So I’ve attended a few conferences and seminars recently. A few things I’ve noticed at these events, or when just meeting/networking with people, is that many people needlessly complicate things.
They tend to use a lot of big words, fancy diagrams, complex methods, matrixes and models. In most cases, I find it unnecessary and believe the same point(s) could have been made in a much simpler way. It seems too many people and organizations are suffering from “Rube Goldberg Syndrome”.
[NOTE: Rube Goldberg is the inspiration for various international competitions, which challenge participants to make a complicated machine to perform a simple task. And many are doing just that.]
For companies or businesses trying to make a sale, this can be a real deal killer. I’m not sure if their intent is to seem deep and introspective. Maybe they think complexity equals credibility. In my opinion, all it really does is confuse people. Or even worse, bores them and causes them to lose interest.
This is very prevalent in the financial industry. I get about 2-3 calls a month from companies trying to pitch me different investment opportunities. I’ve had oil and gas derivatives, mining
futures and a slew of other vehicles tossed at me. The downfall to every one of these pitches has been the lack of simplicity in the explanation. I’m a lifelong proponent of the K.I.S.S. method
(Keep It Simple, Sweetheart) so when I get confused or overwhelmed, I’m out.
That’s why the financial education process we teach is comprised of three simple steps:
- Expense Management or simply put, Spend less than you make
- Debt Reduction or simply put, Don’t owe anybody
- Multiple Income Streams or simply put, Make your money from more than one source
Keeping things simple like this provides a peace of mind and helps avoid trying to accomplish something simple through complicated means but instead accomplishing something complicated through simple means.
There are many high performers who demonstrate this. One of my favorites is John Paulson, the hedge fund billionaire who's often referred to as having made The Greatest Trade Ever. At NYU, he "developed a reputation among his classmates for having a unique ability to boil down complex ideas into simple terms". Not bad company to keep huh?
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Brandon and Gina Wilkins are financial coaches and co-founders of Financial Freedom Builders LLC. Mr. Wilkins is also the author of the financial classic, Getting Rich is Simple...But It Ain't Easy! They are available for coaching, workshops and seminars designed to help you take control of your finances.
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