In the first installment of the Wealth Creator Moment, I share five tips for making 2018 your best financial year yet:

1. Understand the "all-in" cost of your financial advisory relationship.

2. Align your portfolio with your values.

3. Understand the risk you are taking in your investment portfolio.

4. Ask your advisor what other services they provide that you could be taking advantage of.

5. Ask yourself if you have the right professional team.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Chris DeVore is an entrepreneurial change agent here in the Pacific Northwest. His unique interest in Seattle's start-up ecosystem drove him to start a seed stage venture fund called Founders' Co-op. The fund helps extraordinary founding teams located outside of Silicon Valley build companies.

Chris also runs Techstars, Seattle’s most selective start-up accelerator. Participants in the program receive seed funding and the chance to participate in a three-month immersive start-up experience, which includes extensive mentoring by a group of experienced entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

During our conversation, Chris and I talk about the prevalence of racism and sexism in the venture capital industry and how Chris has committed to broadening diversity and shifting the balance between male and female entrepreneurs.

We also discuss what it was like to be a software entrepreneur in the early 2000’s.

For those of you who are looking to get involved with or invest in local entrepreneurship, Chris sheds light on the kind of entrepreneurs AND investors he wants to work with.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

On this episode of The Wealth Confidant Podcast, I sit down with Martin Edlund and Jennifer DuHamel. This extremely bright, successful entrepreneurial couple is determined to use their time, energy, and talents to make an impact on the world around them.

Martin is the CEO of Malaria No More, an organization backed by Bill and Melinda Gates, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and many other global business leaders involved in the philanthropy space. As the name suggests, he and his team have set out to eradicate Malaria, one of the world’s oldest and most deadly diseases. Over the last ten years, Malaria No More has made incredible progress, with over 7 million lives saved and a 70% reduction in child deaths from the disease.

Jennifer is the owner of DuHamel Architecture, the Seattle based architecture design firm behind Molly Moon’s Ice Cream, Union Coffee, and many other local favorites. Jennifer began her career working in advertising in New York City. It was after the devastating events of 9/11 that Jennifer had a career epiphany and shifted her pursuits to architecture. Her experiences working at top design firms in New York and her intuitive and thoughtful nature gives her the ability to create beautiful, aesthetically meaningful design for her clientele.

Throughout our discussion, Martin and Jennifer share insights into how they work together to achieve balance while juggling two high-powered jobs and two kids.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Entrepreneurship wasn’t discussed during Carter Crockett’s undergraduate years at Westmont College. After graduating from Westmont's business school in the early nineties, Carter began his career at Microsoft and found himself gravitating to the newer, riskier projects. It was this drive that ultimately fueled his desire to leave Microsoft and start his own company, eventually pursuing a Ph.D. in Entrepreneurial Ethics. After completing his doctoral program, Carter decided to apply his knowledge and skills to creating change in a developing country. He found that he was innately wired to thrive in this environment.

Today, Carter is the founding director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Gordon College. Carter creates opportunities for sharing novel concepts grounded in noble practices. His mission begins on the Gordon College campus but serves as a bridge for innovative organizations around Boston as well as social ventures around the world. The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership celebrates people and launches organizations that demonstrate what it's like to pursue deeper purpose, relationships, and impact.

On this episode of The Wealth Confidant, Carter shares:

- What he believes the key to success is – it might not be what you think

- How he leveraged the skills he developed in the corporate world

- What excellence means to him

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

It only takes a few minutes with Larry Snyder to realize how good he is at what he does. He’s a humanitarian, philanthropist, and author, but most importantly he is a convener.

Larry convenes people, money, and organizations and shifts them from watching things happen to making things happen. He possesses a rare combination of energy, focus, and commitment.

On this episode, we discuss Larry's book, 'Miracles in Montanare,' and the 10 life goals that he’s used as his guide for over half of his life.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Joseph Brazen built a successful family business by accident. Over the past four years, his millennial-aged daughters have joined him in his various business pursuits. The result? A game changing level of energy and passion that keeps his businesses growing and evolving in new ways.

Joseph created his wealth through real estate, “a modern-day version of Monopoly” as he calls it. 11 years ago, he ventured into the restaurant business. His most recent project is a high-end restaurant called Central Bar + Kitchen.

