When Capital Meets Calling: From Financial Plan to Stewardship Vision
By Rachel McDonough, CFP
The River and the Garden
I spent 4 years of my childhood in Kenya, where my parents worked at a mission school because they believed that was God’s calling on their lives. While there, I got a front-row view of suffering, looking into the eyes of kids my age living on the streets of Nairobi as they begged for money. We had been warned that financial gifts would likely be given to their handlers or spent on glue to be huffed to escape their misery for a time. I met families on tiny subsistence farms in the rural areas, with no hope for education or access to medical care. I remember being gripped by the realization that they had done nothing to deserve the abject poverty into which they had been born. Likewise, I had done nothing to deserve the relative privilege I’d been given: 3 meals a day, a safe home, and opportunity.
This experience shaped how I think about wealth in two foundational ways.
First, it created a question I still wrestle with today: What is the opportunity and responsibility of the one holding surplus, considering the deep needs of others? We can’t solve all the world’s problems. But neither can we ignore them in good conscience when we have the capacity to help.
Second, I became fascinated with calling. My parents weren’t wealthy, but they lived simply by conviction rather than chasing wealth accumulation. They operated from an internal sense of abundance, believing their resources (their money, time, and opportunities) belonged to God, and they wanted to fulfill their purpose. Watching them intentionally and courageously steward what they had shaped how I think about capital itself.
I recognize I’m writing from a Christian worldview, but the core insight — that capital should serve what you’re actually called to build — applies to any thoughtful steward navigating the gap between their values and their wealth.
Years later, I became a financial advisor and started digging deeper into how investment profits are generated. I was surprised to learn that most investors, including my mission-minded parents, owned investment portfolios that didn’t line up with their stated values and convictions.
For most of them, it was a lack of transparency and awareness of what business activities resulted in the dividends and capital gains. This is understandable and can be resolved with an overhauled investment approach armed with better data. But for others, there was something more that I honestly didn’t expect.
It wasn’t that they didn’t know about values-aligned or impact investing. Many did. It wasn’t that they didn’t care. They clearly did. Many were giving generously in their charitable efforts. The gap was different. It was deeper.
What I kept seeing in families who were stewarding a surplus was this: they had a financial plan but not a stewardship vision. They had optimized their portfolios for returns but had never really asked themselves: What is our family called to cultivate with this capital? And as a result, their wealth was flowing in directions they’d never actually chosen. Sure, advisors had made recommendations, and the clients had consented. But no one had asked the family to sit down together and ask: “What does God want us to start or stop doing with the resources entrusted to us?”
Those deeper conversations about the purpose of the surplus, the calling of the family, weren’t happening because too much money without a clear vision and direction isn’t an urgent problem. And without the conversations, the capital just compounded along whatever default path had been set years ago. And that default path is almost always pointed toward optimization: better returns, less risk, less taxes.
I spent years exploring this. I interviewed inheritors paralyzed by the enormity of their wealth. Some were afraid they’d invest poorly and lose it. Others afraid it would bring harm to their families. I sat with widows who inherited more than they thought they’d spend, but never felt they had permission to direct it, as though it wasn’t real or wasn’t really theirs. I met entrepreneurs who had been so focused on building their businesses that they were disoriented, trying to filter through opportunities for what to do with the proceeds once they sold. I listened to families trying to pass down money across generations efficiently, without a clear pathway for passing down their values. And I realized something: this problem was messy, deeply personal, and relational. It wouldn’t be solved by another 5-Steps-to-Success book about impact investing.
It needed to happen in story form, where readers could watch a family actually have the conversations they weren’t sure how to have themselves. It needed a set of characters where people could see themselves, and their loved ones, reflected and represented. It needed a way to rapidly build the relevant context for stewarding a surplus.
So I wrote a novel.
The River and the Garden
The book follows three people across generations as they inherit, invest, and ultimately learn to steward capital as an act of faithfulness. Each one faces a version of the same question: What does it look like to intentionally cultivate something meaningful with surplus wealth, while still honoring the priority of providing for myself and my family.
But the book is anchored on a pair of metaphors that can bring clarity to investing. The river represents capital, always flowing. And the garden is what we choose to water and grow.
Real stewardship asks: To which garden will I direct my river? What if your wealth could be divided into portions: some safely compounding and generating income for family provision, some actively cultivating the version of the world you’re called to create? What if you had clarity on which investments aligned with your deepest convictions about justice, redemption, and flourishing?
That clarity changes everything. Not because it promises ideal outcomes. But because it makes you coherent. Your life tells one story instead of two. Risk is embraced, not only for higher potential return, but for the sake of love. Family money conversations change forever.
What Happens When People Actually Ask the Question
I’ve watched what happens when investors finally give themselves permission to have these conversations, whether with a spouse, with adult children, with their advisor, or with themselves. It’s not what you might expect from a work of fiction.
One reader, who has not previously been very engaged with investing decisions but has deferred to her husband, told me, “I wish I had read this book when I was younger. I finally have awareness of what my personality and gifting bring to the stewardship aspect of life!”1
Another reached out to share, “Your book is opening my mind and heart to discover how to set the next generation up for success well beyond their material needs. I saw aspects of each of the main characters in myself and others in my family. The family conflict resonated. There is a measure of much-needed hope in this part of the story. I believe there is something we as a family can do with our resources to help make a difference for those suffering and honor God by doing so.”2
One widow in her 70s decided to use some of her surplus to invest in an anti-trafficking themed impact fund3 even though the fund is higher risk and less liquid than most people her age would choose. She noted that if she passed away before the fund paid out, her children could be patient in waiting for their inheritance as they were already financially stable. She wasn’t abandoning prudence, but reclaiming authorship, giving herself permission to do more than accumulate without aim.
