You’re sitting at your dining room table, reviewing a quarterly investment statement. The numbers are good. Your portfolio is growing, and by every traditional metric, you are on track.
Still, you feel a subtle disconnect. The figures on the page represent years of hard work and prudent decisions, but don’t fully reflect your faith, your commitment to family, or the impact you hope to have on the world.
This feeling often surfaces when the definition of financial success is limited to performance metrics alone. A values-driven plan, however, connects your wealth to your purpose by building your financial strategy on a foundation of your core principles.
If you’re searching for a more meaningful approach, consider these three pillars as you define the values you want your wealth to reflect.
Pillar 1: Purposeful Stewardship
Stewardship is the principle of managing your resources with wisdom and responsibility. Here are some clarifying questions to help you dig deeper than performance:
- What is the underlying philosophy guiding how your assets are managed?
- Do your investments align with your personal ethics?
- Does your financial strategy provide confidence and peace of mind?
Purposeful stewardship means viewing your wealth not just as an asset to be managed, but as a responsibility to be handled with care.
For example, a family may feel their faith or personal values call them to avoid profiting from certain industries. For them, purposeful stewardship could mean ensuring their investment portfolio excludes companies involved primarily in tobacco, gambling, or adult entertainment.
Pillar 2: Intentional Generosity
Your financial plan can be a powerful engine for good if you focus on using your resources to make a positive impact through intentional generosity.
To bring clarity to your giving, ask:
- What specific causes or communities do you feel called to support?
- How can you involve your family when creating a shared culture of giving?
- What tangible change do you hope your contributions will make?
This pillar involves looking at charitable giving not as a miscellaneous expense, but as a core component of your financial plan.
Consider the couple who decides to establish a donor-advised fund as a central part of their financial strategy. They work with their advisor to contribute appreciated assets in a tax-efficient way, creating a dedicated source of funds to support their church and local charities for years to come. Their giving becomes planned, impactful, and strategic.
Pillar 3: Enduring Legacy
An enduring legacy is the combination of the values, opportunities, and security you pass down through generations. This pillar broadens the focus from short-term gains to long-term impact. Reflect on the legacy you’re building by asking:
- Beyond financial assets, what values and wisdom do you want to pass on?
- How can you prepare your heirs to be responsible stewards of the wealth they inherit?
- What story do you want your legacy to tell about what was most important to you?
Building a legacy involves multi-generational planning and structuring your estate in a way that reflects your core beliefs.
As an example, consider the owner of a family business who wants to leave more than just equity to her children. She incorporates legacy planning into her financial plan by creating a formal mentorship program, working with her advisory team to teach her heirs about financial literacy, the family’s philanthropic commitments, and the principles of servant leadership that made the business successful. The inheritance becomes one of wisdom, not just wealth.
Building Your Plan on a Strong Foundation
When a financial plan is built upon the pillars of stewardship, generosity, and legacy, it transforms into a roadmap for a life of significance. Your financial decisions feel grounded, your goals become clearer, and you finally bridge the gap between the numbers on the page and the life you want to live.
At SageSpring Wealth Partners, we help clients design financial plans on this trusted foundation. We specialize in bringing clarity and wisdom to your financial life, ensuring your wealth is fully aligned with your values.
Connect with a SageSpring advisor to start your values-driven financial plan.
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