This past week, I was in New York City presenting at several large family office events. I have always found NYC to be one of the loneliest, most difficult, lowest-conscious cities on the planet. Ten million people running around—yet so many seem isolated, anxious, disconnected. It is a city overflowing with financial resources, but severely lacking in true wealth.
The root of the word wealth is weal—to be well. Not just financially, but emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. Well-being in its wholeness.
Despite the glitz and glamor of the high-rise venues and high-net-worth families, I spoke boldly and from the heart. What resonated was not the financial charts or market outlooks. What moved people—deeply—was the truth that we cannot call ourselves ethical or evolved if our values and our money flow in opposite directions.
We cannot say we care about the environment and then invest in offshore drilling and fracking.
We cannot claim to value wellness while our portfolios are propping up junk food giants and media empires that fracture human souls.
We cannot expect to live in flow while living in dissonance.
True wealth requires alignment—between our personal values, family values, public declarations, and financial decisions.
As conscious entrepreneurs, we must do more than turn a profit. We must turn the tide. We must ensure that our actions, investments, and innovations leave behind a legacy that lifts society, rather than exploits it.
I will be the first to say: My generation got a lot of this wrong. The corporate “turn-and-burn” culture of the ‘80s, the harsh grind, the ruthless chase for financial gain—it has proven unsustainable.
But the rising generation is offering a new model. One of ethics. Sustainability. Consciousness. Care.
To the younger generation: Thank you. You may have your own challenges, but your insistence on value-alignment and holistic well-being is the correction we desperately need.
At this critical time on Earth, we must raise the vibration.
We must build consciously.
Sustain ethically.
And invest in a future that nourishes not only our portfolios, but our people, our planet, and our souls.
Consciously striving,
Rich Christiansen
