If you’ve been reading any of my work over the last few years you’ll have noticed I’ve been exploring a single core idea from as many different angles as I can.
This is because I believe that this idea can meaningfully change the world.
An idea that holds the potential to shift our collective worldview will necessarily sound unusual to a lot of people. The purpose of my work has been to find a way to distill this idea into something that can be understood by the most people with the least loss of meaning. I jokingly call this “Minimum Viable Woo.”
To be more specific, I believe we have collectively become disconnected from a hidden force. This is my attempt to explore why that has happened, and what that force might be.
I’ve spent the last few months distilling nearly 10 years of work into a 20 minute presentation. You can listen to it above, but that will be much less fun than watching it below.
What does this have to do with Wealth Management? Well, the stability that can be provided by wealth is critical to our ability to pursue our own curiosity. One critical role of a financial advisor is therefore to help their clients feel secure enough to identify and pursue what brings them alive.
Earlier this week I presented this idea, alongside the phenomenal finance writer
, at the 2024 Exchange Conference hosted by Lara Crigger at VettaFi (video starts at 5 minutes 49 seconds).[Thanks to everyone who offered incredible feedback: Matt, Lara, Mer, Allison, Mona, JK, Paul, Dave, Chris, Leonore, Nick, David, Will, Ali and Diane!]
The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice and it should not be relied on as such. It should not be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell a security. It does not take into account any investor’s particular investment objectives, strategies, tax status or investment horizon. You should consult your attorney or tax advisor. The views expressed in this commentary are subject to change based on market and other conditions. These documents may contain certain statements that may be deemed forward looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected. Any projections, market outlooks, or estimates are based upon certain assumptions and should not be construed as indicative of actual events that will occur. All information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. There is no representation or warranty as to the current accuracy, reliability or completeness of, nor liability for, decisions based on such information and it should not be relied on as such. Sapient Capital, LLC (“Sapient Capital”) is a registered investment advisor. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Sapient Capital and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. For additional information and important disclosures, please visit our website at https://sapientcapital.com
Sources for the presentation:
Conscious bandwidth limits: Tor Nørretranders, The User Illusion
Jordan Peterson’s Jacon’s Ladder Lecture.
A short article from Ervin Lazlo on the Holotropic Attractor
Excellent presentation! I have been reading your posts for several years, even before Sapient (I forgot the other company's name), and they are always enlightening.
I believe that curiosity is probably one of the biggest reasons (most likely the number one reason) for most of the inventions/discoveries in the world. One of my friends and I frequently discuss the best attributes to look for when hiring someone. Our conclusion so far is curiosity and attitude. We have even discussed if it is possible to develop an index like IQ for curiosity and attitude so we can hire people with these attributes. The conversation is continuing.
Curiosity is a superpower that everyone has access to - but not everyone is able to unleash it. And as you point out, the world we grow up in appears to bias towards the left hemisphere/disconnection & abstraction. Thanks for packing your wisdom in such a compact deck, Tom.