English theologian Dr. Peter Vardy made the striking choice to keep a coffin – his own – in his office at the Jesuit institution Heythrop College, ever on display as he counseled students and other faculty. His visitors would necessarily confront this symbol of mortality during their meetings, a physical reminder that our time is finite and that our choices matter.
His practice serves as a powerful prompt to consider our own lives’ direction and purpose. The contemplation of our mortality can serve as a catalyst for transformation in how we live, work and invest.
The idea of death teaching us about life emerges across cultures, from the Buddhist practice of maranasati (mindfulness of death) to the Latin phrase memento mori (“remember that you must die”). These practices are not meant to invoke fear or paralysis but rather to inspire intentional living and conscious decision making.
Personal encounters with death often provide profound lessons. I was present for the passing of my mother and my grandmother, both of which illuminated the mysterious threshold between worlds. In fact, my mother’s final words were “Frightening but beautiful,” which capture the paradoxical nature of death’s ability to inspire both awe and anxiety, fear and fascination.
As president of LightPost Capital, much of my work in investing and advising has involved encouraging people to reflect on their legacy. I took a course called Lives of Consequence with Dr. Roderick Kramer, a professor of psychology at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, whose syllabus requires each student to write their own obituary. I found this an effective exercise to really tune in to what legacy I am seeking to leave.
At the heart of this rethinking is a deeper question about risk. Traditionally, finance has treated risk as a matter of returns and default, but the philanthropy and impact investing consultant Elizabeth Garlow presses us to ask instead, What is the risk of not having a livable future? This reframing places longterm human and ecological well-being at the center of economic decision making. Her reflections also resonate with the late Pope Francis’s call to pay attention to God’s economy, one that asks us not only how much we can accumulate but also what is enough. From this perspective, genuine wealth emerges not from surplus capital but from relationships.
The etymology of investing, from the Latin investire, meaning “to clothe,” reminds us that to invest is not simply to allocate capital but to wrap our resources around what we hold most dear. Just as the garments we choose both protect us and signal who we are, our investments reveal our priorities and shape the identity we project into the world. When we embrace death awareness, we find ourselves naturally drawn toward more meaningful deployment of our time, talent, and treasure. These choices become part of the fabric of our legacy.
One of the most memorable insights into my own mortality came during a weeklong Art of Leadership program led by Robert Gass, at Hollyhock Leadership Center on Cortes Island in British Columbia. There we were asked to imagine that we had each just been told that we had only one year left to live. When I sat with that idea, it became clear that aligning my investments and business practices with my deepest values was a way to leave a meaningful legacy beyond material success. The meditation on death breathed new life into my approach to leadership, inspiring a more compassionate, purpose-driven environment in my professional endeavors. As a result, I co-led an initiative to help foundations shift capital from fossil fuels into renewable energy solutions, ultimately leading to a coalition of over 170 foundations representing over $50 billion, including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund pledging to do so.
One way to approach legacy is the indigenous concept of the seven generations, which urges us to consider the impacts of our decisions not just on the present moment but also on seven generations into the future, and to also consider the legacy from seven generations in the past. During a journey to the Amazon in August 2025 with the Pachamama Alliance, I had the privilege to spend time with the indigenous Achuar and Sapara communities, whose perspective on preserving the Amazon forest is inseparable from the spiritual and ecological well-being of future generations, embodying a holistic approach where protecting the forest is caring for life itself.
The Pachamama Alliance’s call to change the dream of the modern world from one that extracts from nature to one that embraces and protects it applies to businesses and investors, too. When capital allocation, strategic planning, and organizational culture all begin with the question, “Will this sustain and nourish life far beyond our own time?” the purpose and power of investing are transformed. Ultimately, abundance is measured not just in material wealth but in enduring ecological integrity and in the flourishing of all communities, present and future. Thus business and investment decisions become acts of spiritual care, weaving legacy into the fabric of commerce and ensuring that the world we leave behind is one of possibility for generations to come.
Aligning financial returns with measurable social and environmental impact involves setting clear, outcome-based targets—such as carbon reduction goals, fair wage benchmarks, or improvements in community health—and tying executive compensation or investor dividends to progress against these metrics. This means backing companies that measure and report their impact, using frameworks such as the Impact Management Project or B Corporation certification to ensure social and environmental outcomes are not only claimed but verified by independent standards. It means prioritizing inclusive governance, following the example of companies such as Patagonia, which formally prioritizes employee input and community consultation, resulting in greater brand loyalty, innovation, and strong financial returns.
By modeling transparent measurement, encouraging active stakeholder engagement, and linking rewards to verified impact outcomes, business leaders can ensure that every investment decision truly nurtures the potential of people and planet—proving that integrated purpose leads to lasting prosperity.