I have had some reasonable successes so far in this lifetime (you never know, Shirley MacLaine might be right), and many are the result of laziness. Ok, maybe that isn’t the right word. A charitable person might say that I am a good delegator, or strive for efficiency at work and at home, but I have always maintained that it is laziness. I try to do what I am good at and like, and let others utilize their skills, or potential, to help with the things I lack skill at, or don’t want to do (the list is surprisingly long). That might be a book on its own, “A Lazy Man’s Guide to Success”? Probably not.
I have been joking for years that I was going to write a book to have something to flog on the semi-retirement Speakers’ Tour. It just never got done. Mostly because I never started. There was always something else to do that was a bigger priority; and many times that bigger priority wasn’t anything important, and was often a lot of relaxing with a book.
A love of books and professional knowledge hasn’t translated into an actual piece of writing. Apparently it takes actual effort to create a book. Despite my laziness, this book is not getting written. I haven’t yet found a way to “talk” my way out of it.
You see public speaking is more my thing. We all know the old joke, and Seinfeld wasn’t the first to tell it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HayyRgpO4_I), but it is just always something I’ve enjoyed and been good at. It basically got me through university which is itself a story for another day. I may yet find a way to “talk” my way through it, a book that is, but so far I haven’t found a way.
Instead, at the urging of my Coach, Juli Leith, and the straight talk of a trusted influence (DMW this means you), I am just going to start writing. I’m really not sure what will come out of it. Some blog posts maybe. Some educational pieces for our financial planning practice. Maybe I’ll figure out a way to create a podcast, or YouTube channel. Maybe I can “talk” my way out of this yet!
In the meantime, I’ll put some thoughts to e-paper and see what comes from effort.
There are three basic, and heretofore unwritten, principles that have guided my life in financial services: Two Sides of the Coin, Comfort and Confidence, and It’s Not Rocket Science.
The first is simply is my way of illustrating (rubs hands together to demonstrate) that there are two ways to look and approach financial planning and financial decision making; Math and Science on one side and Arts and Crafts on the other.
Math and Science is easy, it’s the assumptions and formula and putting things into software programs to get a “right” answer. 1 + 2 = 3. You know, the math, the analytical, the accountant style approach to determining where we are how we can reach our goals. Simple stuff; they even teach it in school now! Arts and Crafts however, is not so clear cut. It is often subjective, hard to understand, and hard to describe. It is the emotional side of the coin. The touchy feely part of decision making. It may make a lot of financial sense to save to your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), rather than pay down your mortgage faster, but it may not “feel” right to you.
This leads us to Comfort and Confidence. This should be the ultimate goal of any interaction with a financial professional. This applies to all manner of people you’ll come into contact with in the course of your lifetime. My wife loves it when I go on and on and list things (she doesn’t), so here are some examples of the many people you should come away from interacting with and have financial comfort and confidence: bank teller, personal banker, mortgage broker, lawyer (yes even them), car salesperson (especially them), investment advisor, portfolio manager, insurance agent, financial planner, and accountant. As much as is reasonable, you should not leave a meeting befuddled and more confused than when you entered that room.
This writing will, I hope, provide clarity for individuals and entrepreneurs for use in their dealings with many of the financial “advisors” they interact with. Financial dealings really aren’t rocket science; there is much more complicated stuff in your day to day life (the internet, internal combustion engines, family), let alone the wider world. What I want to do is help you look at both sides of the coin, so you can make decisions in comfort and confidence.
You can do this; it really isn’t rocket science.
It's Not Rocket Science 