Guest: George Kinder — Founder of the Kinder Institute of Life Planning, author, and pioneer of the Life Planning movement
Host: Tim Maurer — Chief Advisory Officer, SignatureFD
Episode Overview
In this conversation, Tim welcomes his longtime mentor and friend, George Kinder, the visionary often credited with humanizing financial advice. George introduces his latest mission: “Fiduciary in All Things”—FIAT—a global call to apply the fiduciary principle of putting others’ interests first not only in finance, but across institutions, businesses, and personal relationships.
Key Themes
Redefining Fiduciary: Beyond regulation or checkbox compliance, George argues for a cultural transformation where trust and service become the default posture in business and society.
The Four Corners of Fiduciary: Shareholders, clients, people and planet (via the B-Corp movement), and now truth and democracy as foundational commitments.
Fiduciary Capitalism: A reimagined version of capitalism that tempers profit-maximization with responsibility to people and planet—reducing the need for regulation by increasing integrity.
The Power of Listening: Drawing from mindfulness and neuroscience, George cites research showing that our sensory perceptions are 100 million times faster than thinking, suggesting that deep listening—not faster thinking—leads to wiser leadership.
Freedom, Democracy, and Meaning: How businesses can unlock extraordinary energy by honoring employees’ personal aspirations, fostering transparency, and building cultures of trust.
Kitchen Table Conversations: George encourages families and communities to ask: “How would life feel if every institution you encountered were trustworthy and humane in everything it did?”
Personal Reflections
Tim and George explore how these ideas extend beyond professional life—into parenting, marriage, and citizenship—challenging listeners to live as fiduciaries in all things.
Practical Takeaways
Visit fiduciaryinallthings.com to explore or join the movement.
Read George’s latest book, The Three Domains of Freedom.
Learn more about life planning at kinderinstitute.com.
For businesses interested in implementing these principles, see George’s UK-based firm, The Moules.
Notable Quote
“A fiduciary society is one where institutions place people, planet, truth, and democracy ahead of their own self-interest.” — George Kinder
