$38,515
That’s the average retirement income of 65+ today.
That’s DISMAL.
It’s also eerily close to the average Social Security payout of a married couple.
Most Americans are mortally ill financially, but are in denial.
Saying:
> I’m not sick.
> I’m sick but I don’t want to get better.
> I already see a doctor (and I’m not following the treatment plan, any more than I’d follow yours).
> I’m sick, but you don’t know how to cure me.
> I’m sick, but I can self-medicate my way back to health, I don’t need you.
> I’m sick, but I can find a cheaper doctor than you.
> I’m sick, but I’m too busy to think about it right now.
Here’s how those conversations would go, were they in an actual doctors office:
> Doc: How are you feeling?
> Patient: Not so hot. No energy, breathing hard, coughing a lot, headaches, pain in my joints, trouble sleeping…
> Doc: Tell me about your lifestyle.
> Patient: Normal activities. Watch TV, stuff like that.
> Doc: Eating habits?
> Patient: Eggs in the morning, cheeseburger for lunch, steak for dinner. Normal American food.
> Doc: Smoke or drink?
> Patient: Moderately. Two packs of Camels and a fifth of Jack Daniels.
> Doc: Everyday?
> Patient: Well not every SINGLE day…
> Doc: (Weighs patient, checks blood pressure, listens to heart and lungs) OK, we’re going to put you on a somewhat lower fat/cholesterol eating program. Here’s some chewing gum that’ll help suppress the urge to smoke, and a prescription to start taking your blood pressure down. Oh, and I’d like you to begin walking on a treadmill: I’ll give you a program for 30 days, and then let’s see how you’re doing, OK?
> Patient: I don’t need you turning me into a (bleeping) vegetarian. Just give me some medicine that’ll help me stop breathing so hard. And a sleeping pill.
Now… Does the doctor leap around the office, hang up charts, graphs, and scattergrams saying: “Wait! Don’t you care about your family? I can PROVE that this blood pressure medicine works! And look at this clinical study of the benefits of walking! And here’s a major report on smoking and lung disease; you gotta read this!! Do what I prescribe, and I guarantee you’re gonna get better. Just one signature, and a small check to get you started… You can afford this! Waddya say!?!?
or
do they simply say: “Next.”
We are in the helping business, but we’re not in the convincing business.
We can only help those who want it and admit they need it.
This is why we model EQB on the physicians practice.
- We tell people the absolute truth all the time. We never sugarcoat; We never tell you what you want to hear. As empathetic as humanly possible, we give it to you straight.
- We relate to our clients (patients)… by understanding what you need to do, and then strongly recommending that you do it. We do not (once we think we’ve correctly diagnosed the illness) ask you what you want to do.
- We aren’t responsible for any other treatment (financial plan) but the one we recommend. If you choose to try alternative medicine, or a drug we don’t know, we can’t stop you. But you can’t have recourse about that choice when it doesn’t work.
- We follow the data dispassionately. We do not argue, try to “prove” anything, guarantee an outcome, or even predict the course of the illness. We tell you what works best most of the time in your case, and tell you what the next step is if that doesn’t work.
- We never try to gain your business by competing primarily on the issue of price. We don’t offer a bottle of the barrel price because we don’t have a bottom of the barrel service.
