As an investment advisor, I’m often asked about risk, returns, market cycles, and asset allocation. But quietly humming beneath all these questions is a deeper, more timeless tension—one that has less to do with spreadsheets, economic data, and market sentiment and more to do with the human condition. It’s the tension between planning for the future… and spending, giving, or simply being present in the now.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t a battle of good versus bad. It’s not about reckless spending versus disciplined saving. It’s a more nuanced tug-of-war, one that plays out in every well-intentioned decision about money, time, and love. And if you’re paying attention, you’ll notice it’s less of a conflict and more of a tradeoff or even an opportunity between great choices.
The Physics of Investing (and Life)
I appreciate the structure of financial planning and investment management—compounding returns, asset correlation, standard deviations, risk tolerance and risk capacity, etc. These tools give us clarity and confidence. There’s even something elegant, almost like quantum physics, about the interconnection between most basic elements of math and market behavior that underpins planning and investment. Planning and investing is, in some ways, a form of physics to those of us who love investing (apologies to actual physicists like Kepler, Einstein, Bohr, Schrödinger… and his cat). And physics, in its purest form, is about predicting outcomes based on forces and variables. We model volatility like mass, time like velocity, risk like friction. Financial planning and investment management borrow this same language: projections, simulations, balance. The laws are clean. The logic is satisfying.
But life? Life resists equations. (Insert dramatic ‘slow clap’ right here)
Seriously though, you can chart a linear retirement trajectory, but life moves in seasons and cycles. The birth of a child. The death of a parent. The start of a business. The pull to move across the country. These aren’t anomalies—they’re the fabric of a lived life. And, not to be overly corny (too late, right?), it is the non-linear nature of life that makes it both complicated and beautiful! So, while the physics of investing helps us build a strong foundation, it’s important to remember we’re not engineering a life—we’re living one. And living well means embracing some uncertainty. Making room for chance. Understanding that not everything scalable is meaningful, and not everything measurable matters. Our job, then, is to build a financial framework resilient enough to hold our long-term vision—and flexible enough to let the unexpected in.
Being a Good Steward
Being a good steward of your wealth (regardless of size) is not merely about protecting capital. It’s about being deliberate. It’s about asking, “What is this for?” That question gets philosophical fast. Not as bad as “what’s the sound of one hand clapping?” but, is your money for your retirement? Your family’s future? Philanthropy? Opportunity? Legacy? Joy? Let’s widen the lens. Stewardship isn’t confined to dollars and portfolios. It’s the mindset of care and intention across all domains of life.
Your time deserves stewardship. Are you spending it where it matters? Are you saying “yes” out of alignment, or out of obligation? Your attention deserves stewardship. What are you giving your focus to each day? Is it aligned with your values—or hijacked by the loudest voice in the room? Your relationships deserve stewardship. Love, encouragement, mentorship—these aren’t infinite resources. They flourish with intention and often wither when put on autopilot. And yes, your energy needs stewardship. Are you fueling what gives you life? Or are you running a marathon with an empty tank, hoping for rest “once things slow down”?
This concept of stewardship is also closely connected to control. In life, we are stewards—not owners—of our resources, time, and relationships. Our task is to tend to them with wisdom, care, and integrity, not to control or manipulate their outcomes. That reminds me of the concept/analogy of life as the gardener told by Epictetus:
“The garden is not yours to keep, but to tend. Do not be disappointed when a flower wilts or a fruit falls, for you did not create it; you were only its steward. Your job was to care for it, and in doing so, you performed your duty.”
This notion reflects the Stoic view that while we may not control the outcome of our actions, we are responsible for the way we respond to what we’ve been entrusted with. Being a good steward means being awake. It means choosing on purpose but not being caught up in the outcome.
The Patience of Impact
Similar to the concept of stewardship, many clients tell me they want to make an impact. That word—impact—carries weight. It suggests something enduring, something transformative. Impact can be immediate and long-term. Writing a check to a cause you love today: that is direct, instant impact. Funding a donor-advised fund that distributes over decades… also impact. Longer in nature and execution but impactful in a different way. Additionally, and all too often, we underestimate the quiet kind of impact we can have with our giving—the compound, often-invisible variety that builds drop by drop.
“Drop by drop is the water pot filled.”
— Dhammapada (possibly also Yoda)
There is no single formula. The art lies in finding your rhythm. Some years you lean into giving. Others, you build. And in between, you reflect—often with a trusted advisor—on how your financial decisions align with the story you are trying to tell.
The Divertimento, Not the Destination (that feels like a Jimmy Buffett song title – R.I.P.)
Financial planning and investment management isn’t a fixed path. It’s a conversation—a living, breathing one. The rhythm of life moves at times in a predictable pattern, and at other times in a way we could never have predicted. And just like in great music, often it is the tension between beats that creates rhythm. I think it was Claude Debussy (maybe Jimi Hendrix) who said, “music is the silence between the notes.” Being patient—but aware—and giving ideas, plans, investments time to “do their job” (the silence between the notes, so to speak) can often be a challenge in financial planning and investment management.
In the same way, the tension between now and later is what gives our lives financial rhythm. So yes, plan. Yes, invest. Be disciplined. But also—spend on that trip with your aging parents. Support that friend’s mission-driven startup. Take the day off. Write the check (or, Venmo the funds). Say yes to the thing that lights you up. Because the goal is not just to arrive at financial security. The goal is to steward the resources we’ve been given—money, time, energy, love—with wisdom, joy, and open hands and heart.
Let’s Talk.
At East Franklin Capital, we help people align their wealth with their life—both the future they’re building and the present they’re living. If you’re ready to plan with purpose, we’re ready to listen.
“If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path.”
