What did we learn about investing in a pandemic?.What did COVID-19 do to the investment market?.Where will the markets go in 2021 and beyond?. “We’re really a family of 10,” says Steve, as Megan nods in wholehearted agreement.SYM senior financial advisor Seth Whicker talks with Chief Investment Officer Andy Popenfoose about the impact of COVID-19 on the markets. The memory of their loved ones will always be close to their hearts-the backdrop which their joy shines against all the more brightly. “We’ve found happiness again and it’s beyond what we could have imagined,” says Steve. “Our families made it this far on faith,” she says, “so that’s what we chose to name our daughter.” “We’re evidence that He can provide healing,” says Megan, holding the newest family member, their petite, wiggly, 8-month-old daughter, Faith. “We’ve all experienced a great loss, but we’re thankful for where God has brought us,” says Steve. Similarly, after Megan’s husband, Mark, passed, the family began participating in the Relay for Life of Southwest Michigan, which benefits the American Cancer Society. “She loved to exercise with friends and be outside in God’s creation.” “It’s a fitting tribute to Tracey,” says Steve. So far, this event has raised over $90,000 for the Warsaw and Winona Lake communities, expanding trails, building recreation areas and, most recently, helping fund the Winona Lake Limitless Park for kids of all abilities. The fourth annual Tracey Yeager Memorial 5K walk/run is in May. While Steve and Megan move forward, their late spouses are woven into the fabric of their family. They make decisions and we try to steer them,” says Steve. “We’ve shifted part of the budget to the kids. The “YeagerBrand” kids have become mini-financial planners of their own. Not surprisingly, financial training is a central part of the Yeager family culture. “They play and fight like regular siblings,” says Steve. Lots of bedrooms were needed for their expanded family Samuel is now 15, Julia, 14, Rachel, 14, Seth, 12 and Jack, 12. “Don’t bring your kids to see a house if there’s an indoor slide!” says Steve. The spacious home on woodsy Trailside Drive is near the popular Heritage Trail and was an easy decision from the first family visit. Steve and Megan decided a new house near SYM’s corporate headquarters in Winona Lake would foster a fresh start for their combined family. Originally a family company, SYM Financial Advisors was founded by Steve’s father Chuck Yeager back in 1968, and purchased in 2006 by Steve, his brother Jerry and three other partners. Megan, Julia and Seth immediately became part of the SYM Financial family as well. Later, they hosted a reception on the beautiful grounds adjacent to the SYM office building near Winona Lake. Steve and Megan were engaged March 2012 and married in October at Weko beach in Bridgman, Michigan. They were always pushing us to get together as families.”Īnd they did. Megan nods and adds, “The kids loved each other from day one. They dated on weekends, waiting six months before introducing the kids to one another. “We met six weeks later,” says Megan, with her easy smile. Megan and Steve quickly spotted one another. When Steve was ready to date again, he cautiously put a profile on e-Harmony®. Married right out of college, they grew apples, peaches and grapes, on a 160-acre fruit farm in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Megan had lost her young husband Mark to colon cancer in 2004. Likewise, Megan Hildebrand was raising two small children, Julia and Seth, alone. They had three children-Samuel, Rachel and Jack. Married 14 years, he and Tracey met while both were at the Naval Academy. It’s a story of faith and hope.įive years ago, Steve Yeager, senior vice president of SYM Financial Advisors, lost his wife, Tracey, to breast cancer. Their story tells of the loss of a cherished wife and a beloved husband, then how two grieving families found each other and fell mutually in love. In the very same way that a diamond’s crystalline beauty is accented by a dark setting, the Yeager family’s joyful story was painted on a backdrop of sorrow.
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