How do you think of your wealth? Do you see it as a dollar value on a screen or something alive and evolving over time.

I encourage clients to think of their wealth as a river – flowing, dynamic, and shaped by generations. Your river may have begun long before you were born, fed by the work and values of those who came before you, or perhaps it began as a small spring during your own lifetime.

Either way, this river – your river – can continue far beyond where we stand today, if it is cared for and tended with intention.  

Headwaters : The Source of Your Wealth

Every river begins with a spring. For many families, that spring was created by the grit and discipline of earlier generations – parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents who laid the foundation for everything that flows downstream.

Today’s river, carries not only your financial capital but also the beliefs, habits, and stewardship from your family story. Recognizing these headwaters helps guide your financial decisions with gratitude and perspective.

Tending the River in Your Stewardship Today

Being a river keeper is an immense responsibility. It means acting with purposeful intent to keep the waters clear, balanced, and flowing.

Here’s how :

Remove debris – Protecting your wealth from hidden risks : excessive fees, unmanaged taxes, and unnecessary expenses.

Strengthen the banks – Build safeguards like insurance, wills, and trusts to protect the structure of your financial ecosystem as it moves downstream.

Test the waters – Monitor your financial health, income streams, and spending patterns to ensure your river remains sustainable and high quality.

Being a river keeper isn’t about control – it’s about balance. Your job is to protect the river’s strength while allowing it to nourish the present.

Thinking Downstream : Planning Ahead

The best river keepers stay mindful of today’s conditions but always think downstream. They don’t just react to problems – they anticipate them.

Proactive tax planning, smart estate structures, and thoughtful investment strategies are the tools that will prevent blockages long before they appear.

In Indigenous Culture, the Seventh Generations Principle teaches that the choices we make today affect those seven generations after us. In the same way, you stand as the bridge between your ancestors’ resilience and your descendants’ future.

The Future of Your River

Eventually, your stretch of the river will end – and what happens next is up to you.

Some people choose for their river to flow outward into the ocean, supporting communities and causes through philanthropy. Other’s pass the current on to their children – perhaps as one simple, powerful stream, or one that splits into multiple branches to nourish several new paths.

Whatever form it takes, your river’s future depends on how you guide it today.

Becoming a Responsible River Keeper

Your role as a river keeper isn’t just to manage the flow – it’s to teach others how to do the same.

Just as a carpenter must apprentice before becoming a journeyman, the next generation must learn how to tend to the river : how to prevent blockages, strengthen the banks, and prepare for unseen bends ahead.

If you only focus on growing your wealth but neglect to pass on the wisdom of stewardship, the river’s current may one day run dry.

I make sure that I work with the younger generations of my clients, no matter what stage of life that they may be in, to ensure that they are learning and are equipped with all of the necessary tools for their situation today and for their future.

So remember the Seventh Generation Principle – your river began before you and, with care, will flow long after you. The question isn’t how much can you take from it – it’s how will you tend to it for those who will come next.