EasyBlog

When any kind of Sudden Money® enters someone's life--regardless of the origin of the money--things begin to shift within that person as well as with their relationships. Recipients of lottery windfalls and inheritances, as well as divorcees and widows, quickly develop desires and expectations for their money.

We here at the Sudden Money® Institute have been studying the personal side of money for over 15 years. Our original intention, following Susan Bradley's Sudden Money®: Managing a Financial Windfall (Wiley 2000), was to figure out why dealing with clients-in-transition was frequently so frustrating for financial professionals and where the disconnect was.

In Part 1, we reviewed reasons why people are skeptical when they hear various claims made by so-called studies.  In Part 2, I will address the question “Should we believe the science?”

Science is awesome.  There are amazing things being studied and discovered all the time in many fields.

The question is how do you find the real science given an environment where there’s so much sensationalism and spin to present a specific and salable answer?

I often cite studies, reports and other research when posting my blogs.  One question that has come up is do these studies actually mean anything.   It’s an excellent question.

Because of my innate curiosity, I’m always trying to poke holes in my logic and the research I’ve read over the years.

I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time around some of the leading thinkers and brightest minds in financial planning as well as reading peer-reviewed articles and research.  Naturally, this has led me to delve deeper into the data.

Back around 2009-10, I came across a quote from Ben Feldman, one of the most prolific salespeople in world history, who said:
 

"Doing something costs something. Doing nothing costs something. And, quite often, doing nothing costs a lot more!"