I’ve seen the same pattern with next-generation stewards. A young woman came to me overwhelmed by a $15 million family gift. She’d been told to keep working, grow and optimize the portfolio, and preserve it for future generations. No one had asked her what she felt called to do with it. When we finally had that conversation, she sat with her parents and explained her vision: to spend more of her energy on raising her kids and starting a ministry. They heard her vision and affirmed her instinct to live out her priorities. The magnitude of the gift still feels overwhelming at times, but it’s stopped feeling like a burden and started feeling like an opportunity. Her portfolio found its direction. The strategic thinking got easier once the purpose was clear.4
Investors, whether individuals stewarding their own surplus or families stewarding together, are hungry for this conversation, not because they don’t care about returns or diligence. It’s because they know, at some level, that stewarding capital is ultimately not an analytical problem. It’s a relational and spiritual one. It’s a question that belongs in the same category as: What am I here for? What do I believe? What legacy do I want to leave?
These are conversations that can’t happen in spreadsheets. They need story. They need permission. They need a space where people can imagine what it looks like when capital actually serves calling, becoming fuel for purpose, instead of becoming an end in itself.
The Question Your Advisor Might Not Have Asked
In all my years working with investors, I’ve noticed one thing that separates those who feel at peace with their portfolio from those who feel perpetually disconnected: whether or not someone has actually asked them this question.
Not “What return are you targeting?” or “What’s your risk tolerance?” Those questions matter. But they’re not primary.
The primary question is deeper: What do you feel called to build, and how can your capital serve that calling?
Most investors haven’t been asked that. And as a result, they’re investing by default rather than by design. The good news is that it’s not too late to choose differently. To redirect. To become intentional about what your capital is actually for.
Starting the Conversation
The novel The River and the Garden is an invitation to that conversation. It won’t give you specific investment recommendations. It won’t provide financial planning analysis. It certainly can’t replace your advisor. What it will do is show you what it looks like when a family actually asks the questions that matter and how their advisor, who gets little more than a brief mention, serves behind the scenes to help this family live out their calling.
But stories alone aren’t enough. Families also need tools. They need to see where they are now. What their current capital alignment actually looks like, and where it’s flowing by default.
That’s why I created the Garden Audit. It’s a fifteen-minute assessment that asks the questions no one has asked you. It shows you: where your capital is currently flowing, which investments align with your stated values, and where the gaps are. It’s free. It doesn’t sell anything. It just helps show where you stand so you can decide what comes next.
What happens after? That’s up to you. Some go through the book first, then the Garden Audit. Some do the audit first, then read the story. Some share both with their advisor and open a conversation they haven’t known how to start. Others work through it individually, clarifying their own vision before engaging others.
But the common thread is the same: once you get clear on what you’re called to build, the financial decisions get easier. The complexity is still there, but decisions get clearer. More intentional. More coherent.
Because that’s what happens when capital meets calling.
Article by Rachel McDonough. For over twenty years, she’s been helping people bring their faith and their finances into the same room. Plus, she’s been exploring the landscape of opportunities for wealthy investors who want their values to show up in their portfolios.
The River and the Garden invites readers into her unique way of seeing the world of stewardship and investing.
Rachel is a Certified Financial Planner™, Certified Kingdom Advisor®, and a pioneer in faith-driven investing. She loves advising and mentoring investors, training advisors, and making the case that a portfolio can pursue financial returns and human flourishing at the same time. She has been recognized with the Larry Burkett Award from Kingdom Advisors for her work in faith-based finance.5
She calls it the Head + Heart approach. Gran, Roger, and Willow are the personifications of the method. VisitThe River and the Garden
General Disclosure: Rachel McDonough is a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner, Certified Kingdom Advisor®, and associated with Wealth Squared, a registered investment adviser. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a solicitation, or an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The author identifies as an investment adviser and financial coach, but nothing in this article constitutes personalized advice for your specific situation. Please consult your own qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions. For more information about Wealth Squared’s services and disclosures, including Form ADV Part 2A, visit https://www.wealthsq.com or contact the firm directly.
Footnotes
Client Testimonials & Examples: The client experiences and stories shared throughout this article are provided for illustrative purposes. These clients are not representative of all clients’ or readers’ experiences. Clients and readers were not provided compensation for their experiences or stories. Results will vary depending on individual circumstances, time period, market conditions, and other factors. No testimonial or example should be construed as a guarantee of future performance or success. ↩︎
Client Testimonials & Examples: The client experiences and stories shared throughout this article are provided for illustrative purposes. These clients are not representative of all clients’ or readers’ experiences. Clients and readers were not provided compensation for their experiences or stories. Results will vary depending on individual circumstances, time period, market conditions, and other factors. No testimonial or example should be construed as a guarantee of future performance or success. ↩︎
Illustrative Investment Examples: The investment types mentioned in this article—such as anti-trafficking themed impact funds and similar strategies—are provided as illustrative examples of how capital can be directed toward specific values. These are not recommendations to buy, sell, or hold any investment. The suitability of any investment strategy depends on your individual financial situation, goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. Please consult with a qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions. ↩︎
Client Testimonials & Examples: The client experiences and stories shared throughout this article are provided for illustrative purposes. These clients are not representative of all clients’ or readers’ experiences. Clients and readers were not provided compensation for their experiences or stories. Results will vary depending on individual circumstances, time period, market conditions, and other factors. No testimonial or example should be construed as a guarantee of future performance or success. ↩︎
Award Disclosure: Rachel McDonough was recognized with the Larry Burkett Award from Kingdom Advisors in 2022 for her work in faith-based finance. This award recognizes demonstrated excellence in Kingdom-centered financial advising. No fee was paid to be considered for or receive this award. This recognition does not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of future performance or results. ↩︎
