Now, that is a question! Who does not like KISSing? No, I am not talking about that kissing, I am talking about Keep It Simple Stupid, or if you prefer, Keep It Straight and Simple. And many people don’t like THAT.
One group of people who really does not like it, is the group who wants to take your money, the Scamsters. It seems as if all scams are always presented in a very complicated way. There are reams and reams of paper and you cannot distinguish head from tail. It has to be complicated, otherwise people would recognise it for what it is.
Another group of people who would hate KISSing, is the group who would like to impress us with their intelligence. They use big words, long sentences and … get tangled in their own words. I simply switch off the radio. No, they are not clever. Yes, they know they are not clever, but they don’t want You to know it.
But honest people, people with good intentions, people who really KNOW, they can KISS. Anybody who is really good makes it look easy. If I look at Nadal, I feel it is easy to hit a tennis ball. But when I get to the court, I am so humble I play every ball back under the net. When I look at Michael Phelps in the swimming pool, I feel I can get into the pool and just go. I am not even talking about about Tiger Woods (I cannot even hit a golf ball). It looks so easy. Champions, people who really know, people who don’t feel the need to impress, they do it naturally – KISS.
But we as investors, we often don’t like KISS either. We expect some rocket science. We expect reams of paper, or we feel let down. I often find people who complain to me: “I went to the consultant who has to help me with a plan to invest in property and all he said was …” What is the problem? I wanted something complicated. Something that makes me feel that I am like Einstein, now I got something so KISS, even I can understand it.
And I have to admit, I also sometimes fall for it. When I still did financial planning, I sometimes had my recommendations bound. I am analytical, so I analise everything. My poor clients. When it comes to property, it is so SIMPLE. “What income do you want? How many properties do you need to get that income? How many properties can you afford NOW? Buy those properties NOW, and the moment you can afford it, buy more, until you have the income you want.” That’s IT! KISS. And then I sometimes feel I have not done enough! I feel guilty. It is only one page! I did not earn my money! What I never do, though, is to alter it to make it look “better”. But I still feel guilty – for KISSing!
But, since it is KISS, and not COMPLICATED, it cannot be good! It SIMPLY is not true! Don’t fall into that trap.
Tags: Investing, Planning, Simplicity