When making investments with your resources, do you consider multiple generations?  I wonder…

Most investments have a limited lifespan for a particular purpose. It may be a defined distribution from a retirement plan to sustain lifestyle after earned income ceases. It may be funds have accumulated and will be used to pay for education, a vacation or a home renovation.  These could be called “one life” investments, even though future earnings are affected by education, future memories are created on vacations and a future home owner enjoys home improvements.

We are in the midst of “refreshing” our yard with new plants, shrubs, stonework and a small patio. Our use and enjoyment of the plantings and patio will most likely be six to seven years, certainly no longer than ten. When I consider our investment, I realize that we are investing in another generation, maybe more. The plants and patio will be here, presumably, long after we live in this home and possibly long after our physical body is gone.  There are multiple generations that will benefit from the plantings and stonework. Something quite compelling about multiple generation investing calls me to explore this further in the coming months.  Stonewalls from the revolutionary period remain intact and purposeful in property boundaries. Did our forefathers wonder about us and the use of these stone fences when they were created so many years ago?

When you consider multiple generation investing, what ideas, thoughts, considerations come to your mind? I wonder…