Make Better Decisions With A Decision Framework: Emotional Biases Are Everywhere

Making better decisions

A reader named Vicki Cook left an amazing comment in my post on whether to sell or keep renting out a property I've owned for 13 years. She noticed things I hadn't realized about myself. With her doctoral coursework in Educational Leadership, I invited her to write a guest post psychoanalyzing me about my dilemma. I'm confident readers will be able to make better decisions in their own lives after reading this post. -S

As a fellow landlord and long-time reader of the Financial Samurai, the post, “Sell Or Continue Renting Out My Home? Passive Income Goal In Danger” caught my attention. I have asked the “rent or sell” question many times myself and I think many other landlords would agree!

Deciding to purchase a property is usually an objective task for an investor. You run the numbers and if the property meets your criteria, you make the purchase. The difference in this dilemma is that Sam purchased this property as his first home. And after a decade of renting it out, he still calls it home. Did you catch that in the post title? It’s not until he shifts to discussing the sale of his home that Sam calls it a “property.” Home and property are very different words. Emotions are tied to this decision and if they are not respected, there is much potential for regret.

After studying practical decision-making in my doctoral program back in 2010, I started using a specific decision framework we learned to make my own life decisions. The framework is adapted from Hammond, Keeney, and Raiffa’s book, Smart Choices – A Practical Guide to Making Better Life Decisions. I analyzed Sam’s “Rent or Sell” dilemma using this framework and I hope that sharing my thoughts can help you make your own better decisions.

Learning From Mistakes

Sam describes his tenants moving out as “fate” and adds that this may be “destiny to test the selling waters.” I’d prefer to call it a “trigger event.” This is not a negative thing as Sam now has a decision opportunity.

Considering the magnitude of Sam’s decision opportunity is incredibly important. There is a direct relationship between the significance of the decision he faces and the amount of effort, emotional management and reflection that will be required to make a good decision.

Sites like Financial Samurai have helped me to deepen my understanding of topics including investing, real estate, taxes, and retirement planning. I know that major mistakes on the “quantitative side” of these topics have the potential to wreak havoc with my life goals. So I read and ask questions because I know that even though people learn from their own mistakes, smarter people learn from the mistakes of others – and the stories they have to share.

I also read personal finance blogs through a qualitative lens. I’ve learned the importance of being a good listener from my 25+ year career as an educator. The better you listen (and the closer you read), the more you will recognize what really matters to someone.

To my surprise, a “finance guy” like Sam began this post with his subjective feelings. Comments like “selling this condo is like selling my baby” and “I’m already free” are significant and paint a clear picture of what's really important to Sam. They will also become an important part of his decision process. Let’s “zoom in” and do a deeper analysis of the decision question and the other information Sam shared.

Analyzing Sam’s Words

In Sam’s post “A Better Way To Prevent Financial Mistakes: Convince Others Why Before You Buy” he shares he's learned to make better decisions using the acts of writing and listening. Sam explains that his writing leads to deeper thinking and that it is important to practice patient and honest listening.

In the “Rent or Sell” post and in comments to his readers, Sam shares many personal thoughts in addition to the income data related to the property. As a qualitative researcher, I look for patterns or themes in what he writes in addition to the numbers. Since the emotional piece really matters in this decision, we need to find a way to organize what Sam’s words mean. The patterns I noticed included – what matters most, change over time, and past tense talk.

What matters most to Sam? He wants to create more memories with family in this house, yet finding a tenant who would “love this house as if it was their own” would also work! Sam wants to avoid the stress of landlording, including dealing with things breaking, the HOA, people who break promises, and the liability associated with things like tenants jumping between rooftops during parties etc. Landlording has become a job which does not align with early retirement or his desire to have fun and enjoy his work. Sam prefers the work of his online business.

Sam has changed. He is not the same person he was in his 20s and early 30s. His attitude has also changed now that his online business is robust. Sam no longer needs real estate for financial freedom. He is already there and wants to simplify life as he gets older.

Past tense talk. You may not have noticed, but Sam makes statements that may indicate the “for sale” sign is subconsciously already up. He shares in the post that he “will enjoy not having to manage this property more than the income loss” and in the comments that “I may just buy California muni bonds with the proceeds.” Writing is deep thinking for Sam and his words speak volumes.

