Purpose Driven Finances

Purpose Driven Finances
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Investing
  • Updated Daily

Welcome to Purpose Driven Finances — the podcast that helps you use your money as a tool to fulfill the plan and purpose for your life. Hosted by Allan Malina, founder of Servus Capital Management, each episode brings you practical strategies, insightful conversations, and timely commentary on personal finance and investing. We guide you toward clarity and confidence, whether you’re planning for retirement, navigating life transitions, or simply looking to make wiser financial decisions. We cover a wide range of topics—from budgeting, debt management, and investment strategies to retirement planning and legacy planning—plus commentary on current economic trends to keep you informed. Because money isn’t the goal—living with purpose is. Learn more at www.servuscm.com Thanks for listening, and welcome to Purpose Driven Finances.

  1. 4d ago

    Income vs. Growth vs. Total Return: What Should Retirees Focus On?

    Key Takeaways Income alone is not the same as investment return. A portfolio can produce an attractive dividend or interest payment while still losing value.High yield does not automatically mean lower risk. Chasing income can introduce concentration, credit, inflation, and principal-loss risks.Total return combines income and growth. Dividends and interest matter, but so do capital appreciation and changes in the value of your investments.Retirement portfolios should be built around purpose and spending needs—not a predetermined yield target.Your retirement can be viewed much like an endowment: the goal is to fund current needs while protecting purchasing power for the years ahead.Markets and economic conditions change. A portfolio designed for one environment may need to adapt when growth, inflation, interest rates, currencies, or market leadership change.A written investment and spending policy can help keep portfolio decisions connected to your goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. Aired: August 29, 2026 Episode Overview Should retirees invest primarily for income? Should younger investors concentrate on growth? Or is there a better way to think about both? In this episode of Purpose Driven Finances, Allan Malina explains why he believes the more useful question is not, “How much income does my portfolio produce?” but rather, “Is my portfolio designed to fund the purpose I need it to serve?” Allan uses real-world institutional examples to illustrate how an attractive yield can hide losses elsewhere in a portfolio. He also looks at Yale University's evolution toward a total-return approach and explains why retirees can learn from the way long-lived endowments think about spending, inflation, purchasing power, and portfolio sustainability. The conversation also explores why changing interest rates and Treasury-market conditions matter beyond Wall Street. Longer-term rates can influence mortgages, business borrowing, government financing costs, and stock valuations—another reminder that portfolios operate inside a changing economic environment. The central lesson is simple: don't manage your investments to produce a particular yield just because that number feels comfortable. Manage your portfolio according to your goals, spending needs, risk, time horizon, and the economic environment. Frequently Asked Questions What is an income-focused portfolio? An income-focused portfolio emphasizes cash flow generated by investments, such as dividends and interest. What is a growth-focused portfolio? A growth-focused portfolio emphasizes increases in the value of investments over time rather than primarily seeking current income. What does total return mean? Total return considers both sources of investment return: income received from investments and the appreciation or depreciation of their value. Is a high-yield investment automatically a good retirement investment? No. A high yield may come with additional risks. Investors should consider the investment's total return, underlying risk, diversification, inflation exposure, and how it fits their overall financial plan. Should retirees live only on dividends and interest and never touch principal? Not necessarily. An income-only approach can force a portfolio toward investments chosen primarily for yield. A total-return strategy instead begins with the retiree's spending needs and considers the entire portfolio as a source for funding those needs. How much can I safely withdraw in retirement? There is no single withdrawal rate appropriate for everyone. Spending needs, longevity, inflation, investment returns, taxes, market conditions, and risk tolerance all matter. Allan discusses approximately 5% as a planning framework in the episode—not as a guarantee or universal rule.

