The other night, sitting around a bonfire with close friends, I watched the sparks drift up into the crisp autumn air and felt grateful for the friendships I have in my life. Back at work on Monday and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I started thinking about the different types of "wealth" we actually carry.
In my line of work, we naturally obsess over Financial Capital. It’s the money you’ve saved, the investments compounding in your accounts, and the resources you count on to fund your lifestyle. It’s tangible. It’s measurable.
We also frequently discuss Intellectual Capital—the skills, experience, and innate desires that allow you to earn that income in the first place. And we certainly can't ignore Physical Capital—the health and vitality that allows us to enjoy these moments and the years ahead of us.
But looking across the fire, listening to stories and catching up on life, I realized we often neglect the most resilient asset of all: Relational Capital.
I’ve seen clients with immense financial capital who feel bankrupt because their relational accounts are empty. Conversely, I've seen folks facing serious financial headwinds who feel incredibly wealthy because they have a community that actually shows up when it counts.
It’s easy to track the S&P 500. It’s harder to track the value of the people who will answer your phone call when things go wrong or provide valuable guidance when life throws you a curveball.
Relational capital doesn't show up on the net worth statement we build during our discovery meetings, but perhaps it's the one asset that actually makes the rest of it worth having.
I'm challenging myself on this today: Are we investing as much time in our relationships as we are in our portfolios?
As we head into this season of thanks, I'd invite you to do a different kind of audit. Take stock of where you're truly wealthy—in time, energy, and relational capital. After that reflection, maybe set a simple goal to reinvest in those overlooked assets that truly make life wealthy.