A client shared a great story with us last week, though it was somewhat embarrassing. His wife just lowered her face as he shared this with us. He was on a shopping trip alone to Kohl’s and it had an outcome that he wasn’t expecting. He was shopping that day for a spring jacket: something that you would wear when the weather is just a little chilly, something kind of light. He came across two jackets that he really liked. One was black. One was blue, and since he liked them both, he decided to get both of these jackets. So, he walked up to the checkout counter, and the person at the counter was looking at the tags and said to our client, “Are you sure you want to buy both of these jackets?” He replied, “I know what I’m doing.” It may have come out a little bit sarcastic. So, the person rang him up, put the jackets into a bag, and my client went on his way home. Unfortunately, as he was taking the tags off later, he realized he had actually bought the same, exact jacket twice. They were reversible jackets!
Who hasn’t done something almost identical to what he did? You had the attitude of: “I know what I’m doing” when in reality, he didn’t. Now, there are many things in my life where I don’t know what I’m doing. This is why I’m not a handyman. If I have plumbing issues, I contact a plumber. If I have electrical issues, I contact an electrician. If I have estate planning issues, even though I know in general what to do, I will call an attorney.
Many people think that they can do it all, all by themselves. This is where they get in to trouble. We have three plain, white boxes in our office that show what people expect from us vs. what they get.
People believe that they are going to be getting a generic plan, a plan that looks just like everyone else’s. They have a scarcity mindset and believe that there is no greater opportunity than what has been laid out before. Lastly, they think they have to settle with a typical plan that looks like everyone else’s. This is what you will get if you go online and try to find generic solutions to your individual problems; the plan becomes generic, typical, and it's created with the mindset of scarcity. We believe that there are options with greater potential by looking at each individual’s unique situation. We look through your eyes and through the eyes of 35 years of experience. We have walked this path before.
Don’t end up at home with two jackets; one black and one blue when all you really needed was one. Don't have the mentality of “I know what I'm doing” when perhaps you don’t. If you can be humble enough to admit this, we will be humble with you when you contact us to schedule your Financialoscopy.