Recognizing the Blindspots

Making big life decisions is challenging and there are many “blindspots” that can affect your process. Narrowly focused decision questions and not spending enough time defining your goals are examples of blindspots. Sam also mentioned an incredibly important blindspot – personal bias (his property’s amazing “park view”).

Other blindspots include going with the first option you consider, being overconfident, reverting to the status quo because it is the easiest option, not even considering the status quo as a possible option, only seeking evidence to confirm your favorite option, protecting your previous decisions, and not fully understanding your risk tolerance related to the decision to be made.

Knowing this makes you wonder how anyone can make a good decision! Just remember that this is a “messy” process and the bigger the decision, the more blindspots there will be to manage.

Using a Decision-Making Strategy

People use many different strategies to make decisions. And while some go with their “gut feelings,” others suffer from “analysis paralysis.” Learning a practical framework that can be used in almost any kind of life decision is key. This framework balances objective details and subjective feelings – it’s “analysis with heart.”

1) Develop the Decision Question. Look at the question you are trying to answer and make sure it is the “right” question. For Sam – Is it really rent or sell? Or is it about his passive income goal? Or is it something else? Only Sam can answer that question and the more time he spends clarifying the question, the better chance he will make a good decision. Asking a broad question matters too. “Rent or Sell?” may bias his thoughts and prevent him from considering more creative options.

2) Define Your Goals. In order to define your goals, it's important to consider what you need or want, and also what you want to avoid. We can generate goal statements from “what matters most” to Sam. He could use short phrases such as – simplify life, avoid tenant hassles, more focus on online business, limit stress, enjoy my work. “Generate $36,000 per year” could also be a goal if that was a want or need Sam identified.

He may also notice that “avoiding tenant hassles” overlaps with “limiting stress.” The tenant issues are a “means” goal to the “end” goal of less stress. The means goals you identify can now be included as part of the end goals. But end goals such as “limit stress” are the ones used to make the final decision.

We can even call some end goals decision principles. These principles will likely stay the same from one decision to the next because they are what you value most. Sam even says “my end has always been happiness and freedom.” He has already identified a few of his key decision principles.

Frontloading your efforts on the decision question and goals will speed up the decision process and increase your chances at maximizing your satisfaction with the decision. You will be better prepared for future decisions too!

3) Generate Creative Options. What options have you already identified? Think broadly here! Remember, if we use the question “Rent or Sell” – we may not even consider options such as using a property manager, having family move in, leaving it vacant, or moving back in. Make sure to look for limits created by the decision question itself!

4) Create a Results Table. Look at the Results Table below. Note: These are not Sam’s thoughts or words. I ranked the sample goal statements for the purpose of this example and made up the options & results. The results describe how each option could meet the sample goal statements. (You can include actual data/figures rather than terms in the results chart when appropriate.) I have also done some of the comparison (from Step 5) on the table too.

Use A Decision Table To Make Better Decisions

5) Use the Results Table to Compare Options. This is the point in the decision process where you narrow down the options.

  • Look across the rows to see if any goal is met equally by ALL of the options. If this happened, cross out that goal and row of results. This will not help you narrow down your options. Sam does not have to worry about this in the example I provided.
  • Review the extremely important goal(s) that you identified (probably the first one or two goals). Are there any options that don’t meet the goal(s) that matter most to you? If so, it is highly unlikely you will be satisfied with these options – even if they meet more of the goals further down the list. Remove those options from consideration at this point. In this example, Sam would cross out the column Keep Renting & Self Managing because is not likely to meet the two most important goals (that I chose for him).
  • Now choose two options (columns) and compare them from top to bottom. Does one clearly “beat out” the other in terms of the meeting your highest ranked goals? If so, remove the “losing” option from consideration at this point. If they are similar in terms of meeting goals, keep both options “in the mix”. In this example – I chose to first compare Sell vs. Rent with Property Manager. The results for Sell are equal to or greater in for every goal. Sell “beats out” Rent with Property Manager, so Sam crosses Rent with Property Manager out now.
  • Continue this process (comparing two options at a time) until you have options that appear to “tie” or until the best option is clear. In this example Sam would only have Sell vs. Leave Vacant left. There are two differences noted in the table. Happiness is likely greater if left vacant because Sam still owns the property. I included the goal of Generate $36K just for the example – and if it was really desired or needed income, Sell would be a better decision than Leave Vacant. Since Sam has commented that the money isn’t necessary, we will consider these two options as “tied.”
  • For “ties” – determine the tradeoffs you will need to make if you end up choosing that option. If the tradeoffs for one option are more appealing than the tradeoffs for the other, remove the lesser option from consideration. If Sam “Sells”, the tradeoff is losing the chance for his family to live in the house and the chance for the value to continue to increase. The tradeoff for leaving the property vacant would be possible stress from the increased expenses and lack of income.
  • At this point, you may have a clear “best” option or you may have only been able to narrow it down to two or three options. If you have more than one option, it is time to reflect on your goals, the tradeoffs, and seek blindspots that may be biasing your thoughts. With more work, you will likely determine one option is “better” than the other(s).

