd ever get ahead.

Different circumstances.

Same feeling.

I think that's why St. Jude's mission has always resonated with me.

Long before I opened my own financial planning company, I watched my aunt spend decades helping families facing the hardest moments of their lives.

Forty-five years later, she's still doing it.

And every time I help a family prepare for life's "what ifs," I'm reminded of those stories.

"That's not fair."One of our children said that recently.The complaint? His brother got something he didn't.As parents, ...
10/12/2026

"That's not fair."

One of our children said that recently.

The complaint? His brother got something he didn't.

As parents, we've all heard it. What struck me wasn't the complaint. It was the assumption behind it. Fair didn't mean getting what he needed. Fair meant everyone getting exactly the same thing.

The older I get, the more I realize life doesn't work that way. The challenge is recognizing the difference between equal and fair.

What's a lesson your kids taught you that applies far beyond parenting?

10/09/2026

55 years old. That's how old our newest PA-C client's 401(k) thought he was.

35 is his real age.

For years, a client we're calling Mark invested in his retirement account. However, it had been investing him as if he were twenty years closer to retirement than he really was.

$523,000 is the difference he could feel over a 30-year career.

The worst part?

He wanted to be better educated on his investments. He reached out to his company's financial advisor.

Six times. No response.

When we sat down together, we found the issue, corrected the age error, reviewed more than 300 investment options available inside his plan, and aligned his 401(k) with the rest of his investment strategy.

A twenty-year mistake had been hiding in plain sight.

Technology can manage an account and a target date fund can make automatic adjustments.

Neither can replace having an advisor who knows you, answers your calls, and catches problems before they cost you years of progress.

10/08/2026

$45,000 in missed bonus metrics. 18 years of hard work at a Missouri hospital caring for patients.

Yet, this client, who we are calling Anna, doesn't have her contract.

How much money did this Physician Associate unknowingly leave on the table?

We still don't know.

During our conversation, I asked a simple question.

"How is your compensation structured?" Silence. She wasn't sure. " Then I asked where her employment agreement was. She didn't know. I asked about her disability insurance. She wasn't sure whether she'd elected coverage through her employer. She didn't own an individual portable disability policy.

Anna knows she is missing getting paid bonuses. That's 18 years of missed extra vacations she could have taken with her family. But she didn't fully understand how she got paid.

As we talked through her situation, another issue surfaced.

The hospital recently eliminated PTO, a significant change for someone who had spent nearly two decades building her career there.

Yet she didn't have her employment agreement available to compare what had changed, what protections she had, or what questions she should be asking.

So we stopped the meeting.

Together, we called HR.

We knew exactly who to contact, requested the agreement, and asked that it be prioritized.

As I write this, we're still waiting on the document.

But one thing is already clear:

You can't maximize compensation opportunities you don't know exist.

If you're like Anna, not knowing your contract is costing you $45,000.

Want to know how you're paid, whether you're eligible for bonuses, and what your agreement actually says? DM "CONTRACT" for a complimentary review with our team and healthcare attorney referral partners.

Every business has a beginning.We're honored to be featured in the Springfield Business Journal this week and reflect on...
10/07/2026

Every business has a beginning.

We're honored to be featured in the Springfield Business Journal this week and reflect on how far this journey has come. What began with determination, a willingness to serve, and a lot of door knocking has grown into something we are incredibly proud of today. We are thankful for our exclusive partnership with the American Academy of Physician Associates, Freeman Health System's GME program, and so many other programs we serve.

The article is a reminder that success rarely happens overnight. It's built one conversation, one relationship, and one opportunity to help someone at a time.

Thank you to everyone who has trusted us along the way.

Read the story here: https://sbj.net/stories/opinion-it-started-with-a-stroller-and-a-doorbell,105994

10/06/2026

"Why are you asking so many questions?"

I heard that more than once during my journalism career. Usually after an interview had gone on much longer than someone expected.

The first answer was rarely the whole story.

Years later, I discovered financial planning works much the same way.

People often come in asking about investments, retirement, or insurance. But, a few questions later, we're talking about aging parents, children, career changes, businesses, marriages, and dreams they haven't shared with many people.

It's true money matters; but, it's usually not the whole story.

Looking back, journalism taught me something I use every day:

The best advice starts with genuine curiosity. What question changed the direction of your life, career, or business?

Most people think they know what entrepreneurship looks like.They see the awards, recognition trips, client meetings, an...
10/02/2026

Most people think they know what entrepreneurship looks like.

They see the awards, recognition trips, client meetings, and milestones.

What they don't see are the people working behind the scenes to make it possible.

This week, I earned a recognition trip to The Greenbrier in West Virginia and had the opportunity to bring a guest. I brought my Mom. As you may know, she's also my Executive Assistant.

Building a business is hard. Building one while raising young children is even harder.

This year she has worked countless extra hours, handled problems before they became crises, and helped carry responsibilities that most people never see. We've both spent years juggling work schedules, school events, sick kids, and family responsibilities so I could pursue the dream of business ownership.

When people look at a successful business, they often see the owner. They rarely see the person answering social media messages after hours, managing the details, stepping in when life happens, and quietly making sure everything keeps moving forward.

My Mom has done all of that and more.

So while my name may have been attached to this trip, the reality is that I wouldn't be here without her.

"Am I behind?" an Emergency Medicine client we're calling Dr. Rashing asked. He was looking at his $300,000 in student l...
09/30/2026

"Am I behind?" an Emergency Medicine client we're calling Dr. Rashing asked. He was looking at his $300,000 in student loans and $0 saved for retirement. He isn't alone.
We've heard versions of that question from medical residents over and over again.

They haven't done anything wrong. But, looking at their friends who aren't physicians they see a very different path. While their friends have spent the last few years building careers, buying homes, and contributing to retirement plans, they've been working nights, paying tuition, and learning how to care for patients.

Then they graduate residency and finally become attending physicians.

The paychecks are bigger than they've ever had. Many like Dr. Rashing are $15,000 a paycheck.

The student loan balances are often bigger than they'd like to admit.

Suddenly, they're expected to know what to do with both.

That's one reason I'm looking forward to spending time with the Freeman Health residents. It's not for a workshop nor with a scripted agenda. We're bowling.

However, some of the best conversations happen when nobody is sitting across a conference table.

If history is any guide, at least one resident will casually mention something that's been keeping them up at night and discover they're not the only one asking the question:

"Am I behind?"

(For the record, the answer is almost always no.)

My best hire is my Mom. Seriously.A few weeks ago, she walked into my office around noon and asked if I'd eaten lunch."N...
09/28/2026

My best hire is my Mom. Seriously.

A few weeks ago, she walked into my office around noon and asked if I'd eaten lunch.

"No ma'am. I don't have time," I said without looking up from my computer.

Apparently that was the wrong answer.

A few minutes later, she came back carrying a sandwich and set it on my desk.

"Stephanie, if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be any good to anyone else."

She wasn't wrong.

There's always one more retirement portfolio to review for tax efficiencies, PA-C or MD client to help open his/her own clinic, or one more NP whose contract needs reviewing.

Most importantly, she reminds me that being successful doesn't mean burning yourself out.

People often ask what it takes to run a business.

For me, it helps to have om my Mom who isn't afraid to walk into my office, put a sandwich on my desk with a Diet Coke, and tell me to take a break.

Best hire I've ever made.

Address

1531 E Bradford Pkwy Suite 202
Springfield, MO
65804

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+14175015450

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