  2. Aug 21

    We Go Anywhere—But Not Just Everywhere

    Key Takeaways Your portfolio should begin with the purpose of your money—not with an investment product or market index.Two people with the same amount of money may need very different portfolios because their goals, income needs, time horizons, taxes, and ability to recover from losses differ.A disciplined investment strategy should have a process for both growing capital and managing risk when markets decline.Investment opportunities can exist across stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, international markets, and other asset classes.Being asset agnostic means evaluating where the evidence points rather than remaining loyal to one sector, investment style, or asset class.The same investment may be appropriate for two investors but deserve different allocations based on their individual circumstances.Purpose comes before products, and portfolio decisions should follow the investor’s goals, the market environment, and the evidence. Aired August 15, 2026 Episode Overview Should a 35-year-old engineer and a 72-year-old retiree own completely different investments? Should a business owner invest like a nonprofit? And if two people each have $1 million, does that money necessarily have the same job? In this episode of Purpose Driven Finances, Allan Malina explains why effective portfolio management begins with the individual investor. Goals, timelines, income needs, taxes, liquidity, personal preferences, and the ability to recover from losses can all influence how capital should be managed. Allan then explains the idea behind “we go anywhere, but not just everywhere.” Rather than remaining committed to one sector, index, country, or asset class, a disciplined process can evaluate opportunities across a broad investment universe and determine which areas appear best suited to the current economic and market environment. The objective is not to copy a neighbor, coworker, index, or generic model portfolio. It is to build a portfolio around what your money must accomplish and then continually evaluate the environment and evidence to determine where capital belongs. Frequently Asked Questions Should everyone with the same amount of money have the same portfolio? No. The amount invested is only one consideration. Purpose, spending needs, time horizon, taxes, risk tolerance, liquidity needs, and other circumstances can make the appropriate strategy very different. Should retirees automatically invest more conservatively than younger investors? Not necessarily. Age matters, but longevity, income needs, financial resources, goals, and the ability to withstand losses also matter. The portfolio should be designed around the individual rather than age alone. What does “asset agnostic” investing mean? It means not being permanently loyal to one investment category. The process can consider stocks, bonds, commodities, international markets, currencies, and other opportunities, then evaluate which areas are supported by the current environment and evidence. Can the same investment belong in portfolios with different risk profiles? Potentially, yes. The difference may be how much capital is allocated to it. Position size should reflect each investor’s purpose, goals, risk tolerance, and investment policy. What should come first when building a portfolio? Start by asking what the money must accomplish and when it will be needed. Only after defining purpose, time horizon, income needs, risk, and flexibility should specific investments enter the conversation.

  3. Aug 21

    Save to Serve with Jonathan Falwell: Finding Purpose in Your Money and Your Life

    Key Takeaways Financial planning should begin with a purpose. Without knowing what your money is meant to accomplish, saving and investing can become goals unto themselves.Jonathan Falwell explains that purpose extends beyond your career to your responsibilities within your family, community, and relationships.Healthy financial management begins with a simple principle: live within your means and create financial margin.Financial margin can provide flexibility to help your family, serve others, give generously, and pursue meaningful goals.Retirement should be about more than accumulating enough money to stop working. As Jonathan puts it, “We don't save to sit. We save to serve.” Couples without a shared and healthy approach to money can experience financial stress, conflict, and difficulty pursuing common goals.Purpose does not always arrive through one dramatic revelation. It may become clearer through a series of experiences, opportunities, abilities, and decisions. Generosity can help keep wealth in perspective: money is a resource to care for family, help others, and accomplish what matters rather than simply accumulate possessions.  Special Guest: Jonathan Falwell Aired October 19, 2024 Episode Overview Are you saving simply so you can stop working—or are you building financial resources so you can live with greater purpose? In this episode of Purpose Driven Finances, Allan Malina continues his conversation with Jonathan Falwell about connecting money with the purpose and plan for your life. Jonathan explains that purpose is not limited to a career or ministry. It can include your role in your family, neighborhood, community, and the lives of other people. Without that direction, it is easy to move through life focused primarily on the next paycheck or eventually reaching retirement. The conversation then turns directly to personal finances. Living within your means creates margin—the financial breathing room that can eventually allow you to pursue dreams, care for family, respond when others need help, and live generously. Jonathan also shares his own experience discovering his calling and explains why purpose can reveal itself incrementally rather than through a single “lightning bolt” moment. The larger financial lesson is straightforward: Don't make accumulating money the purpose. Make money a tool that helps you accomplish the purpose. Frequently Asked Questions Why is having a purpose important in financial planning? Purpose gives money direction. Once you understand what you want your resources to accomplish, saving, investing, spending, retirement planning, and giving can be organized around those priorities. What does “save to serve, not save to sit” mean? Retirement savings can provide more than the ability to stop working. Financial independence can create the freedom to live, help family, serve others, give generously, and pursue meaningful goals. How can couples build a healthier relationship with money? Start with a shared understanding of what your resources are intended to accomplish. Living within your means and creating financial margin can reduce the pressure associated with continually living paycheck to paycheck. How do I find my purpose in life? It may not happen all at once. Pay attention to your abilities, passions, responsibilities, opportunities, experiences, and the areas where you find meaning and joy. Is it wrong to build wealth or leave money to your family? No. Jonathan specifically discusses the responsibility he feels to provide for his wife and bless his children while also using resources generously during his lifetime. How can generosity change my relationship with money? Generosity can shift the focus from “How much can I accumulate?” toward “What can I accomplish with what I have?” That can include supporting family, community organizations, churches, charitable causes, and people in need.

