MONEY STORIES: 2025 Recap | Is there a responsibility associated with wealth?  If yes, what could it be?

MONEY STORIES RECAPS
Written By Georgia Hussey

At Modernist, we center our values in all our work: from meeting structures, to how we donate our money each year, to our annual beautiful question. Invite & Include is our first core value, so back in 2017 we were inspired to innovate an event that would reflect the one-on-one work we do with clients into our broader community. Thus began Modernist Money Stories. Ever since, we’ve been gathering folks here at Modernist HQ for guided conversations around beautiful questions.

In 2025, we organized our Modernist Money Stories events around the year’s beautiful (and essential) question:

is there a responsibility associated with wealth?

if yes, what could it be?

The Vibe

We reorganize our office in downtown Portland to allow for a conversation in a circle. We bring in delicious treats from local bakeries, wineries, kombucha and tea makers.

We put on some mellow jazz and neo-classical for background music.

We invite folks from a variety of backgrounds: creatives, entrepreneurs, allied professionals we work with, activists, folks from the nonprofit and philanthropy sectors.

We usually host around 8 to 10 folks for these hour and a half formal conversations, led by our founder and CEO, Georgia.

The Structure of our conversation

We invite you to use the prompts we designed to guide a conversation with your own friends and family, colleagues and neighbors. You’ll need pen and paper and a comfy and quiet place to hang out for about an hour and a half.

To delve into the question: Is there a responsibility associated with wealth? If yes, what could it be?

  1. Share 1 cliché or phrase that comes to mind about wealth.

  2. List 5 words that come to mind when you think about wealth.

  3. List 5 words that come to mind when you think about responsibility.

  4. Share a few of these words.

  5. List the culture you most identify with in your life now.

  6. Does that culture ascribe responsibility to wealth? Yes or no.

  7. List 3 examples of how the culture you most identify with ascribes responsibility to wealth, or not.

  8. Share the culture you most identify with and a few of your examples.

  9. When we talk about wealth, we consider 5 elements: money, time, well-being, skills, and relationships. List each element and at least 2-3 assets you hold in each.

    1. Some examples: money (food and shelter), time (morning time to read), well-being (health insurance and therapy), skills (leading reflective conversations and long-term planning), and relationships (other folks who are working for a more just world).

  10. Re-read your answers. Reflect on which element assets feels most aligned with your values right now?

    1. Circle those.

    2. Are there any of your assets or elements that surprised you? Do you notice any themes emerging? Any ways you could live further into your values around wealth?

  11. In at least two of these elements, write down other ways you could live into your values.

  12. If you had total permission to dream, what would you like the responsibility of wealth to be in your culture, if anything?

    1. Be descriptive. What would it look like? Feel like? Who would be there? What would look and feel different?

  13. Share your vision with each other. Speak back what you heard, asking follow-up questions, but not editorializing.

  14. List one small step you could take today to move your community or culture closer to this ideal world?

  15. Share with each other what you most appreciated about this conversation!

The Themes we heard

Folks shared that the experience created room to reflect on many resources we take for granted. They appreciated the diversity of perspectives and positive intent of the gathering. This question felt particularly resonant given the political and social change we’re experiencing in the U.S.

  • Folks identified as many things: Jewish, Lower Middle Class, Southern White Working Class, Oregon Coast, Generational Wealth, Artist, German - Western European, Journalist, Nomadic Creative / Artist, Nor Cal, Central Cali Coast, Entrepreneur, Small business owner, Queer working class, Creative class, Neurodiverse, Natural world, Activist.

  • When we think about wealth in broader terms (five elements: money, time, relationships, skills, well-being), we see the world as holding greater abundance while fostering a sense of hope and possibility.

  • Community is key. Folks wanted to make space for sharing and storytelling to learn from others experiences. When trying to solve systemic problems, they aimed to resource those most impacted to keep the money wealthy from being the central decision makers. Folks wanted to invest time in connecting people in their local and global networks.

  • “Held money depletes collective energy” was a phrase that resonated strongly with one group.

  • Folks dreamed beautiful dreams for a future responsibility of wealth: Revolutionize education. More equitable distribution of wealth. A world where philanthropy is no longer needed. People want to help and don’t know how, so create a world where we can center the marginalized folks and get them the help they need. Center marginalized voices in our civic choices: houseless, mentally ill, addiction, across class and race. Oregonians would be proud of the first reparations tax on asset sales or purchases. Start a protest song sing-along choir.

  • Participants shared a small step they’ll focus on: Support local artists by buying a painting. Discover experts to talk with to better understand immigration. Commit to monthly charitable giving for orgs that already do this work. Dream bigger and worry less. Inform myself more about sharing resources, especially their network. Rest and Mental Health. Starting a gifting club with rotating organizations you trust. Refuse to give resources to companies that don’t align with their values. Enjoying themself and continue doing their activism work. Talk about money more and what’s enough. Engage with representatives and government at a local level. Focus on reparations and community. More joy each day.

We can’t wait to hear how it goes!

We would love it if you would use the structure of our conversation above to explore this question in your own community. Drop us a line at hello@modernistfinancial.com to share your discoveries about the responsibility of wealth.

More Resources

Learn more about how Modernist brings their work with clients into the broader community:

Georgia Hussey
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