American Independent Financial Group

“Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look...
..Beyond those monuments to heroism is the Potomac River, and on the far shore the sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery, with its row upon row of simple white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David. They add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom.

Each one of those markers is a monument to the kind of hero I spoke of earlier. Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, The Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno, and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam.

Under one such marker lies a young man, Martin Treptow, who left his job in a small town barbershop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire.

We’re told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, ‘My Pledge,’ he had written these words: ‘America must win this war. Therefore I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.’”

President Ronald Reagan
First Inaugural Address, January 20, 1981

Today, we remember the Americans who gave all for the freedom entrusted to us. 🇺🇲

We proudly recognize our CDO, Robin Bales, on earning her Registered Social Security Analyst designation. 🎉

Robin has been a steady force behind the growth of American Independent. She brings a level of discipline and clarity that shows up in how we think, how we plan, and how we serve people every day.

This designation fits her. It is a rigorous academic pursuit, and it sharpens something she already does well, understanding how decisions actually play out over time.

Social Security is one of the largest income streams most people will ever rely on. But most treat it like a box to check instead of a decision to think through.

That is where this matters.

For business owners especially, Social Security is tied directly to payroll, compensation, and the real cost of benefits. When you start looking at those dollars as part of a bigger picture instead of just another expense, the conversation changes. The decisions get clearer. The outcomes get more intentional.

That is how Robin approaches planning!

She continues to raise the standard around her, not by talking about it, but by doing the work and deepening her understanding.

We are proud of her, and grateful for the example she sets! 💯

May this New Year bring you endless happiness and new opportunities!

Happy New Year!🎉

Send those wires, buy that equipment you need, pay those vendors….get it paid or postmarked in the mail by tomorrow to get those deductions!