From Divinity to Dollars: Maggie Kulyk’s Mission-Driven Path to Sustainable Investing
In this week’s episode, host Peter Krull sat down with Maggie Kulyk at Future Proof Citywide in Miami Beach for another episode of Dollars & Change: The Expert’s Guide to Sustainable & Responsible Investing. Maggie is the founder of Chicory Wealth, a firm focused on integrating money with meaning. In this episode, Maggie shares her 23-year journey into sustainable investing and how the rapidly changing economic and environmental landscape has been a catalyst for her firm’s progressive vision.
Maggie’s path to financial services began after an academic career in divinity and early Christianity at Emory University. Instead of becoming a professor of religion, she felt a calling to provide “pastoral care with money” to help alleviate the discomfort people feel about finances. Maggie began her career at Ameriprise as a private wealth advisor. While in this role and establishing her practice, she started to attract clients who, like herself, sought to minimize environmental harm and invest sustainably. However, she struggled to understand which funds to use, as sustainable investing was in its early stages in an era when tools were scarce and underdeveloped.
She realized that many of her clients were with her not because they were associated with a larger entity, but despite being part of this entity. In 2018, Maggie parted ways with Ameriprise, and she broke away to start Chicory Wealth. This enabled Maggie to create a firm centered on its core values, allowing her team to be laser-focused on investment solutions rooted in progressive principles with no conflicts of interest. Today, Chicory manages customized portfolios that incorporate both exclusionary practices (such as fossil fuel-free investments) and proactive solutions, such as investments in companies working towards sustainable development goals.
Throughout the discussion, Maggie emphasizes the importance of having clear, mission-driven branding, the need for integrity in sustainable investing, and the necessity of acting against late-stage capitalism. In just seven years, Maggie’s firm has grown from seven team members to nearly 20, showcasing the power of authenticity and values-based service.
The podcast concluded with Maggie addressing a pivotal question: what gives her hope in light of escalating climate challenges? For Maggie, hope is an action, not just a feeling. She believes in the capacity of individuals and communities to lead, organize, and enact change despite obstacles. Her conviction that leadership and action are key to addressing today’s crises resonates deeply with the ethos of sustainable investing.
For the complete episode, follow the link here or find Dollars & Change: The Expert’s Guide to Sustainable and Responsible Investing on your favorite podcast platform.
Check out some of our recent episodes:
- Brandon Hatton, President and Chief Investment Officer at Conscious Wealth, shares his unique approach to wealth management, emphasizing purpose and abundance.
- Andy Kaufman, Chief Investment Officer at Community Capital Management (CCM), highlights the evolving landscape of community investing and the role of creativity and intentionality in finance.
- Heather Beatty, the founder and CEO of ScopeFour Capital, unpacks some of the most pressing and innovative solutions in sustainable investing.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Share your feedback or suggest future topics by contacting us at info@earthequityadvisors.com.
Be good. Invest better.
The Earth Equity Team
