I believe that we have been entrusted to take care of the earth and that we have a responsibility to do our best. At the end of the day, regardless of faith or creed, I think most people want to look back and think they've done a good job with managing the wealth they've been blessed with.
But I also think that everything I have been given is a gift from God and that I'm responsible to manage it in a way that honours Him. When we look at our finances from this perspective, it automatically forces us to exercise more overall discernment. Topics like portfolio risk exposure, level of debt, how aggressively we seek to pay debt back, generous giving, what and how much we're consuming… all of these take on a different meaning when we challenge ourselves to consider "How is God expecting me to manage my resources?"
I hope that people will see that I’m doing my best to live a life of integrity, excellence and diligence and that this reflects in my business practices as well. And sometimes this is difficult because my counsel does not always align with what people expect to hear. For example, instead of chasing a bigger investment account, simply encouraging a wealthy business owner to give more away to her favourite charity may be the best way I can encourage her to live a life of good financial stewardship.
In the end, may it be said of each one of us, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” – Matthew 25:23
Maria Dawes, Portfolio Manager
Capstone Private Wealth