Financial Optimization

When faced with multiple possibilities, the best place to start is with the simplest explanation

– William Ockham

Sometimes we overcomplicate things.

There are a thousand ways to optimize every area of life, but that can also be difficult, counterproductive, and time-consuming.

Most of you have heard us preach about the ‘big things’ to get right with your finances a hundred times. Live within your means, invest consistently, stay invested, etc.

Can you optimize beyond that? Of course. But it’s easier said than done. 

Optimization is great if you can achieve it efficiently AND if you can really get the full benefits of that optimization.

If you can’t check both those boxes, you might actually be heading in the wrong direction:

• If you mishandle the attempt to optimize, it can actually have the opposite impact. (One big mistake can wipe out dozens of good decisions)
• Optimization in one aspect of life often comes at the expense of another important aspect of life.
• If you spend your life worrying too much about every way to optimize, you add complexity and difficulty that might decrease your overall quality of life.

Financial optimization requires years of expertise & analysis of hundreds of variables. We constantly study real-life scenarios, the tax code, markets, risk, how all the variables impact each other, and we constantly practice the ability to demystify it all into one comprehensive picture.

Doing all those things takes a lot of time and energy. Most people don’t have the bandwidth to understand it all and apply the information correctly on their own.

If you can achieve proper optimization though, the results can be profound:

• Higher lifetime spending power
• Early retirement
• A higher quality of life
• More peace of mind
• The empowerment to live life on your terms

For those of you working with us already, that optimization is already happening in the background without you worrying about it. You can just focus on the aspects of life that you CAN’T outsource.

Your relationships, your passions, your health, and your vision for your life.

You’re the only one that can optimize those areas of life. And those areas of life are the real measures of wealth in my book.   

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Paul Saunder, Financial Advisor

I’m a financial advisor at Riverbend Wealth Management and author of Force Field Finance. I help people make confident money decisions to live the lives they want. I share insights through writing, speaking, and client conversations, and enjoy the outdoors, staying active, and time with family and friends.

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