  4. Aug 21

    Purpose Over Possessions with Jonathan Falwell: Using Money as a Tool for the Life You’re Called to Live

    Key Takeaways Financial success is not simply about accumulating more money. Money can be a tool for accomplishing the purpose and plan for your life.Jonathan Falwell shares how his father, Jerry Falwell Sr., viewed resources as tools to serve people, build organizations, and pursue a larger mission rather than as an end goal.Retirement savings, financial security, travel, and possessions are not inherently the problem. The danger comes when accumulating them becomes the primary purpose.Good stewardship means managing the resources entrusted to you in ways that support what matters most in your life.Your purpose does not need to look impressive compared with someone else's. A meaningful life is not measured by the size of another person's accomplishments.Discovering your purpose may not happen through one dramatic “aha” moment. It can emerge gradually through your abilities, opportunities, experiences, and passions.Passion and purpose can produce a form of success that money alone cannot measure.Stuff doesn't make you happy. Purpose makes you happy. Special Guest: Jonathan Falwell Aired October 12, 2024 Episode Overview What if financial success isn't ultimately about how much money you accumulate—but what that money allows you to accomplish? In this episode of Purpose Driven Finances, Allan Malina sits down with Jonathan Falwell to explore purpose, stewardship, money, and lessons from the life of his father, Jerry Falwell Sr. Jonathan describes a man who did not view money as the destination. Resources were tools that could help serve people and build things that would continue making an impact beyond his lifetime. He shares personal stories of his father's generosity—including giving money, clothing, and even his shoes to people in need. The conversation then broadens to a question relevant far beyond finances: How do you discover your own purpose? Jonathan explains that purpose does not have to involve building a university, leading a large organization, or achieving something the world considers extraordinary. Nor does finding it necessarily require a dramatic moment of revelation. Purpose can emerge as you recognize what you do well, what you care about, and where your abilities and opportunities lead you. The financial lesson is powerful: build resources responsibly, but don't confuse the resources with the reason you're building them. Frequently Asked Questions What does purpose-driven financial planning mean? It means beginning with what you want your life and resources to accomplish, then using financial planning, saving, investing, and spending as tools to support those goals. Is accumulating wealth a bad thing? No. The discussion specifically distinguishes having money and resources from making their accumulation the ultimate goal. The question is what you intend to accomplish with what you have. How can money support my purpose? Money can provide resources for retirement, family, generosity, experiences, education, service, entrepreneurship, or other priorities that reflect your personal purpose and plan. How do I figure out my purpose in life? It may develop gradually rather than arrive in a single defining moment. Consider your abilities, passions, opportunities, experiences, and the work that gives you a sense of meaning and joy. Does my purpose have to be something extraordinary? No. Jonathan emphasizes that your calling should not be judged against someone else's. What matters is faithfully pursuing the purpose that belongs to you. Can having more money make me happier? Money can provide security and opportunities, but the episode argues that possessions alone do not create fulfillment. Purpose, passion, relationships, service, and using resources intentionally can matter far more.

