Every week, my Monday missive hits 8000+ in-boxes; our “read rate” is pretty high. I always invite a reply/response; most don’t take the time to talk back. Bud Hancock is the exception…

Bud is an iconic figure in Redding, California (check him out: LinkedIn) He’s a wise sage; still engaged and engaging. He’s got a foot in multiple camps: the marketplace, the political realm, and the non-profit/ministry sector. His thoughts are well founded and well grounded. Here’s what he had to say to my Point of View last week:

“Thanks for redefining wealth and net worth as well as suggesting new paradigms for managing and repurposing our lives and relationships.

In my 86 years I have learned a great deal in knowing and interviewing wealthy people. Many were in their twilight years and some on their death beds. A friend, in his last week of life, got to the issues that mattered to him most after all was said and done. I asked him: ‘What are the most important lessons or advice he would like to share with anyone who would listen?’ Without hesitation he said, ‘Wealth is all about right relationships with spouse, family, people, and God. I am a very rich man.’

In contrast, in an interview with the son of a very high-profile wealthy person, I asked: ‘What is it like to be the son of such a notorious rich person?’ Tragically his answer was: ‘I never really knew my dad. He never had time for me. His identity was in his work and wealth.’

Most monetarily wealthy people have not discovered affective wealth that can take them to a future that transcends their affluent lifestyle. They pursue every pleasure for peace of mind, but it eludes them. Many have not learned to define what is enough and what really matters most when all is said and done. Their lives are often void of meaning and purpose beyond their wealth driven identity and work.

Not one of us picked our place of birth nor did we bring anything into this world. Neither will we exit with a U-Haul trailer behind the hearse that transports our remains to the grave. Many wealthy people are preoccupied with accumulation, maintenance and management of their assets and, often miss the opportunity to redefine riches and what matters most in the end. The good and legitimate can be the enemy of the best and, too often, is the empty substitute for the best.

A smaller remnant of wealthy people have redefined wealth as right relationships with God, family, and others. Wealth and riches to them are no longer ends but the means to restore people, places and planet, and with it a future with hope for many to follow. Their Return on Investment (ROI) is generational, to create a culture of hope and promise. Their glow brightens long after they are laid to rest. In the process, riches redefined produces a harvest of peace premised on Truth and a life of adventure in doing good while doing well, and doing business for a higher purpose.

Deathbed wishes may be one of our best clues to define best what matters most—riches at best are to be found in redemptive relationships. To invest without that as the higher value is to rob ourselves, God and others of the legacy that will not fade, rust, or rot. What net gain will our bank accounts, stocks, real estate yield if that is our sole pursuit? Our best investment is in our relationships to assure a net worth that will continue long after we depart.

St. Augustine said, ‘Thou hast made us for thyself O God and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.’ Pascal the great French physicist and philosopher said. ‘There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man that only can be filled by God as we know him in Christ.’

This author is nearing the finish line. I have discovered the redefinition of riches in discovering Truth and in right relationships. My true value is not determined by monetary wealth, titles or the number of friends I have at the Club or on Facebook. I know why I am here, where I came from and where I am going, and am most grateful for the riches I have discovered in right relationships and my designed purpose. I am truly a very rich man.

I have already achieved my goal of being zero based in all my assets upon my exit from planet Earth. Those assets are generating returns in perpetuity making a difference in the lives of people denied the opportunity to have a future with hope. There’s no U-Haul behind my hearse. I am ahead of schedule in my goal achievement.”

Atta boy, Bud. May your tribe increase…

Bob Shank

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