Without asking this fundamental question, you may find yourself spending your time in pursuit of an unknown destination. Money is a tool — your time is the only finite resource you're really spending.
Without asking this fundamental question, you may find yourself spending your time in pursuit of an unknown destination. I dare to suggest that, for many of us, the hidden driver behind the majority of our decisions is money. Yet, without a clear plan or defined goal, we lack direction — and without direction, we never truly arrive. The feeling of “enough,” or of true security, remains elusive.
Do you evaluate every decision based on financial cost? The truth is, the only finite resource you’re really spending is your time. So perhaps the first step toward building a meaningful plan or destination is to ask: how do you want to spend your time? What brings you the greatest happiness? What are you striving for that you don’t already have?
Some clients may already be there. They are spending their time in ways that bring deep meaning, but they struggle to feel the benefit — because their attention is fixed solely on financial cost or gain.
Money is a tool. As advisers, I believe one of our most important roles is to help clients disentangle their sense of security from their financial status. By returning money to its objective function — it buys things — we help individuals reclaim their mental space and begin to break the chain linking their time directly to their money. We redirect their focus toward using money intentionally, as a tool to enrich their life experience, and ultimately help them spend in ways that increase the value of their time.
It’s often said that money doesn’t buy happiness — but it can alleviate unhappiness, which in itself can make us feel better. Ultimately, I agree with Arthur C Brooks who outlines there are only five things we can do with money: buy things, buy experiences, buy time — to spend on or with what we love — give it away, and save it.
The joy of experience
A contrarian, yet resonant, view is that numbers 2–5 are the ones that bring happiness. Number 1 — the accumulation of things — comes from an outdated race for survival that we are, largely, no longer in. Yes, we need to buy things to meet our essential needs and to reduce discomfort, but the joy we derive from shared experiences, enriched learning, and contributing to meaningful causes adds lasting value to our lives.
I recently came across an idea that happiness can be boiled down to just two fundamentals: the experience of positive emotions today — often linked to how we spend our time — and a sense of satisfaction with the direction of our lives. In other words, the feeling of progress.
A richer type of life
Interestingly, saving feels like progress.
So how can we exchange money for a richer experience of life?
Focus on your only truly finite resource — time — and how you choose to spend it. Carve out moments in your week that are free from the pursuit of money, to enjoy and appreciate the opportunities you already have. For example, taking Wednesday mornings off to run with my partner and enjoy brunch adds more to my life than updating Salesforce ever could.
Define a plan or goal. When we invest toward something tangible and emotionally resonant, we experience a sense of reward and purpose now — not just in the future. We can feel the happiness of progress through intentional spending.
Conclusions
Financial planning isn’t just about accumulating wealth — it’s about aligning money with meaning. By viewing money as a tool, not a measure of self-worth or safety, we can refocus on what truly matters: our time, our goals, and the richness of our lives. When we plan with purpose, we turn financial decisions into life decisions — and that’s where the real value lies.