  5. Aug 21

    Protect Your Retirement: Social Security, Portfolio Risk, and Financial Scams

    Key Takeaways Social Security’s long-term funding challenges make personal retirement planning increasingly important.Government spending, interest rates, economic growth, and inflation can directly affect retirement portfolios and financial planning decisions.Investors should have a process for adjusting portfolio risk when economic and market conditions change.Helping adult children financially can become dangerous when it jeopardizes the parents’ own retirement security.Be extremely cautious about withdrawing large amounts from a 401(k), 403(b), or IRA to solve someone else’s financial problem.Phishing emails and texts often imitate trusted financial institutions, DocuSign, invoices, or account-security alerts.Never enter financial credentials through a link in an unexpected email or text. Independently access the institution through a trusted website or app.Protecting your retirement requires defending your money from both market risk and financial fraud. Aired March 8, 2025 Episode Overview Will Social Security be there when you retire? Should changing economic conditions cause you to reconsider portfolio risk? And how much financial help can you give your children without endangering your own retirement? In this episode of Purpose Driven Finances, Allan Malina and Rich Roth connect these questions through one central theme: protecting your financial future. The conversation begins with concerns Allan heard directly from clients approaching retirement who questioned Social Security's long-term financial health. That leads to a broader discussion about government spending, economic growth, interest rates, and why changes in the economy can matter to investors long before retirement arrives. Allan then turns to another potential threat to retirement security: helping family members beyond what your finances can reasonably support. He discusses a case involving a mother who provided $350,000 from a roughly $650,000 nest egg to help her son. His larger point is not to stop helping family—it is to avoid sacrificing your own financial independence in the process. Finally, Allan and Rich examine phishing emails, fraudulent texts, fake financial websites, suspicious invoices, and malicious links. Scammers increasingly imitate familiar companies, making independent verification more important than ever. Frequently Asked Questions Should I plan for retirement assuming Social Security will cover my needs? Social Security can be an important component of retirement income, but your financial plan should evaluate your complete income needs, savings, investments, spending, and other available resources. Should parents use retirement savings to help adult children? Helping family can be worthwhile, but large withdrawals can jeopardize your own retirement. Consider whether the gift or loan could materially affect your future income and financial independence. How can I recognize a phishing email? Check the actual sender address, links, spelling, domain name, and any unexpected request for credentials. A message can visually resemble a trusted company while directing you to a fraudulent website. What should I do if I receive a suspicious message from my bank or investment company? Do not use the link in the message. Instead, independently open the institution's official app or website or contact the company through a telephone number you already trust. How do market conditions affect retirement risk? Economic growth, inflation, interest rates, and market trends can change the risk-and-reward environment. A portfolio-management process should consider whether the amount and type of risk being taken still fits both current conditions and the investor's goals.

  6. Aug 21

    Hard Questions to Ask Your Financial Advisor

    Key Takeaways Your financial advisor should be able to explain why they use the investments they recommend, not simply tell you what to buy.Mutual funds and ETFs have important differences in trading flexibility, costs, taxes, investment focus, and management style.Owning several mutual funds does not necessarily mean you are diversified; different funds may hold many of the same investments.Ask your advisor about fees—including what you actually pay and whether those fees change as your assets grow.Ask about mistakes. How an advisor recognizes, learns from, and adapts after a mistake can reveal a great deal about their investment process.A financial advisor should be able to explain their portfolio-management process in understandable terms.Trust should come from transparency, alignment of interests, planning, process, and experience—not simply because someone says, “Trust me.”Your financial plan ultimately belongs to you. Your daily spending, saving, and financial decisions should remain connected to your own goals and dreams. Aired August 16, 2025 Episode Overview Would your financial advisor willingly discuss their biggest investment mistake? Can they clearly explain their fees? Can they tell you why they selected one investment approach instead of another—and why you should trust them with your life savings? In this episode of Purpose Driven Finances, Allan Malina and Rich Roth turn the questions toward the advisor. The discussion begins with Allan announcing that Servus Capital Management is adding a mutual fund option for investors who prefer mutual funds. Allan explains several differences between mutual funds and ETFs, including when they trade, potential expenses and tax consequences, active versus passive management, and the possibility of overlapping holdings among multiple funds. Then the questions become more personal. Allan discusses memorable client experiences, his biggest investment-management miss, how Servus charges fees, how its portfolio process works, and one of the most difficult questions any advisor can face: Why should people trust you? The larger lesson is simple: investors should understand not only what they own, but also the philosophy, process, costs, risks, and person responsible for helping manage their financial future. Frequently Asked Questions What questions should I ask a financial advisor? Ask how they invest, why they choose particular investments, what you will pay, how they manage risk, how they have responded to mistakes, and how their process connects to your goals. What is the difference between an ETF and a mutual fund? ETFs generally trade throughout the market day, while mutual funds are typically priced once daily. They can also differ in costs, tax characteristics, management style, investment specificity, and portfolio construction. Does owning several mutual funds mean I am diversified? Not necessarily. Multiple funds can own many of the same securities, creating more concentration than an investor realizes. Reviewing the underlying holdings can help identify portfolio overlap. Should I ask my financial advisor about their mistakes? Yes. Understanding what went wrong, what the advisor learned, and whether the investment process changed afterward can provide valuable insight into how they manage money. How important are a financial advisor's fees? Fees matter because they reduce investment returns. Investors should understand what they pay, what services are included, and whether the fee schedule changes at different asset levels. How can I evaluate whether to trust a financial advisor? Look beyond promises. Consider transparency, experience, incentives, investment philosophy, risk-management process, communication, and whether the advisor's recommendations are centered on your goals.

  7. Aug 21

    Are You Funding Your Dreams—or Delaying Them?

    Key Takeaways Financial planning should help you fund the life you actually want—not simply accumulate money without a purpose.Handling financial pressure well starts with having a plan before the pressure arrives.Ask yourself whether you are funding your dreams or continually delaying them for another year.Small, consistent actions can turn large financial goals into achievable steps.Waiting to address savings, debt, retirement, or other priorities can carry a significant opportunity cost.Your daily spending and saving habits should support your financial plan rather than fight against it.Financial clarity can reduce uncertainty by turning broad goals into specific numbers and actions.“I want to retire” is not a complete financial goal. Define what retirement should actually look like and what it will require. Aired August 9, 2025 Episode Overview What questions should a financial advisor be willing to ask—even when the answers may be uncomfortable? In this episode of Purpose Driven Finances, Allan Malina and Rich Roth explore the connection between financial planning, personal discipline, pressure, and purpose. The conversation begins with an important lesson Allan takes from competitive pool: focus on one match, one game, one ball at a time. Whether competing, navigating a family emergency, or making financial decisions during stressful markets, preparation and process can help prevent pressure from controlling the decision. That leads to several deeper financial planning questions: Are you funding your dreams or delaying them indefinitely? What is the real cost of waiting another year to get serious? Do your daily habits support your financial plan—or fight against it? And what financial stress could disappear if you had greater clarity? Allan explains that pursuing a goal does not always require a dramatic change. Sometimes it begins with a small, repeatable action: “Page a day, chapter a month, book a year.” The financial equivalent is consistently directing today's decisions toward tomorrow's purpose. Frequently Asked Questions How do I know if I am really funding my financial goals? Look at your current behavior. If your spending, saving, debt reduction, and investment decisions consistently move you toward the goal, your habits are supporting your plan. What is the financial cost of waiting another year? Waiting can mean another year without savings or debt reduction, additional interest expense, and lost time toward achieving your goals. Why do daily financial habits matter? A financial plan only works when your behavior supports it. Small spending and saving choices repeated over time can either move you toward your goals or work directly against them. Can financial planning reduce financial stress? Greater clarity can help. Defining what you actually want to accomplish allows you to identify the numbers and actions required instead of continually guessing about your financial future. Is “I want to retire” a sufficient retirement goal? No. Retirement becomes more useful as a planning goal when you define what you want retirement to look like, when you want it to begin, and what financial resources will be needed to support it.

