Fireside Chat: Investing and Ecosystems for Growth
In a world shaped by rapid change and uncertainty, many of us are thinking more intentionally about how we relate to growth, risk, and the future. Questions about growth and investing have surfaced often in our community conversations.
This fireside chat offers a grounded space to explore the foundational principles of investing, while also examining how it fits into a broader ecosystem for growth. We’ll also discuss how investing is not only about financial return, but also a way of aligning capital with values and beliefs about the future.
Rather than focusing on specific products or recommendations, we’ll look at how asset classes behave across different environments, how long-term investing differs from short-term speculation, and how personal circumstances shape the way we engage with financial systems.
Join us as we discuss not only how investing works, but also how individuals participate in the broader financial systems that shape opportunity and long-term growth. We’ll also remain attentive to geographic and socioeconomic context as we explore these topics together.
This session is educational in nature and will focus on understanding principles and context rather than offering personalized investment advice.
Format
We will begin with a guided conversation with our firestarters, followed by an open, informal dialogue with the community.
Themes we will explore
How risk, return, diversification, and time shape long-term growth
The difference between short-term speculation and long-term investing
The roles and behaviors of major asset classes
How investing fits into your broader ecosystem for growth
Firestarters
We'll be joined by a few friends of the Money Health Collective who bring expertise and different perspectives on investing and long-term growth:
Caroline Dabu: Caroline is the incoming Board Chair of the Financial Planning Standards Board, the international organization that sets professional standards for financial planning across more than 25 territories worldwide. With more than two decades of senior leadership experience in financial services, she has helped shape how institutions deliver financial advice and long-term planning. During her tenure at the Bank of Montreal, she led national financial planning and advisory teams and helped guide strategy around retirement, financial planning, and client engagement. She is now the founder of VSGS Advisory Services, where she advises organizations on building sustainable growth strategies and evolving how financial advice is delivered. In this session, Caroline brings a perspective grounded in both industry leadership and long-term strategy, reflecting on how financial planning and investing fit into a broader ecosystem for growth and wellbeing.
Lofton Holder: A seasoned board director and governance leader with more than three decades in global finance and investment management, Lofton serves on the boards of several public, private, and mission-driven organizations, including Golub Capital BDC, UpTogether, and the AARP Foundation. His work centers on financial oversight, capital stewardship, and helping organizations navigate complex market environments with discipline and long-term perspective. For our discussion together, Lofton brings a governance-level view of investing, reflecting on how capital allocation, risk management, and fiduciary responsibility shape not only financial outcomes but also the institutions and communities that rely on them.
Bela Bartzcak: Bela is a specialist at the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems, where her work focuses on the longevity economy and the future of financial systems. She is also part of the team organizing the Forum’s Global Future Council on Financial Education, a network of global experts that develops ideas and initiatives to strengthen financial capability worldwide. Before joining the Forum, Bela worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, where she developed experience in financial markets and capital allocation. Bela offers a systems-level perspective on how investing, financial education, and financial institutions can enable economic opportunity.
Come listen, reflect, ask questions, and engage in dialogue. No preparation required.