Not only did I get to have a candid conversation with Joseph about his life and the secrets to his success, but I also talked with two of his three daughters (Taylor and Cody Brazen) who work in various roles within the family business. They shared what it’s like to be a successful woman in today’s business culture.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Paul Shoemaker is the Founding President of Social Venture Partners International and was the Executive Connector of SVP Seattle for 17 years. He's the Northwest’s leading expert on activating social change agents and a global thought leader on how individuals can be the most effective philanthropists.

Paul believes that we need more people committed to giving long-term to make social change happen. In his book, 'Can't Not Do,' Paul shares stories of individuals who have distilled passion into potent purpose and made tremendous differences on the pressing social issues that plague our time.

On the latest episode of The Wealth Confidant Podcast, Paul and I discuss how to zero in on a cause that is not only a critical area of need, but is also personally meaningful, in order to double-down on impact.

What's your "can't not do"?

If you need some inspiration, I encourage you to read 'Can't Not Do' for compelling stories of individuals who have made single-handed difference through philanthropic giving for social change.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

On this episode, Brent Poole, CEO and Founder of Mindbloom and former Amazon executive, shares his views on setting priorities, money, and the challenges he faces as he embarks on the next season of life after the sale of his company.

Brent joined Amazon as its 113th employee, unsure at the time whether selling books on the Internet was a good idea. Ten years later, he was working so many hours that he missed most of the first three years of his son’s life. He knew it was time to move on. Inspired by the challenges he experienced during this time, Brent launched Mindbloom, a company that would help others find the life balance that had eluded him.

During our conversation, Brent dishes up insights about business and money. His advice is vital to anyone chasing success but wanting a richer payday than just a big pile of money.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

- At some point there is a level of wealth that can have a net negative effect on you.

- When it comes to giving back to others (mentoring), or your community, just say “yes” and then figure out how you are going to fit it into your schedule.

- For kids, understanding the value of money can only occur when they start to earn it.

- At career transition points, fear can start creeping into your thinking process: “What I’m going to do next?”

- The biggest personal growth happens after periods of difficulty and pain.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Does it seem to you that kids today are more self-absorbed and have less empathy?

Many of my wealth management clients are concerned about raising altruistic children -– kids with empathy -– who are not only successful in school and extracurricular activities, but who want to make the world a better place.

What kinds of leaders do we hope to have for tomorrow?  

How can we help our kids develop a sense of caring and kindness toward others?

Parenting expert Dr. Michele Borba is the author of 'UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in an All-About-Me World.'

I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Borba and am pleased to share our conversation with you. In this podcast, we dive into the relationship between privilege and empathy, what makes us altruistic and what doesn’t, and how putting the emphasis on grades over empathy can actually counter your child’s successful future.

Dr. Borba is one of the foremost authorities on childhood development. An internationally recognized educator and speaker, she is a best selling author on the topics of character and social-emotional development, bullying prevention, and parenting. She has authored many books, been interviewed by countless national magazines, and appeared well over 100 times on NBC’s Today Show!

Be sure to visit www.micheleborba.com for more information about her extensive body of work and ground-breaking research.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Joel Solomon worries about where his money spends the night and he thinks you should too. He’s on a mission to heighten the awareness of our money’s impact on the world as we anticipate that more than $50 trillion will change hands through inheritance over the next 30 years.

Joel just released his first book, 'The Clean Money Revolution,' and I had the pleasure of spending a few hours talking with this wonderfully engaging, self-proclaimed “money rabbi” at Renewal Fund's headquarters in Vancouver, BC.

Joel believes financial abundance comes with built-in responsibilities to steward money mindfully. Joel is a proponent of mission venture capital -- investments focused on business impacts as well as returns. He cares deeply about the planet. He believes that if we detox now, paying attention to the looming social, environmental, and human consequences facing generations to come, we can harness the power of money to regenerate and sustain our existence.

Here are a few key takeaways from my financial detox session with Joel:

- We need to change our mindset from “How much can I get?” to “How much is enough?”

- How we use and invest our money reflects who we are.

- An examined life should be compulsory for those with meaningful wealth.

- Wall Street and financial advisors have an important role to play.

- Clean money is about love. Investing thoughtfully reflects a deep connection and care for one’s self, one’s community, and the world.

- The golden rule applies: do unto others what you want done unto you.

To hear Joel’s perspective on how we can begin to transform capitalism, how impact investing is the tremendous opportunity young investors are seeking now, and how much money is enough, listen to our full conversation.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe