NEWSLETTER VOL 23 | April 2026

The Other Side of Financial Literacy

April is Financial Literacy Month. It's also when we celebrate Earth Day. People might see these as unrelated events. We don't.

Financial literacy, as it's usually taught, covers one side of the coin. How to grow and preserve wealth through budgeting, navigating capital markets, tax and legacy planning, etc. This is important.

But money doesn't just grow in a silo. And capital is not neutral. Much of today's wealth was accumulated through economic activities that degraded the environment, exploited communities and mindlessly over-extracted resources. We've been living out of balance for far too long. One sobering example: monitored wildlife populations have shrunk by an average of 73% since 1970, a staggering collapse to witness in a single human lifetime.*

So beyond traditional financial savvy, we also need to become literate in the impacts and outcomes of economic growth. Whether that's educating ourselves on the industries and policies that have led us here, looking under the hood at our own portfolio, or funding and building the world we actually want to live in.

That's the fluency we're practicing this month, and always. We hope you'll learn with us.

*Source: World Wildlife Fund

In the spirit of our March blog on environmental wins, monarch butterfly populations rebounded 64% this hibernation season (after years of decline).
A win helped by expanding habitat protection and wetter conditions.

BLOG FROM THE ARCHIVES

WHAT WE’RE READING

Escape from Capitalism

Published in January, Escape from Capitalism is economist Clara E. Mattei’s newest book where she argues that capitalism isn't inevitable, scientific, or natural. It's a relatively young, actively-enforced system that can be replaced. The enduring problems we treat as economic givens, like poverty, unemployment, inflation, and the erosion of public goods, aren't bugs in the system but rather core features.

The book examines how economic ideas become tools of political power through four lenses: austerity, unemployment, Western dominance, and democracy. It's a challenging and clarifying read, and a useful one for anyone whose definition of financial literacy extends beyond personal portfolios to the systems behind the numbers.

Watch: For a shorter entry point, Mattei's recent interview on Ways to Change the World distills the book's core argument in under an hour.
→ Watch the conversation

RETHINK YOUR ADVISOR RELATIONSHIP

ValuesAdvisor: Discover an advisor who
transforms your wealth into change

If this month's reflection has you thinking about how to actually act on impact literacy, ValuesAdvisor is a resource worth bookmarking or sharing with a friend. The nonprofit initiative makes it simple to find a vetted financial advisor who seeks to deliver both financial and social returns. You can filter by what matters to you, compare advisors side by side, and go deep on the details. Every advisor is peer-recommended by a partner organization or impact-investing expert, offers impact investing as a core part of their business, and has at least three years of demonstrated expertise in values-aligned investing. Note: access requires $250 registration.

Captains and Navigators

In a four-part blog series, Katie and Brian Boland of Delta Fund share their journey to create their own ideal advisor/client relationship and provide a helpful framework (with worksheets!) to help others chart their own course.

1. Captains and Navigators Part 1: Why the Wealth Advisory Model is Rigged Against You

2. The Captain’s Duties Part 2: Moving from Lens to Lever

3. The Navigator’s Duties Part 3: What to Demand from Your Advisor

4. Charting the Course Together Part 4: What Happens When Both People Show Up

When people feel intimidated by a lack of financial literacy or investment experience, they often hand over the agency to direct their own dollars to advisors. But as Katie and Brian point out: you are the expert on your values, only you know where you want to go. You may just need help from a partner who can get you there.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Billionaires: Can't Live with Them, Can't Live Without Them? Lunch Lab on May 13th

Americans across the political spectrum believe the economy is rigged against them, often pointing to the billionaire "Epstein" class as the culprit. Yet public programs increasingly rely on taxes from the ultra-wealthy, tying collective economic security to the fortunes of the few, while opponents of these taxes stoke fears of a "flight of the billionaires." How much should everyday economic security be tethered to the rich? Are wealth taxes a transition strategy or an end in themselves? And where do we go from here?

Join People’s Economy Lab (PEL) for the next Lunch Lab on Zoom, May 13th from 12–1pm, for a conversation exploring these questions. Guest speakers Rian Watt (Economic Opportunity Institute) and Christine Hanna (formerly of YES! Media and Seattle Good Business Network) will join PEL Lab Leader Deric Gruen to dig in.

RSVP here

Renton Regional Community Foundation:
Celebrate! Event on May 14th

Speaking of funding the world we want to live in: the Renton Regional Community Foundation is hosting its annual Celebrate! event on Thursday, May 14th. This year's program features a powerful conversation with leaders from Afghan Health Initiative, Black Equality Coalition, and Colectiva Legal del Pueblo. They'll share the challenges facing their communities and how their organizations are rising to meet them.

Schedule: 5:00pm Reception, food, and drink | 6:15pm Program begins
Location: New Beginnings Christian Fellowship in Kent, WA

Less than a month away. Tickets here!