Is it uncharitable to invest?

Many people wrestle with this question, especially when profit seems to come at someone else’s expense. If you sell an investment because you think it will go down, are you giving someone a bad deal? If you buy something undervalued, are you taking advantage of another person’s misjudgment?

This episode takes a thoughtful look at these moral tensions and explores what charity, justice, and prudence really mean in the world of finance. At its heart, charity is not about avoiding gain but about willing the good of the other. Investing itself is not an act of selfishness—it’s an act of stewardship. But like any act, it can be distorted when detached from virtue and the proper ordering of ends.

Through the lens of the moral virtues, we explore how intention defines the ethical nature of investment decisions. The discussion considers how markets function, why a fair exchange can still lead to profit, and how virtuous investing respects both the dignity of others and the purpose of wealth.

Listeners are invited to rethink what it means to act “charitably” with money; to move beyond guilt or hesitation, and toward generosity rooted in order and clarity. Investing, rightly understood, can serve as a form of participation in creation: aligning skill, capital, and prudence toward the flourishing of others.

Key takeaways:

How intention, not mere outcome, defines the morality of a financial act.

What it means to see profit as stewardship rather than self-gain.

The importance of justice and reciprocity in all exchanges.

How ordered investing can build both personal freedom and the common good.

Order over excess. Integrity over impulse. Purpose over profit. This is The Ordered Life

Disclaimer: Sean Gregory is a Portfolio Manager and AJ Sanson and Anthony De Lazzari are Investment Advisors with iA Private Wealth Inc., member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. iA Private Wealth is a trademark and business name under which iA Private Wealth Inc. operates.

This content was fully or partially generated by artificual intelligence. The advisor reviewed the critical information independently.