Most endeavors in life can be as complicated as you want to make them, or quite simple. The difference is in how you approach them.

We’ve been privileged to know some great coaches and mentors through the years, as well as less-gifted ones. The most effective ones focused on the few things one must do to be successful—not the infinite number of things one must not do.

A positive instruction is complete in itself; negative instructions never end. A softball coach might say “keep your eye on the ball.” That is simple and complete. “Don’t watch the butterflies” can be one of a thousand things to NOT watch, on a list that can never be complete.

We consume vast amounts of ideas and information in our work. But an article with a headline like “Twenty Retirement Mistakes to Avoid” or “Seven Investing Traps” is obviously incomplete. There are, after all, a thousand or a million retirement mistakes or investing traps out there. Knowing about seven or twenty of them cannot be enough.

Instead, we search for those crucial, simple things that are vital for success. For example, our faithful followers know we believe in three principles of investing. Avoid stampedes in the markets, seek the biggest bargains, own the orchard for the fruit crop—there you have it, in a single sentence.

An old-time peddler we knew in our youth had a motto: “Dazzle them with diamonds, baffle them with bullsheet.” Needless to say, that isn’t us. We work diligently to present our ideas clearly and simply, in a fashion that you can work with.

When people tell us they do not understand their advisor, we always wonder whether they’ve been dazzled or baffled. If you would like plain talk about your situation or question, please call or write.

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The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.