The settlement came through. The papers are signed. You are suddenly, unexpectedly, holding resources you get to decide what to do with—without negotiation, without compromise, without the exhausting process of getting someone else to agree.
This might be the first significant financial decision you have made in years that is entirely, completely yours.
So what do you do with it?
The conventional wisdom says: be careful. Park it somewhere safe. Talk to a wealth manager who will put you in the same diversified portfolio as everyone else. Do nothing dramatic.
But you just spent months or years doing what was expected. Playing along with a life that was not quite yours. Making compromises that accumulated into something unrecognizable.
Maybe the conventional wisdom is exactly what you do not need right now.
the freedom to be contrary
Here is what nobody tells you about significant life transitions: they are also permission structures. The rules that applied before—the unspoken agreements about what was acceptable, practical, reasonable—those dissolved along with the marriage.
You can invest in whatever you want now. You can care about whatever you want. You can put your money behind causes that matter to you, even if they would have been dismissed as impractical or idealistic before.
Being contrary is underrated. Especially when the thing you are being contrary toward is the conventional neglect of everything that actually matters.
The financial system treats nature as an externality. The economy runs on the assumption that clean water, stable climate, pollination, and healthy ecosystems are free and infinite. Every portfolio manager in the world is operating as if the natural systems that underpin civilization will continue to function regardless of how we treat them.
That is not cautious. That is reckless. And you are under no obligation to participate in it.
the impact investing gap
Impact investing has a reputation problem. It often means:
- ESG funds that invest in slightly-less-bad corporations
- Carbon offsets that may or may not represent real reductions
- "Green" bonds with vague use-of-proceeds reporting
- Feel-good marketing wrapped around conventional finance
The structure of most impact investing forces a trade-off: you can have returns OR impact, pick one. The products that claim both usually deliver neither convincingly.
Ensurance is different. It is designed from the ground up for people who want their money to actually do something—not as a sacrifice, but as a strategy.
what makes ensurance contrary
| Conventional Approach | Ensurance Approach |
|---|---|
| Treat nature as free | Fund nature as infrastructure |
| Invest in companies | Invest in ecosystems |
| Diversify into sameness | Concentrate on what matters |
| Wait for damage, then compensate | Prevent damage from day one |
| Abstract claims | Traceable, verifiable positions |
| Returns vs impact | Returns from impact |
Ensurance treats ecosystems as real assets—because they are. It funds protection before damage occurs—because that is the only approach that works for irreversible loss. It creates instruments where ecological health and financial return move together—because aligned incentives beat sacrificial giving.
This is not conventional. That is the point.
three ways to be usefully contrary
option 1: hold ensurance coins
The simplest entry. Buy and hold general ensurance coins like $ENSURE. Your position supports ecosystem protection across the protocol. Trading activity and holding generate proceeds that flow to natural capital stewardship.
This is liquid, tradeable, and requires minimal ongoing attention. It is also exposure to an entirely new asset class: nature-backed instruments.
option 2: buy specific certificates
Want to know exactly where your money goes? Specific ensurance certificates are tied to individual natural assets—a particular forest, wetland, or watershed. You can see the asset, verify its condition, and track how your funding supports its protection.
This is direct, traceable impact. Not a donation that disappears into overhead. A position you hold that represents real protection.
Browse specific certificates →
option 3: create your own agent
The most engaged approach. Create an ensurance agent that represents a cause you care about. Fund it. Set its mandate. Watch it operate.
An agent is an autonomous account that can hold assets, receive proceeds, and act on behalf of something that matters. You control it. You define its purpose. It persists and grows over time.
This is not passive investing. This is building something.
the compound effect of doing what you want
Here is what happens when you actually invest according to your values instead of someone else's:
You pay attention. Investments that mean something to you get more of your focus. You learn more, engage more, understand more.
You talk about it. When someone asks what you are doing with your portfolio, you have something interesting to say. "I fund watershed protection" is a better conversation than "I have a diversified mix of index funds."
You feel different. Money that sits in abstract instruments you do not understand creates disconnection. Money that goes toward things you care about creates engagement with the world.
It compounds. Financial returns matter, but so does the compound effect of living according to your actual values. Over time, this changes who you become.
the practical case
Being contrary does not mean being foolish. Ensurance is built on real infrastructure:
- Real assets: Every instrument is tied to actual natural capital with defined location and characteristics
- Real verification: Continuous monitoring and reporting on ecosystem health
- Real liquidity: Coins trade on markets; certificates are transferable
- Real returns: Protocol proceeds, yield mechanisms, and asset appreciation
This is not charity. This is not sacrifice. This is a different thesis about what is valuable—one that happens to align with keeping the planet habitable.
what your ex would never have agreed to
Let us be honest. This kind of investing would have been a hard sell in the old configuration. Too weird. Too risky. Too unconventional. Not what our advisor recommends.
But you do not need their agreement anymore.
You get to decide what matters. You get to decide where your resources go. You get to invest in the world you actually want to live in, rather than the world that has been optimized for extraction.
That is not revenge. It is better than revenge. It is freedom.
frequently asked questions
is this risky?
All investing involves risk. Ensurance instruments are early-stage and volatile. But consider the alternative: conventional portfolios are exposed to natural capital risk they are not measuring. Is ignoring your dependencies on ecosystem services actually "safe"?
how liquid is this?
Coins trade on decentralized exchanges and can be sold anytime there is market depth. Certificates are transferable but may have less immediate liquidity. Agents are illiquid but represent persistent, growing positions.
do I need crypto experience?
You need a wallet and basic familiarity with blockchain transactions. The ensurance app is designed to be accessible, but some learning curve exists. The guide section covers the basics.
can I do this alongside conventional investments?
Absolutely. Many people allocate a portion of their portfolio to positions that align with their values while maintaining more conventional holdings elsewhere. Even a small allocation to nature-backed instruments changes your relationship to the rest of your portfolio.
what if I want to talk to someone first?
We have humans. Real ones. Reach out and someone will talk through what you are trying to accomplish.
the chapter you write next
The divorce is a line in the sand. Everything before it was negotiated, compromised, accumulated into something neither of you fully chose.
This next chapter is yours alone.
You can play it safe and conventional. Or you can do something that actually matters—contrary to conventional wisdom, contrary to the assumption that nature is someone else's problem, contrary to the idea that impact and returns must trade off.
The best revenge is living well. Living well includes funding the natural systems that make life possible.
Welcome to ensurance.