By Lorie Jones, Fearless Financial Advisors
I’m going to get a little personal here.
I have been blessed in so many ways throughout my life, but one of the biggest blessings is this: despite raising five children, including three boys who were all teenagers at the same time, I have never gone hungry a day in my life.
Now, if you had asked my kids, they might have told you a different story.
They would come barreling through the front door after playing outside and dramatically announce, “Mom, I am literally starving!”
To which I would reply, “First, you’re not literally starving. Second, we clearly need to work on the definition of the word literally.”
But the truth is, they have always had food on the table. They have always had a roof over their heads. They have never had to wonder where their next meal was coming from.
Not everyone can say that.
I remember talking with my grandpa, who grew up on a ranch during the years following the Great Depression. His experience was very different from mine. He told stories about eating little more than homemade wheat bread and honey for months at a time. He remembered being grateful for that food because there were days when there wasn’t much else.
Those stories stayed with me.
And as I’ve gotten older, my heart has become increasingly tender toward families facing food insecurity. I know there is a world of difference between standing in the grocery aisle debating whether to buy the fancy mac and cheese or the store brand and standing there wondering whether your remaining dollars need to go toward rice, electricity, or gas.
There is a big difference between stretching a budget and worrying that your children won’t have enough to eat over the weekend.
That’s why, when I had the opportunity to join the board of SECOR Cares and support the work of the Food Pantry, I knew immediately that it was where I belonged.
My heart was already there.
I wanted to be part of helping families find food security today while also helping them build a path toward self-sufficiency tomorrow.
And let me tell you, what they’re doing is remarkable.
Every day, they are helping people in our own Colorado communities navigate difficult seasons with dignity, compassion, and practical support. If you’ve never heard about SECOR’s work, ask me sometime. Fair warning: if you get me started, you may need to schedule extra time because I can talk about it for a while.
Serving with SECOR has also made me think about something I talk about every day with clients.
Investment.
Not just investment portfolios, Investment of time, energy and resources.
Over the many years I have been a financial advisor, I get very few people who come into the office and say “Lorie, I really want to outperform the S&P 500”
What they say is:
- “I want to retire while I’m still healthy enough to travel with my spouse”
- “I want to help my grandkids graduate from college”
- “I want to give more to causes that are important to me”
- “I want freedom”
Those are values, those are lives and dreams, and investing is simply one of the ways that we help fund them.
What Does It Mean to Invest According to Your Values?
Let’s imagine two families who have exactly the same amount of money.
One family values adventure and experiences. They dream about seeing the world, taking the grandkids on memorable trips, and collecting stories instead of stuff.
The other values family legacy. They want to create opportunities for future generations and leave a financial foundation that lasts long after they’re gone.
Neither person is right or wrong, but they may need very different financial plans.
That’s why investing isn’t just about picking funds or choosing stocks.
It’s about understanding what matters most to you and building a strategy that supports it.
The Mistake Many People Make
Many people focus entirely on the mechanics. They ask things like “What funds should I buy?” and “What is the market going to do next year?” and those questions are important.
The first question, the real question to ask is “What am I trying to accomplish?” If you don’t know where you are going, every decision you make feels disconnected and chaotic.
Money without a purpose tends to create anxiety, and money connected with a purpose creates clarity.
Your Portfolio Is Not the Goal
This might sound strange coming from a financial advisor, but your portfolio is not the goal.
Your portfolio is the vehicle.
The goal is the life that the portfolio helps create.
- The charity you support
- The cabin by the lake
- The freedom to retire
- The generosity that changes someone’s life
- The Peace of mind that lets you sleep at night.
Nobody frames a statement from their investment account and hangs it on the wall, but the do hang pictures from the family vacation. They remember the scholarship they funded and those cherished memories that were made possible because they planned ahead. This is what makes a life.
A Question Worth Asking
The next time you look at your investments, ask yourself:
“Is my money helping me live the life I value most?”
Not just someday, but today. And if it isn’t, what can you change today that will help you build the life you want.
Investing isn’t really about building wealth, it is about building a life.
Ready to make sure your money is building the life you value most? Let’s create a plan with purpose. 👇
