Get the big things right

Get the big things right

by | Jul 13, 2018 | Lifestyle Design, Retirement

“We try more to profit from always remembering the obvious than from grasping the esoteric. It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.”   -Charlie Munger, investing partner of Warren Buffett

Sometimes we make things too hard.  Retirement (and life) works pretty well if you get the big things right.  Things like a roof over your head.  A good relationship with your spouse.  Meaningful friendships.  Your health.  Satisfying pursuits.  A healthy spiritual life.  Freedom and independence.  We should all spend our time, money, brain power and willpower getting those things right.

If your life were a house, the big things we’re talking about would be the foundation and load bearing walls.  They are what gives the house structure, support and a secure footing.  Once those are in place you can worry about paint colors, furniture and decorations.  Those things are important too, but the color of your living room won’t matter much if the house is on the verge of collapse.

Get the big things right and then you can worry about improving things at the margins.  Too often we do the opposite.  We focus on the trivial many instead of the vital few.  Most of those details don’t matter much.  Yes, they can take something good and make it a little better, but they can’t take something bad and make it good.  Get one of the big things wrong, however, and no matter how good everything else is, life will be tough.

So today, as you live your life and plan your future, look for big wins.  There’s no prize for making life complicated.  In fact, it can be pretty simple.  As Charlie so eloquently stated above, often times you don’t need to be brilliant, you can have enormous success by just trying to be “consistently not stupid.”

Be intentional,

Joe

Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.

Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.

by | Jul 5, 2018 | Debt, Happiness, Investing, Retirement

In life, we often have the option to do things the easy way or the hard way.  We can choose between the wide and narrow roads.  Paradoxically, choosing the easy way out often leads to a hard life while choosing the hard way often leads to an easy life.

Narrow, difficult decisions that require discipline and sacrifice usually pay off by leading us into a place where the road is wide and our options are plentiful.  On the other hand, taking the wide, easy path often ends up funneling you down a narrower and narrower chute until all good options are gone and all that is left are painful consequences.  In short:

Easy choices, hard life.  Hard choices, easy life.

Nowhere is this more true than with our finances.  We all stand at a fork in the road when making decisions on things like debt, saving, investing and giving.  Path A is wide and well worn.  Reach for that credit card.  Try to keep up with the Joneses.  Feed those desires.  The other path, as Robert Frost might say, seems a bit grassy and in wont of wear. Live within your means.  Give generously.  Save for the future.  Steward those resources wisely.

Perhaps not surprisingly, my advice on finances (and pretty much everything else) encourages you to take the road less traveled.  Sure, doing so will be difficult and take discipline, but it will ultimately lead you to a place of peace, security and comfort.

Be Intentional,

Joe