From ROI to ROV

An advisor recently shared a story that has stayed with me.

A married couple had been meeting with him regularly to review their financial plan and investments. At first, they both attended every meeting.

Then the wife stopped coming.

When the advisor eventually asked why, her answer caught him off guard. She said, “Because every meeting is only about how well our investments did.”

His first thought was, isn’t return the point of investing? But as he reflected on her response, he realized she wasn’t questioning the importance of performance. She was questioning whether it was the only thing worth talking about.

It made me wonder…

Can a client achieve exactly the return they hoped for and still leave a meeting feeling like something is missing?

If you’ve been an advisor for any length of time, you’ve probably seen it. The portfolio performed well. The financial plan is on track. The client is making progress toward retirement. And yet, they leave the meeting without the confidence or excitement that you expected. Why is that?

Because people don’t measure success the same way our industry does. Advisors naturally think about performance. Clients think about purpose. They think about their family. Their legacy. Their generosity. Their faith. The life they’re trying to build. The portfolio is simply a means to that end.

So, what if we’ve been starting the conversation in the wrong place?

The industry has taught us to start with performance

Think about the first question in most portfolio reviews.

• “How did we do?”
• “What was my return?”
• “Did we beat the benchmark?”

Those are good questions. They should absolutely be part of every review.

But what if they shouldn’t be the first questions?

My colleagues who attended the Kingdom Advisors Annual Conference in 2025 came back inspired by Tim Tebow’s challenge to advisors to think differently about ROI. Instead of focusing only on Return on Investment, he encouraged us to think about Return on Impact—the idea that money can create an impact far beyond our investment accounts.

That message has stayed with me ever since and led me to attend the Kingdom Advisors Annual Conference for the first time in 2026. Not because it changed how I think about investing. Because it changed how I think about conversations.

The best advisors don’t just manage money

One of the most influential ideas in wealth management over the past two decades has come from behavioral finance.

Investors don’t usually abandon good financial plans because the math changes. They abandon them because emotions do.

Fear. Greed. Uncertainty.

That’s why Vanguard’s Advisor’s Alpha^® research¹ concluded that one of an advisor’s greatest sources of value isn’t simply selecting investments. It’s behavioral coaching—helping clients stay committed to a disciplined, long-term plan.

That insight made me ask another question.

What helps people stay committed?

I don’t believe it’s performance alone. I believe it’s purpose.

When people understand not only what they’re investing in, but why they’re investing in it, something changes.

The investment strategy becomes personal.

A different way to start the conversation

Over the past several months, we’ve started talking about something at Frontier that we believe changes advisor conversations.

We call it Return on Values.

Not because we think Return on Investment matters less. It absolutely matters. But because we believe every investment conversation should begin somewhere else.

Not with the portfolio. With the person.

Return on Values begins with discovery

One of the things I like most about Return on Values is that it doesn’t start with a recommendation. It starts with curiosity.

Too often, advisors feel like they need to have the answers.

Return on Values reminds us that the better approach is to ask better questions.

• What matters most to you?
• What kind of legacy do you hope to leave?
• How does your faith influence your financial decisions?
• Are there values you want reflected in the way your money is invested?

Notice what isn’t happening. The advisor isn’t pitching a portfolio. The advisor isn’t assuming every client wants faith-based investing. The advisor is discovering what matters most.

Only then can they answer the question every client is really asking:

“Does this portfolio reflect what’s important to me?”

That’s where Return on Values comes to life. Not when an advisor explains the portfolio. When they demonstrate how the portfolio reflects the client’s priorities and convictions.

That’s a very different conversation.

Why this matters

This isn’t simply an interesting idea. Research² suggests it’s an opportunity.

Studies have found that 88% of Christian investors say it’s important that their investments align with their biblical values.

Yet 63% have never discussed faith-based investing with their advisor.

Even more remarkable…

62% say they would consider changing advisors to work with someone who could help them invest according to those values.

Those numbers don’t tell me advisors are doing something wrong. They tell me there’s a conversation waiting to happen.

Better questions create better advice

Imagine how different a review meeting becomes when the advisor asks:

• Have your priorities changed since we last met?
• Is your portfolio still reflecting what’s most important to you?
• Are there values you’d like your investment strategy to express more intentionally?

Those questions don’t replace conversations about performance.

They deepen them. Because once you understand what matters most to a client, performance has context. Without that context, it’s just a number.

ROI and ROV aren’t competitors

Let’s be clear. This isn’t about choosing between performance and values. It’s about recognizing that clients deserve both.

Return on Investment answers an important question:

“How did my portfolio perform?”

Return on Values answers a different one:

“Does my portfolio reflect what matters most to me?”

The best advisors help clients answer both.

The Future of Advice

Tim Tebow challenged advisors to think about Return on Impact.

His message inspired me to think differently about another return. One that’s been shaping the conversations we’re having at Frontier.

Return on Values.

Because I don’t believe the future belongs to advisors who simply build better portfolios. I believe it belongs to advisors who understand their clients better than anyone else. The portfolio and investment strategy will always matter.

But understanding the person behind the portfolio matters first.

I often think back to that advisor whose client stopped coming to meetings. Nothing about their investment strategy had changed. What changed was the conversation.

Instead of beginning every meeting with Return on Investment, he started asking questions about purpose, stewardship, generosity, and the values his clients wanted their wealth to reflect.

The result was more than better conversations. His clients became more engaged, more intentional, and more willing to entrust him with not only their investments, but their financial plan, their giving strategy, and the legacy they hoped to leave.

That’s why I believe ROI and Return on Values aren’t competitors. The best advisors help clients pursue both. Because in the end…

ROI measures performance. Return on Values demonstrates alignment.

And alignment may be one of the most valuable returns an advisor can help a client achieve.