Words of Wisdom Courtesy of Joseph Heller

Authors Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller were at a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island. Vonnegut asked Heller, "Joe, how does it make you feel to know that our host only yesterday may have made more money than your novel 'Catch-22' has earned in its entire history?"

Heller said, "I’ve got something he can never have."

"What on earth could that be, Joe?"

Heller replied, "The knowledge that I’ve got enough."

Let's apply this philosophy to financial planning. By setting your goal to "enough", and then building a plan that provides "enough," you avoid the trap of trying to maximize your investment return by taking on more risk than is necessary. Trying to end up with the highest value of assets may instead result in ultimately not having "enough" assets to enjoy the comfortable retirement you were seeking.