In this example, it is likely that the option of “Selling” would meet more of Sam’s goals (the goals that I created and ranked for him). But he also needs to remember that he is the one making the decision and this information is just there to help guide him along the way. He can come back to the chart at any point and make changes – or he can simply ignore it and choose another strategy. But he will have done important work here – work that can help him move forward in making the decision.

Attributes of Making Good Decisions

Making poor decisions can set you back years on your goals while creating tremendous stress that can negatively impact your life, health, and relationships. Using a decision-making framework will help organize your thoughts and effectively compare options you are considering.

Sam closes his post with “regret is one of the biggest reasons why I’m hesitant to sell.” I’d suggest that working on the right question, defining your end goals and using a decision-making process is key to minimizing regrets and limiting the fear of the unknown. And for you quantitative folks – keep in mind that both your head and your heart matter in making good decisions!

Author bio: Vicki Cook is a wife, mom, professor, landlord, and learner who has finally decided that she and her husband have reached “FI” (financial independence).  She is “downshifting” her full-time work as an educator to focus on new adventures and has just started her own blog, Make Smarter Decisions.

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58 thoughts on “Make Better Decisions With A Decision Framework: Emotional Biases Are Everywhere”

  1. Hi Sam,

    I have recently received a good amount of bonus at work, ~$10K. I don’t need the money for anything immediate. I would like to invest for retirement. I already max out 401K and not eligible for Roth IRA. What is your recommendation on investment options? I am not good at picking individual stocks nor do I have time to do lot of research on that.

    Thanks,

    rene

    1. If your specialization doesn’t involve investing, then let someone else do it for you. I’d check out Wealthfront, a digital wealth advisor that charges nothing for the first 15K invested with them. But before you deposit a single penny, just spend 5 minutes filling out their questionnaire and seeing what type of portfolio they’d construct for you. The more you can understand and get comfortable with the process, the better.

      1. This may be a late question by now – I wonder whether the 10k could have been invested in an index fun – could that be simpler?

    1. Thanks for sharing that resource! I have looked at that blog as well and it has some great information. I am making a big decision today actually and added the weighting to the decision so that folks can see how it could work. I will present a “mixed methods” approach of descriptions and numbers so that people can see both sides. Now to get writing :)

  2. “Review the extremely important goal(s) that you identified (probably the first one or two goals). ”

    This is where I’m running into difficulty. I’m having trouble determining which of my goals are most important to me.

    1. That is definitely a problem at times Jake! If you were buying a car and using this process, it probably wouldn’t be so tough. For other life decisions, as Sam and others have suggested too – this is the time to check in with trusted “advisors” (friends, relatives, colleagues) if possible. Depending on the situation, you may even seek information from a professional in a given area too.

      1. Thanks for your response and your research, its been helping me really consider what I value in life more tangibly.

        1. You are very welcome! I have had to really revisit my priorities this week as well as I am deciding on whether to take a great job I was offered. Unfortunately what I have found out is that it isn’t aligned with what I value right now. I am getting ready to post my decision today.

  3. PatientWealthBuilder

    Nothing like good a good old-fashioned table with a list of goals. Great post and I appreciate the analysis. Sometimes the right decision for us is actually the hardest emotional decision for us to make. This is why many times people stay in abusive relationships, bad jobs, or bad investments. Putting something like a chart or matrix together helps one see the objective reality. I am very fond of this approach and use it on my large financial decisions.

    One other very important aspect is to get wise counsel from trusted advisors. They will quickly take the emotion out of it and give you objective guidance.

    1. So true! Emotions can certainly get in the way! I agree about finding and using those trusted advisors. We all need those “go to” folks and I hope I can be that person for my friends & family when they need help. Makes me think we’ll all “get by with a little help from our friends!”

