As a financial planning and investment advisory company, we’ve had the privilege of working with clients across the full wealth spectrum, from the ultra-affluent to those of more modest means. Over more than 35 years in this industry, one truth has become unmistakably clear: wealth has very real limitations.

Above all, wealth does not guarantee happiness. It doesn’t ensure strong marriages, meaningful relationships, or a lasting legacy. Yet our industry has poured billions into software and training designed to optimize financial efficiency and asset growth, often with little regard for a client’s overall well-being. The assumption seems simple: if clients are wealthy, they will naturally be happy. Experience tells a different story.

As all Warbird owners know, there is no price one can place on sharing a first flight in a historic aircraft with a child or friend. The joy on their faces is incomparable. My partners and I own a T-34A Mentor, and along with our Commemorative Air Force Chapter’s Texan T-6, we’ve been able to introduce that experience to many kids and their parents. Flying anywhere, anytime, is a thrill. However, sharing the cockpit of an aircraft that once trained America’s airmen and airwomen is priceless.

This is why we are motivated to understand our clients’ personal goals, fears, ambitions, challenges, and not just their balance sheets. My team and I believe that seeing only the financial picture of our clients is like visiting a doctor who treats half your symptoms and tells you to figure out the rest on your own.

Many of our clients have already “won” the money game. With good financial management, they have a low probability of needing to work or depleting their investments. On the surface, all appear happy and satisfied. Wealthy people are good at that. But emotional stability and core values are always tested, especially during major life events.

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, shared a powerful example of being tested on the Joe Rogan Experience. In the mid-1990s, Nvidia was funded largely by Sega of America to develop the Dreamcast Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). After more than a year of work and millions invested, Jensen and his team realized their design was fundamentally flawed. Nvidia desperately needed the final $5 million tranche from Sega to survive, but they no longer had a viable product to deliver.

Instead of concealing the truth, Jensen flew to Japan to meet Shoichiro Irimajiri, then CEO of Sega of America, to explain the situation candidly: the chip wasn’t competitive, they needed to start over, and Nvidia needed Sega to honor the remaining funding just to stay alive. Many CEOs would have hidden the problem or negotiated around it. Jensen chose integrity over self-preservation. His honesty impressed Irimajiri, who not only stuck with Nvidia but restructured the final $5 million as an equity investment. Nvidia went on to design the RIVA 128, a breakthrough GPU that propelled the company to its 1999 IPO. Sega later sold its $5 million stake for $300 million (the same stake would be worth $1 trillion today).

Jensen later said that the outcome wasn’t his focus. It was his relationship with Irimajiri, whom he deeply respected, and his personal integrity. His clarity of values made all the difference for Jensen to make the morally correct decision.

In our work with clients, we try to apply the same approach. Yes, we help build wealth, but we also help uncover their “why.” Why is their wealth important? What passions drive them? How can our financial stewardship support their personal mission?

Two weeks ago, I wrote about a client, Justin Blackburn, who is a pilot and the CEO of a multistate commercial construction company. He invited my wife and me to join his table at the annual St. Jude Children’s Hospital gala. His company was the evening’s top sponsor, and during the live auction, he and his wife made a generous contribution. Over dinner, he shared that during a recent company meeting, his team unanimously voted to donate a portion of their 2025 profit-sharing funds to St. Jude. The generous heart of the leader has passed on to his team.

The next day, he emailed me explaining why St. Jude meant so much to them:

“We took a tour of the research hospital and saw firsthand the effect the organization has on the children we met. It was deeply moving. Having become new parents this past year, it was especially meaningful to know that if our child ever faced cancer, there are people dedicated to researching and treating it.

We were fortunate to have a profitable year. In addition, our Up Capital account returned over 31% so far this year, and as a result, we were able to make a large cash donation to St. Jude after our team voted to use the proceeds from our investment account to support them.”

I share these stories because they highlight leaders who place principles and integrity above wealth. People are faced with decisions throughout their lifetime and succeed because they don’t deviate from a firm commitment to personal standards. These are the people we enjoy working with. It motivates our team to be our best as we vicariously share our clients’ passions and celebrate their successes alongside them.

Wealth has limitations. It can’t create meaning, reputation, respect, or legacy. But it can fuel extraordinary opportunities to impact others. Those with great wealth have great opportunity for impact.

In the Spring 2023 magazine of the North American Trainer Association (NATA) for warbird owners and enthusiasts. I wrote about our role in creating the Ellsworth Hovey Getchell Foundation. Ellsworth was a remarkable pilot and accomplished mechanic who personally restored his 1952 Hawker Sea Fury, N2060X, now one of five in the world. The Sea Fury was considered one of the most famous British piston-engine fighters ever built, with an 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine producing 2,480 to 2,520 hp with a top speed of 470 mph. The Sea Fury was one of the few piston fighters to shoot down Soviet-built MiG-15 jet fighters. In addition to his beloved airplane, Ellsworth accumulated significant wealth and wanted it to outlive him in service to aviation.

From the NATA article I wrote:

“Getchell asked his pilot friends and NATA members Ken Dwelle, Ben Marsh, and Chris Luvara to become the new stewards of 60X. The four men met many times in the last 18 months of Getchell’s life to discuss life and aviation, along with his passion to keep the Sea Fury flying. Getchell offered to transfer the plane, his entire warehouse inventory of Sea Fury parts, and his estate into a trust that would be managed by them. Getchell selected Ken as the trustee of his estate and facilitated the transfer of Getchell’s estate into the newly formed 501(c) Ellsworth Hovey Getchell Foundation (www.ehgfoundation.org), with the board of directors being Ken, Ben, and Chris. I was selected as the investment advisor for the portfolio.”

Since its inception in 2020, the foundation’s portfolio has nearly doubled in the Up Capital Growth & Income portfolio, surpassing eight figures and dramatically expanding its capacity to support aviation students and organizations.

Financial advisors can have a profound impact on their clients’ well-being, influence, and happiness when we pair wealth-building with strategies that invest in their passions. For some, that passion is family and legacy. For others, like Ellsworth, it’s aviation.

We strive not to be the equivalent of a doctor who treats only half the symptoms. Wealth has limitations only when its potential is left unused. Our goal is to help unleash that potential by helping our clients transform financial success into a life filled with purpose, passion, and meaningful impact.

This is what we mean by our advertisement slogan of “Secure Your Future”. Send me an email if this article resonates with you or if you have questions about how we can assist in aligning your financial goals with your impact.

All names and pictures were included with permission.