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Advice is everywhere. Parents give it. Friends offer it. Experts sell it. Strangers post it. We live in a world drowning in advice, yet most of it is ignored. Why? Because the best advice often feels wrong in the moment and the worst advice feels right.
Advice only works when it meets two conditions: Firstly, the person receiving it is ready to hear it. Secondly, they trust the person giving it. This is why the most valuable advice tends to come from people we already respect and in moments when we are most open to change.
Why We Ignore the Best Advice
The best advice often tells us to do things that are uncomfortable, slow, or counterintuitive. Save more than you think you need. Invest in your long term future. Avoid debt even when it’s easy to take that loan. Eat less junk food, even when it’s so appealing. These are simple ideas, yet they are so often ignored because they require patience, discipline, and restraint—qualities that are always in short supply.
Many people don’t listen to advice because their own experiences haven’t yet proven it necessary. It is extremely difficult for a 25-year-old starting their career to consider the importance of a pension, regardless of the massive benefits of compounding etc. Short term needs seem so much more attractive. A startup founder may ignore warnings about cash flow until they experience their first funding drought. Lessons don’t sink in until they are felt, and by then, the advice is no longer theoretical—it’s personal.
Advice as a Mirror, Not a Map
People often seek advice looking for a map—a set of clear instructions to follow. But real advice is more like a mirror. It reflects back the truths we already suspect but haven’t fully accepted. The best advice doesn’t preach to you what to do, rather it helps you identify what you actually want, what lifestyle you want to have and crucially what numbers you need for it to become a reality. Money clearly doesn’t buy you happiness but without a plan or a goal, it is very hard to commit to sacrifice the short term for your future self.
This is why the same piece of advice can resonate differently at different times. “Stay the course” easy over the past few years when we have had a record bull run in equities but for many it was alien during the 2008-2009 crash. “Patience pays” feels dismissive when you’re struggling but wise when you’re thriving. Advice doesn’t change, but our interpretation of it does. We react to the news that’s around us.
The Appeal of Bad Advice
The irony of advice is that bad advice is often more appealing than good advice. It’s more exciting, high returns, short time frames. Easy money schemes, overnight success stories, and shortcuts are more exciting than slow, steady progress. We are wired to seek efficiency, but shortcuts often lead to dead ends. The best advice rarely offers a shortcut—it offers perspective.
Every person has a different risk tolerance, timeline, and experience. What worked for one investor, entrepreneur, or athlete might be completely wrong for you. The best advice is not universal—it is personal. This is where a professional planner should add their value.
The Only Advice That Matters
The most valuable advice is usually the advice we already know but have ignored. Success often comes down to simple principles applied consistently over time. The challenge isn’t knowing what to do—it’s doing it, when it’s easier not to!