Starting with purpose, not an amount
David advises individuals, families and private companies, helping them bring
clarity to complexity so their wealth supports the life they want to live, now and across generations.
Why I raise giving
Many clients have thought carefully about accumulating and protecting their wealth, but far less about how they want to use it during their lifetime.
Giving is often treated as something that happens later, through an estate plan or in response to a particular request. We saw an opportunity to make the conversation more deliberate. Rather than simply asking, ‘How much will you leave?’, we began asking, ‘What would you like your wealth to do while you are still here?’
That opens a much broader conversation about family, values, responsibility, timing and contributing to causes that matter.
“Giving should not feel like an additional conversation. It should be part of understanding what the client wants their wealth to do.”
How I approach the conversation
The key is not to begin with an amount. We start with purpose: What do you want your wealth to achieve? Who would you like to help? When could that support have the greatest impact?
We introduce these questions from the initial meeting as part of understanding the client’s broader goals. Our role is not to tell clients how much they should give or when. It is to create the space for them to think more deliberately about what they want their wealth to achieve.
This makes giving feel less like a separate topic and more like a natural part of good financial planning.
What it creates for clients
Giving conversations often reveal much more about what matters to a client. They bring values, experiences and purpose into the financial discussion and can also create valuable conversations within families.
Clients may involve their children in deciding which causes to support, why those causes matter and how decisions should be made. Giving can become more intentional, rather than simply responding to requests as they arise.
Importantly, clients can also experience the impact of their giving during their lifetime and see what their wealth is helping to achieve.
Try this with a client
What would you like your wealth to do while you are still here?
David’s advice to other advisers
Start simply and make giving part of your normal discovery process. You do not need to begin with tax structures, foundations or technical solutions. Ask clients what matters to them and whether they have considered using some of their wealth to support those causes during their lifetime.
Do not assume whether a client will be interested. Give them permission to have the conversation.
It is also perfectly reasonable to say, ‘I don’t have all the answers, but I can help you explore this.’
The more regularly you raise the subject, the more natural it becomes.
“Wealth should have a purpose. Good advice helps clients consider how their financial resources can support the people, experiences, causes and communities that matter to them.”