Leaving Financial Talk Behind To Discuss Water Heaters, Apple, and Clutter

Can you imagine receiving an email each week that passionately discusses the features and benefits of water heaters? “Every week, it’s all about water heaters with this guy!” Well, sometimes I have to remind myself that me pontificating on retirement planning and investments might just sound like water heater talk to you.

With that in mind, this week has little to do with financial stuff. After all, if you wanted to be an expert in retirement planning, you’d be doing what I do, right?

Well, last week a contractor finished a job for us, a fairly big job. The siding on the front of our home was replaced because of a product failure. That caused some widows to fail as well because of water damage. It was becoming a mess and I was very happy to have it fixed. The contractor had a big dumpster brought in and said we could use it if we had anything that we wanted to get rid of. I went crazy. I hate clutter, so I searched all of the nooks and crannies of our home and made great use of the dumpster opportunity. It was cathartic.

I began to wonder why throwing away junk was so satisfying for me. I suppose a psychologist could unpack my baggage and get to the truth, but I have my own answer. Simply put, I like order and purpose, and I hate waste. Some of you feel the same way. And if you feel this way, your spouse likely doesn’t feel the same as you…opposites attract. It’s you clutter-haters that I salute this week. It’s you who live with the haunting obsession of making things tidier and free of junk. You crave order.

While it’s almost a cliché now, some computer companies make products with faster processors, more RAM, bigger hard drives, while Apple creates devices that mysteriously make our lives better. I’m typing this on a Mac, while my iPhone and iPad sit next to me, all playing a role in my life that simply makes me happier. How on earth did Apple create such experiences for so many people? How do they continue to get the user interface so right?

Whether it’s Apple or Porsche or Harley Davidson or any other company that inspires passion among its users, they all share something in common. They have a passion for eliminating clutter and relentlessly focusing on the essence of what improves people’s lives. They relentlessly carve-out what’s unnecessary and extraneous, while improving what’s left. It’s this pursuit that drives me, and may drive you as well.

In the coming weeks, months, and years, know this about me. I am driven to define the essence of what it is that will improve your life. I am driven to better integrate your experience with Fourth Dimension and your financial plan. I am driven to identify the clutter and carve it out, leaving that which truly moves you toward a more fulfilling retirement.

I hope you’ll join me in this pursuit. Let us know what you love about what we do. Let us know what you would like to see find its way to the dumpster, so to speak. Your feedback, your input, and your passion will make for a better experience, so please feel free to share your thoughts with us. There are not a lot of Apples, Porsches, or Harley Davidsons out there, but there could be more. To be honest, I’m not terribly interested in being a bigger company because bigger isn’t always better. Better is better.

I look forward to getting better with you and for you.

Adam Cufr, RICP®

Discovery Sessions

You may have heard that we’re beginning to offer something called Discovery Sessions. What is a Discovery Session? Well, I’m glad you asked. It is a free 60-minute experience designed to help people learn the tools, strategies, and methods necessary for building a detailed blueprint to allow them to balance both financial and lifestyle goals alike.

Designed for people new to Fourth Dimension, attending one of these no-obligation sessions gives them the opportunity to learn, for themselves, what they want their retirement to look like and the options to consider when designing their plan. It’s a really thought-provoking process and we would love it if you were to introduce the session to friends who may be considering their retirement options.

Please click here to view a detailed flyer that you can share with a friend.

Upcoming Sessions:
Thursday, April 21st at 5:30 P.M.
Thursday, May 7th at 5:30 P.M.