A Moment with Brandon Hatton, CC Press Author of “Conscious Wealth”

What is Conscious Wealth?

Working in financial services, Brandon has encountered many people with seemingly unlimited financial means, yet they are living unfulfilled lives. In fact, he was one of those people for a very long time.  

For years Brandon built a fortress around himself so he would not be vulnerable to the fluctuations of the market. He saved up a small fortune. He told himself he was clever. He told himself that he was sacrificing his time and happiness in the present because the future would be worth it. That one day, Brandon would have a corner office, choose his clients, and run his own team. He convinced himself that one day he would not have to worry about money.  

And when that day finally arrived, Brandon realized it had all been a lie. His fixation on creating wealth had destroyed so much in his life—including his health, relationships, and sense of self.

So, Brandon wrote a book to help others avoid making the same mistakes.

Conscious Wealth begins when you have a knowing that you have enough. One of the big questions out there is ‘how much is enough?’ Regardless of how much you have in financial assets, when you can say ‘I have enough,’ that is where Conscious Wealth begins.

Conscious Wealth: Money, Investing and a Financial Awakening for the Person Who Has It All is the story of how Brandon healed himself and his own beliefs around money after years of grueling work. It is an insider’s view to financial markets, a call for reform in the financial services market, and an invitation to for you to write your own story and begin your own healing.  

It is the story of Conscious Wealth—a framework and a mindset around money and investments that will allow you to focus on what matters: a life of growth and fulfillment for yourself, your family, and the world around you. 

“Conscious Wealth begins when you have a knowing that you have enough,” Brandon says. “One of the big questions out there is ‘how much is enough?’ Regardless of how much you have in financial assets, when you can say ‘I have enough,’ that is where Conscious Wealth begins.”

From there, it can go anywhere.

The Polarities of Wealth Creation

Brandon challenges himself and others to understand that we technically do not “own” our money, we are merely custodians of it. All too often we fall into the trap of two polarities. The first is I can stockpile money. The second, I can give money away. There is a richness between these two extremes. You can
invest in yourself, your family, and meaningful businesses that help others. Once you have enough, you can use your money to bring out your truest self and build out your purpose.

But the road is not always an easy one to travel.

Every from of creation has destruction. Simply put, you can not create something without destroying something else. The same principle applies to wealth creation.

“As I created wealth, I looked back at destruction – relationship with myself, relationship with community, emotional health, and physical health. In my quest to have enough, I really destroyed the idea that I was enough already,” Brandon says.

Expanding the Purpose of Wealth Management

When I started in wealth management my business proposition was very simple. If you give me money, I’ll get you more money. That’s not the purpose of money and financial services / wealth management is predicated on that myth.

Throughout the book, Brandon explores his long-held belief that the business of money, be it financial
services or wealth management, needs to expand beyond its current doctrine.

“When I started in wealth management my business proposition was very simple. If you give me money,
I’ll get you more money. That’s not the purpose of money and financial services/wealth management is
predicated on that myth,” Brandon says.

The purpose of wealth management is to cultivate abundance and purpose. If families are living in fear,
they are not going to be able to live their fullest lives. Wealth management advisors must have deep
conversations with families to determine the purpose of the family. It is within that unity that individuals
connect and use money to support one another as well as people they have not even met before.

“We as an industry can do better, and I want to be part of that light within the industry,” Brandon says.

Quick Q & A with Brandon

Q: What advice would you give someone who is just entering the first realm of Conscious Wealth?

Brandon: Typically, a person will ask me “what advice to you have for me about money?” Without even knowing how much money they have or what “enough” looks like from their perspective, I say this. “My first advice is to not worry about it.” They look at me quizzically and say, “That’s not what I thought you were going to tell me.” But it is my first bit of financial advice for anyone. Worrying has never helped at all.

Q: What is your favorite part about this book you’re sharing with the world?

Brandon: What is exciting about it for me is there is this opening around the purpose of money. A lot of people that I talk to have gotten to a point where they say, “money is a tool to live a better life.” This became a really popular definition over time, and I hear it a lot. The problem is that answer doesn’t tell you what the purpose of money is. The premise of this book is figuring out your definition for the
purpose of money. How you define the purpose of money needs to expand as your financial network does. It is constantly evolving.

Q: What can readers expect after reading your book?

I’ve provided a clearly illustrated mindset around money and a framework around investments, both of which allow readers to focus on what matters most during their wealth creation journey. There are tangible activities and thought-provoking questions to guide the reader on their journey. This book will help readers achieve not only family communication and healthy personal interactions with money, but also a means to greater impact the world through investments and a Conscious Wealth philosophy.