  4. Writing down the possibilities, pros, and cons is very useful and the value of doing so is often underestimated. Whether you prefer to use a chart, table, flowchart, or whatever, having it on paper or computer screen helps to capture all your thoughts. I like to add that once you have done this exercise, leave it alone for a day or two and come back to it because maybe you’ll remember other pros and cons to input and have more complete information to facilitate a better documented decision.

    1. Great point Wes about writing things down. Sam has talked about that extensively too – writing is a deliberate process and produces deeper thoughts. I totally agree with you about leaving it alone for a time too! It is rare a decision needs to be made overnight!

  5. What a neat way of looking at things. I like that table of the different likely scenarios. Helps to visualize different outcomes of a big decision. I’ll have to do a similar exercise the next time I face a difficult decision!

  6. This is amazing. Not only did she pick up what mattered based on your own words, but she also put this complicated framework into graph format. It is so important to ask yourself the right questions to get to the right answers for you.

    Best of luck on making this decision.

    1. Thanks ZJ! I certainly won’t take the credit for the graph format – it is adapted from the Hammond, Keeney, and Raiffa book, Smart Choices. We added the ranking piece in our coursework and I adjusted terms based on some other learning (solution-focused thinking). Even some readers here helped add a “weighting” portion for those who wanted a more quantitative measure. In terms of the right question – I worked with a reader yesterday and she re-framed her question and was able to move forward in a process that was really dragging her down! Feels good to help!

  7. Fiscally Free

    I’ve often created tables when trying to make decisions, but like a good engineer, I always use numbers and give everything hard values. I usually even give each goal a weighting factor as well. Once everything is tabulated, I get a definitive result telling me what I should do.

    However, I don’t always do what my table tells me I should. If I run the numbers and the result doesn’t feel right, I don’t move forward. There is clearly something else I need to consider, so I update my table or accept that I already know what I want deep down inside, and I need to do that. Sometimes you have to do what your “heart of hearts” wants, because you will always regret any other decision.
    Luckily doing the analysis often reveals what it is you really want, even if it doesn’t show up in the data.

    1. That’s terrific! It sounds like you have a good process that works for you. You can definitely use goals that require more hard values than I used in Sam’s analysis. We used this process to buy a car last year and the majority of the information was numbers (cost, miles per gallon, maintenance costs, etc.). I am working on another decision with a client and they are looking at funding their retirement years. Lot’s of hard data (pension, SS, health care costs, living costs, etc.) When you add the “heart of hearts” part – you come back around to your bigger life goals. You seem to know how to manage that.

  8. quantakiran

    I really enjoyed this post! This appeals to me and the way I think. I will definitely use this information in the next big decision I make. And thank you for writing it in a very easy to understand manner.

  9. Financial Slacker

    I love learning more about what underlies the behavioral side of things. Personally, I have often been a victim of analysis paralysis in my decision-making. I use t-charts to help structure and prioritize the information, but in the end I still struggle pulling the trigger. Lots of second-guessing. Thinking there’s still some missing pieces of information that I need to make the decision.

    1. I love the behavioral side as well! I am sure the T-charts help, but they are similar to the “pro’s and con’s” lists. The writing part is incredibly important and Sam addresses that in many of his posts. Writing is a deliberate act and requires deeper thinking (to “quote” him!) I wonder if ranking your goals would make a difference? That is a part that I would think about. I would also look at that list of blindspots and see what might be holding you back.

  10. Vicki, I am very impressed with the comprehensive nature of the results table. For a visual thinker-learner, it is valuable to gain a view of such hard to quantity variables.

    Sam, I am looking forward to a follow-up post outlining your responses and thoughts!

    1. I definitely agree about the visual thinker-learner and this really working for them (and me I guess!) I definitely have to write and organize my thoughts and never really had a way to do it that got me more than just “lists”. The prioritizing/ranking of the goals is what really made the difference to me. If an option doesn’t fit the things you say are absolutely the most important to you – what is the likelihood you will be happy with the choice?

  11. Pro’s and con’s lists do work well for decisions that are not that complicated. As far as “going with your gut” – I’ve done that many times too and you can certainly make good decisions that way. But I did that once and it really didn’t work out well at all. I had huge regrets (that cost me both a great deal of time & money) and I likely could have been “FI” years earlier had I followed a better process…

  12. Thanks for sharing this framework with Sam’s example. On our journey to FIRE, there were several challenging crossroads that were difficult to assess the best path. We early retired 2 months ago (@ Age49), but I know that every decision one makes comes with some level of regret. This helps tease out exactly which goals are being served and which are not.