  8. Aug 21

    Protecting Your Portfolio—and Yourself—from Financial Scams

    Key Takeaways Portfolio risk is not limited to market losses. Protecting your finances also means recognizing scams before money leaves your account.Weakening economic data can be a reminder to review the amount of risk in your portfolio rather than assuming yesterday’s strategy still fits today’s environment.Financial scams can affect people of any age, education level, or financial experience.Scammers frequently exploit urgency, trust, loneliness, fear, financial hope, and seemingly perfect timing.Social media accounts can be hacked and used to impersonate people you actually know, making fraudulent offers appear legitimate.Requests for immediate deposits, gift cards, cryptocurrency transfers, banking information, or unusual payment methods are major warning signs.Before sending money, independently verify the person or organization using contact information you already trust.If a family member is scammed, asking how and why it happened may help prevent the next attempt instead of simply blaming the victim. Aired March 1, 2025 Episode Overview Financial protection involves more than watching the stock market. In this episode of Purpose Driven Finances, Allan Malina discusses two very different forms of financial risk: changing market conditions and scams designed to separate people from their money. Allan first examines weakening economic signals and explains why investors should periodically reassess portfolio risk as economic growth, inflation, interest rates, and market conditions change. The larger portfolio-management lesson is that investors should have a process for responding when the evidence changes rather than simply remaining static. The conversation then turns to financial scams after several clients raised concerns about suspicious situations. Allan and Rich discuss how scammers use social media impersonation, emotional connections, cryptocurrency opportunities, gift cards, and frightening messages supposedly coming from government agencies. One particularly effective tactic is urgency: “Act now before someone else gets it.” Rich describes nearly sending money for a vehicle advertised through a hacked social-media account belonging to someone he knew. Independently contacting the real person exposed the fraud before money changed hands. The lesson: slow down, verify independently, and protect both your money and the people you care about. Frequently Asked Questions What are common warning signs of a financial scam? Unexpected urgency, guaranteed or unusually high returns, requests for gift cards or cryptocurrency, demands for immediate deposits, requests for banking information, and pressure not to independently verify the situation should raise concerns. Can someone I know contact me from a hacked social-media account? Yes. A compromised account can allow a scammer to impersonate someone you trust. Contact that person independently before sending money. Are guaranteed cryptocurrency returns a warning sign? Promises of unusually high or “guaranteed” daily returns deserve extreme caution, particularly when they involve unfamiliar websites, wallets, or requests for financial information. Why do scammers ask for gift cards? Once the victim provides the card numbers or codes, the scammer can quickly access the value. Allan describes a case involving $10,000 in gift cards that was lost after the numbers were provided to the scammer. What should I do before sending money after an unexpected request? Stop and independently verify the request. Contact the person, bank, government agency, or organization through a telephone number or method you already know to be legitimate.

See All (80)

About

Welcome to Purpose Driven Finances — the podcast that helps you use your money as a tool to fulfill the plan and purpose for your life. Hosted by Allan Malina, founder of Servus Capital Management, each episode brings you practical strategies, insightful conversations, and timely commentary on personal finance and investing. We guide you toward clarity and confidence, whether you’re planning for retirement, navigating life transitions, or simply looking to make wiser financial decisions. We cover a wide range of topics—from budgeting, debt management, and investment strategies to retirement planning and legacy planning—plus commentary on current economic trends to keep you informed. Because money isn’t the goal—living with purpose is. Learn more at www.servuscm.com Thanks for listening, and welcome to Purpose Driven Finances.

Information

  • Creator
    Purpose Driven Finances
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    80
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Servus Capital Management
  • Show Website
    Purpose Driven Finances