They say there are two kinds of people in the world: Those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world and those who don't.
What this little joke reveals is a truth that has helped practitioners of the psychological and philosophical arts for centuries. It's called the dichotomy test. I've actually used it successfully to help people discover the meaning of their life, but I'll leave that and my uncanny ability to interpret dreams for another time. This is about getting 401(k) investors to do the right thing.
The financial world is replete with dichotomies. For example, there's bulls and bears; fear and greed; and, stocks and bonds. We all know (or should know) the most important thing a 401(k) investor can do to increase the odds of living a happy retirement: save more. Yet we repeatedly see employees not acting in their own best interests. How do we motivate these folks to save more?
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Christopher Carosa
Chris Carosa has been writing a weekly article and monthly column for BenefitsPRO online and BenefitsPRO Magazine since 2011 and is a nationally recognized award-winning writer, researcher and speaker. He’s written seven books, including From Cradle to Retire: The Child IRA; Hey! What’s My Number? – How to Increase the Odds You Will Retire in Comfort; A Pizza The Action: Everything I Ever Learned About Business I Learned By Working in a Pizza Stand at the Erie County Fair; and the widely acclaimed 401(k) Fiduciary Solutions. Carosa is also Chief Contributing Editor of the authoritative trade journal FiduciaryNews.com and publisher of the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, a weekly community newspaper he founded in 1989. Currently serving as President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and with more than 1,000 articles published in various publications, he appears regularly in the national media. A “parallel” entrepreneur, he actively runs a handful of businesses, including a small boutique investment adviser, providing hands-on experience for his writing. A trained astrophysicist, he also holds an MBA and has been designated a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor. Share your thoughts and story ideas with him through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/christophercarosa/)and Twitter (https://twitter.com/ChrisCarosa).