    1. I think people sometimes want the “perfect” decision and that is certainly a rare event. This process can also go deeper and include the trade-offs you make if you choose one option over another. I think the key thing is that you have truly assessed what you will “get” and “give up” from your different options. I know before I learned this that I would just have big lists of “pro’s & cons” for each option but then I would still struggle with the comparison. Congratulations on your retirement!

  13. I like the idea of summarizing all options vs their impact on our goals in a table. This is something that I feel I do mentally, even though not that detailed, so I can see the appeal of such a method/framework for decision making.
    Several months ago, I was in a situation were I was unable to make a decision because I didn’t “like” any of the options. Using the matrix approach, I see that none were actually helping my goal at the time.
    What helped me make a decision at that time was to present the problem to someone else to get their perspective. It turns out there were many more options that I hadn’t considered.
    But what helped me communicate the problem to that other person, was a matrix-like presentation.
    So in addition to helping make decision, I think it’s also a great communication tool when more people need to be involve in that decision.
    Thanks for explaining the framework!

    1. I think many of us use a kind of “mental matrix” to make some decisions (and it can work out just fine that way). When you get stuck is a good time to re-visit and see how the framework can help. It also helps remind you of those blindspots. Sam does an amazing job of seeking out the opinions and advice of others and he mentions how important that is to making a good decision. I would definitely agree! Use the words of others as information but don’t just follow what someone else tells you to do. Your feelings are what matters most!

  14. John C @ Action Economics

    I’m applying this technique right now. I received a job offer last week and decided whether to make the leap or not has been one of the toughest decisions I have faced. Thank you for the thorough analysis of this process.

    1. I have found that job offers can really create a lot of stress. They are complicated in so many ways that a process like this can really help you to organize your thoughts. The chart can be changed a bit too – to include things like salary, benefits, commute time, etc. If you want some help, just let me know! I am making a similar decision right now too!

      1. Nuclear Real Estate

        I’ve always found it amusing that people get so stressed out about job offers. I’ve lived through a job offer (which I ultimately turned down) that really stressed out my wife.

        The thing I always say, is that a job offer can ONLY be a good thing, it is impossible for it to be bad. The absolute worst case scenario is that you decline the job offer and everything remains the same as if you had never been offered the job.

        1. Yes, I definitely agree with you about job offers being a good thing. One of the things I altered in this process is changing the word decision “problem” to decision “question” (and we often call it a decision opportunity). Job offers can bring a lot of stress because of all of the things that need to be considered (health insurance, retirement options, salary, vacation, commute time, and other benefits). It can just be overwhelming to make sure you think about “everything”.

  15. Great post, thank you Sam for letting Vicki “into your head”.
    Most of what I read on financial blogs talk about the importance of knowing your end goals to make the right decisions. Whether it is to choose real estate or funds, or to choose a city over another.. And since I took some time to define mine, even if I know they could change, making decisions became a bit easier, I always ask myself “how would that impact my final goal? Is it bringing me closer to it?”
    I’ll follow Vicki’s blog with interest!

    Greetings from London!
    Claire

    1. Sam was incredibly gracious (and yes I did email him saying I felt a bit like a psychotherapist a few times!) It sounds like you have your “end goals” well defined! It certainly helps in making a decision when you have clarity around your principles. Thanks for the follow!

  16. Being an engineer and businessman, I appreciate the analytical approach! At work, I’ve also taken it a step further for big decisions. We will assign percentage weights to each of the criteria, e.g. perhaps “simplify life” has greater importance than “freedom”, so it would have a higher weight. Then, you would assign a number value to each option for each criteria, e.g. for “freedom”, selling would receive a 10, continuing to rent out would receive a 1.

    Then, you multiply the weightings by the numbers and add up your scores – highest option wins! It’s particularly helpful when you have multiple decision makers involved in the process.

    Thanks for sharing, I’m sure that people that are not familiar with this type or rigorous decision making approach will find in interesting and potentially beneficial!

    1. The idea of assigning weighted values is great! We did it more qualitatively in my doctoral program by adding terms such as “extremely important” and “very important” to our goals. I like the quantitative addition there! It is similar to the weighting that should be used in rubrics that are used to grade papers. Each part of a paper shouldn’t be weighted the same way!

