You have heard it said that ‘health is wealth’.
To that end, in the pursuit of longevity and prosperity, we make a plethora of healthy decisions to manage our blood pressure or cholesterol and facilitate overall healthy ageing. These disciplined steps are tangible, and most of the time the results can be tracked. But when it comes to protecting the most valuable asset on our shoulders, the brain, from neurodegenerative disease (inasmuch is within our control), we may be faltering or not quite sure where to start.
The brain is a remarkable organ. At this very second it controls your breathing and even your eye movements tracking across this sentence. It’s hard to wrap your brain around it! Handy advice to eat more blueberries, remember people’s names, start learning a new language, and complete crossword puzzles or a daily sudoku usually come to mind. While these are all good endeavours, brain health is part of a much bigger picture: physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, mental, etc.
Brain health matters for everyone, unequivocally. That said, we wanted to focus on business owners particularly, who have very specific responsibilities and risks that prompt this important conversation.
Poor brain health, whether from chronic stress, burnout, sleep deprivation, or age-related changes, shows up in subtle ways but can have an outsized impact on productivity, problem solving, impulse control, innovation, creativity, and strategic judgment. This comes with a few business risks.
A lapse in judgment may lead to short-sighted investment or business decisions, or even heightened susceptibility to fraud. Another red flag we see most often is the key person risk. This happens when there’s no clear leadership or business continuity plan in place to delegate responsibilities. Having decades of critical relationships, industry experience and knowledge, and the final say over capital allocation concentrated in one person creates inherent vulnerabilities and can make succession planning much harder in the future.
Finally, and this cannot be stressed enough, is the impact of artificial intelligence on cognitive performance. AI is an incredible tool that can greatly enhance business productivity and efficiency. But be careful not to offload the effort of critical thinking to a machine. Just like all of us lost the ability to remember phone numbers or how to get to a friend’s house without GPS, we should never stop learning and pushing ourselves to stay sharp.
Business owners are no strangers to making difficult decisions with limited or incomplete information and uncertainty. This builds adaptability and creative problem solving, and can bolster mental fortitude in the event of crisis management and business disruptions or transitions.
Brain health directly shapes risk tolerance through the size and connectivity of neural regions governing fear, reward, and executive function. Healthy, well-connected brain networks promote rational decision-making, while structural degradation often leads to heightened risk aversion. Consequently, brain health translates to the financial markets, enabling investors to endure short-term market volatility or economic downturns and stay committed to long-term investment strategies.
Think of brain health as a wealth preservation strategy, preserving the engine behind your success. Elite athletes spend more time in recovery than training. This restorative period enhances their performance and reduces the risk of injuries. At the end of the day, only you can take responsibility for your wellbeing.
Prioritize getting enough high-quality sleep, exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, stay hydrated, manage stress effectively, and limit or avoid substance use. Create an environment that supports wellbeing, both at home and at work, through ergonomic workspaces, good ventilation, appropriate lighting, and healthy workplace habits. Equally important is maintaining meaningful social connections and community involvement outside of work.
Succession planning should come long before it’s time to exit the business. You ideally want to have the capacity to lead these complex conversations and the runway not to rush the transfer of relationships, values, and decades of accumulated knowledge.
Preparing the next generation and making thoughtful decisions about your family, business, and legacy requires clear thinking and sound judgment. These qualities are just as important when it comes to governance, mentorship, trust and estate planning, investment oversight, philanthropy, and ultimately expressing your wishes.
Protecting the six inches between your ears may be the best investment you ever make. We may even say it’s a “no-brainer.”
At SANDSTONE, we work with business owners at every stage of the journey, from building and growing a business to planning for an eventual transition. If that resonates, we'd welcome a conversation.
Find confidence during confusing times by meeting with one of our wealth professionals.