Finding Joy Through Giving

and Financial Purpose

At iWealth, we’ve learned that true wealth isn’t just the accumulation of assets; it’s how the assets are distributed throughout the lives of affluent individuals and their families. Brad Connors, founder of iWealth, often references 2 Corinthians 9:7: “God loves a cheerful giver.” That verse shapes both his personal philosophy and the firm’s culture.

Giving shouldn’t feel like an obligation; it’s an expression of joy and gratitude for what we’ve been entrusted with during our lifetimes. It connects us to something larger than ourselves. It’s an opportunity to express gratitude, spread kindness, and create a positive impact right where we live.

Whether it’s giving financially or through our time and knowledge, generosity enables us to live beyond ourselves. Every person has the potential to make a difference, not because of the size of their gifts, but because of the heart behind the gift-giving.

And while holistic financial planning helps you manage and preserve your resources, giving helps you discover what those resources are really for.

When we look beyond ourselves and focus on helping others, we gain a deeper financial perspective. The daily challenges that once seemed overwhelming take on a different meaning.

The Power of Purpose in Financial Planning

While financial planning is often focused on saving enough for a confident retirement, it’s important to discuss these core questions with a team of Minnesota financial advisors who will seek to define a more rewarding wealth management strategy.

What do you want your wealth to accomplish?

Use your resources to create lasting impacts – support your family, strengthen your community, and align your financial goals with your personal values.

Which causes bring you the most joy?

Identify charities, faith-based missions, universities, hospitals, or other local non profit programs that reflect what matters most to you and your family.

How can giving become part of your long-term plan?

For some, this may mean establishing a donor-advised fund or setting aside a portion of their retirement income for church missions or local charities. For others, it’s volunteering or mentoring younger generations. The impact isn’t measured in dollars; it’s measured in the number of lives that are touched and how your wealth impacts other people.

Read our blog: “Does Your Investment Strategy Reflect What Matters the Most?”

Small Acts, Big Ripples

At iWealth, generosity is an integral part of our daily lives. Each quarter, every team member commits to one random act of kindness; something as simple as paying for a stranger’s coffee, sending an encouraging note, or helping a neighbor. These moments of kindness remind us that small actions can be small streams that eventually become bigger rivers.

Expanding your reach to impact the lives of others is the purest form of return on investment.

We also encourage our employees to give back through volunteering their knowledge and time. For example, Shawn, one of our valued advisors and leaders, volunteers more than 1,000 hours a year, a testament to the spirit of service that defines our iWealth Family.

Get to know our Vice President, Shawn Pomeroy, who shares how giving time can be just as meaningful as giving money.

The iWealth Food Baskets and Backpacks Program

This year marks the 16th anniversary of our Holiday Food Baskets and Backpacks Program, an initiative that began modestly and has evolved into one of our proudest traditions. Through the iWealth Foundation, our clients, local volunteers, and community partners come together each year to make the holidays brighter for families in need.

Together, we’ve donated more than $125,000 to the Waseca Area Neighborhood Service Center, funding hundreds of food baskets and backpacks filled with essential items and gifts. But the greatest impact isn’t just in the numbers; it’s in the responses of families who feel seen and supported.

What makes this initiative special is how it brings people together. The local school and the Boy Scouts help pack and distribute the baskets, creating a multi-generational act of kindness. Clients often ask how they can participate, and we love that spirit of collaboration. It’s a reminder that when generosity is shared, it multiplies.

Watch our video from the 2024 food drive event.

Encouraging Clients to Give Back

During client meetings, we don’t just talk about portfolio performance or diversification to minimize risk. We also discuss purpose, encouraging clients to consider how they can incorporate giving into their overall financial strategy.

Here are a few ways iWealth clients have brought purpose into their planning:

• Setting up recurring monthly donations to a faith-based organization.
• Establishing scholarships for students in Waseca, WEM, Mankato or a client’s local community.
• Volunteering together as a family at community events.
• Donating appreciated stock instead of cash to support charitable causes.

When giving becomes part of your financial plan, it transforms your perspective on money. Instead of seeing wealth as an end in itself, you view it as a means to uplift your family and others, and that perspective changes everything.

Gratitude and Fulfillment Go Hand in Hand

It’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit of accumulation: more savings, better returns, more success. However, fulfillment often comes not from accumulation, but from distribution strategies that benefit parties in need.

Giving reminds us what gratitude really means. It shifts our focus from what we have to who we can help and what we can share with them. And in doing so, it brings a sense of peace and joy that financial milestones alone can’t match.

We’ve witnessed that our clients who feel most fulfilled in retirement often tell us that their happiness isn’t tied to dollars and cents. It’s tied to their sense of purpose, knowing that their knowledge, time, and wealth continue to make a difference.

That’s why, at iWealth, our team of Minnesota based wealth advisors believes that financial planning should always include conversations about giving, legacy, and impact that extend beyond this lifetime.

Finding Your Own Giving Path

You don’t have to be wealthy to have a meaningful impact. Sometimes the most powerful gifts are knowledge, time, and compassion.

If you’re unsure where to start, try these steps:

• Reflect on your values. Which causes matter most to you?
• Start small. A single act of kindness can be the first step.
• Make it part of your financial plan. Include giving in your financial discussions, whether through charitable accounts, planned giving, or volunteering your time.
• Involve your family. Teaching generosity to the next generation helps build lifelong habits of giving.

At iWealth, we’re here to help you align your finances with your faith, values, and purpose, because when giving becomes part of your plan, a lifetime of fulfillment follows naturally.

The Joy of Living with Purpose

Generosity is more than a value proposition at iWealth; it’s part of our DNA. We believe that financial independence and community support should go hand in hand. From our foundation’s local giving efforts to the personal goals we set for random acts of kindness, everything we do is rooted in gratitude and the joy it produces.

We also see firsthand how giving strengthens our relationships with clients, the community, and one another. Whether it’s supporting the Waseca Area Neighborhood Service Center, mentoring youth, or volunteering at a food drive, every act of service reinforces what we stand for: using wealth to make life better for our families and people we don’t even know.

As our founder, Brad, often says, “Wealth isn’t about the numbers in your account; it’s about the impact you create in the lives of others.”

By giving, whether it’s through your finances, your time, or your talents, you begin to live out that purpose in tangible ways. And that’s where true joy is found.

If you’re ready to discuss your charitable giving strategies, connect with us.