    2. I cannot thank you and Vicki enough! I have been struggling with a very large financial decision for a couple of years. The fear of making the wrong decision has stymied my happiness to a certain degree. I made a chart just like Vicki”s example. I than assigned a numerical weighting based on my goals as Jon suggested. I’m a very numbers oriented person so this aspect reinforces the credibility of the outcome to me. The results clarified my desired outcome in a way that I haven’t been able to do, even though I’ve spent countless hours thinking about this decision.

      It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I truly would like to thank both of you, as well as Sam for providing a information resource that I haven’t found anywhere else.

      Best of luck, Bill

      1. That is terrific news! You just made my day – and all the work I put in to this so far worth it Bill! This is not a process that will work for everyone, but there are definitely folks that will “connect” with it. It can also be “molded” to fit your needs (adding the weighting) and using quantitative values in many places. When I have done this other times, I often only use numbers – but for Sam’s situation, his required a lot of “words” based on what seemed to be important to him. I appreciate your kind comments.

  17. Apathy Ends

    The results table is intriguing – I think it would force me to consider all the options and even list ones that I immediately dismiss before actually analyzing.

    I did not notice that Sam called it his “home” in the title of the other post, very interesting that you view it that way still!

    1. Vicki@Make Smarter Decisions

      Glad you caught that Apathy Ends! There is a lot that we say or write that shows our real feelings about things! The table does help with considering all options against the same criteria (goals). That is where people sometimes get “stuck”. The decision question is key too – the broader it is, the more likely you will consider more options.

    2. I’m of the belief that everyone should buy property for lifestyle first, then rental income potential down the road, then capital appreciation. Because if all goes to hell, at least you’ll have created great memories and be hedged from a downturn!

      I’ve gone back to the property multiple times now as my tenants finally moved out, and I reminisce and imagine what was and could be.

  18. Wonderful, and very timely article for me as I too am struggling with a huge decision in the next month. Thanks.

    1. It’s amazing how many big decisions we actually face when you think about it! We have three more big ones coming later this year! If it is problem that you would like some (free) coaching on, contact me through my site and maybe you could be a case study too!

  19. The results table is really clever. Sometimes successful people seem to have a hard time making a decision because they want to gather and weigh all the information.

    As you’ve pointed out Vicki, focusing on gathering the information isn’t as helpful in the long run as focusing on the results you want.

    Better to have a laser focus on the results.

    1. So true! This process does help speed up that “weighing out” of information, especially if you have your goals clarified. I was also trained in solution-focused thinking so that focus on results is definitely something I value as well.

  20. HI Sam

    I think that table is overcomplicating it.

    A flowchart would be more appropriate:

    1. Sell? (Yes/No) If theres an alternative that can earn 36k passive or thereabouts. YES

    No:

    2. Estate agent? (Yes/No) If the benefit to free time outweighs the cost of agent. YES

    No:

    3. Continue to manage it yourself.

    Done.

    1. Everyone can choose their own decision-making process but with a million dollar property, I think a small chart isn’t over-complicating things. We use this chart for college decisions, work decisions, etc. and once you know how to use it – it is really easy!

  21. The Green Swan

    I never knew there was so much thought and analysis that could go into making big decisions. Yes, I always weigh the pros and cons (much to my wife’s frustration sometime) but never thought about it in his fashion. Does going with your gut also apply?

    The Green Swan

    1. Pro’s and con’s lists do work well for decisions that are not that complicated. As far as “going with your gut” – I’ve done that many times too and you can certainly make good decisions that way. But I did that once and it really didn’t work out well at all. I had huge regrets (that cost me both a great deal of time & money) and I likely could have been “FI” years earlier had I followed a better process…

      1. I agree with you, Vicki. I work with a broad range of business people and I noticed taking decisions with gut without a defined plan and strategic thinking, in most cases end up badly.

        I am guilty too, have made few decisions in my life without writing down specific goals and question the unquestionable resulting in regrets. Regrets aren’t fun, and can last for a very long time. Sometimes even forever.

        I’m going to follow your blog and learn more about the decision process. I think it can make a huge impact in our personal and financial life.

        1. Thanks Rudy. There is no doubt that we can learn from mistakes, but paying for them for a lifetime is sometimes the result. Some feel that is the only way to learn and grow – I think it is a high price to pay if there is a better way to approach the decision in the first place.

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