The Behavior Gap Quotes

“Risk is what’s left when you think you’ve thought of everything.”
― Carl Richards, The Behavior Gap

“But in the end, financial decisions aren’t about getting rich. They’re about getting what you want—getting happy.”
― Carl Richards, The Behavior Gap

“whatever you have to do to gain self-knowledge, do it. Find out who you are and what you want. Then you can stop wasting your life energy and your money on stuff that doesn’t matter to you—and start making financial decisions that will get you to your true goals.”
― Carl Richards, The Behavior Gap

“History is so important. It has been said that the three most important words in the English language are “remember, remember, remember.”
― Carl Richards, The Behavior Gap

“First, imagine you are financially secure. How would you live your life? What would you change? Next, imagine a doctor tells you that you have only five to ten years to live—but you won’t feel sick. What will you do in the time remaining? Finally, this time the doctor says you have twenty-four hours. What feelings arise? What did you miss?”
― Carl Richards, The Behavior Gap

“That's why it's important to try to live in the present. The present is the only place we can live. When we live in the present, we are alert to what's actually happening -- to us and in the world at large. We can then act based on that awareness. And financial planning based on reality tends to lead to better results.

By contrast, when we live in the future, we are lost in fantasy or fear. When we live in the past, we are lost in regret or nostalgia. Financial planning based on fantasy, fear, regret, and nostalgia is likely to lead to more of the same.”
― Carl Richards, The Behavior Gap: Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things with Money

“Typically, the studies find that the returns investors have earned over time are much lower than the returns of the average investment.”
― Carl Richards, The Behavior Gap

“You don’t have to choose the perfect investment or save exactly the right amount or predict your rate of return or spend hours watching television shows about the stock market or surfing the Internet for stock picks. You don’t need a plan for every contingency.”
― Carl Richards, The Behavior Gap

“One of those lessons is that you aren’t in charge of everything. Do what you can, and then relax.”
― Carl Richards, The Behavior Gap