{"id":44942,"date":"2025-09-14T11:08:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T11:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/isafespend.com\/?p=44942"},"modified":"2025-09-14T11:08:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T11:08:05","slug":"if-youre-never-wrong-youre-not-trying-hard-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isafespend.com\/?p=44942","title":{"rendered":"If You\u2019re Never Wrong, You\u2019re Not Trying Hard Enough"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the wiser, more experienced financial advisors I have the pleasure of working with mentioned something to me this week that I had to stop and write down so that I could share it with you:<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to be wrong, because that means I\u2019m learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

He substantiated his claim by telling me how he chooses to read books and articles, and listen to podcasts and interviews, that are in direct opposition to his current opinions, both to reinforce and challenge<\/em> his thinking. <\/p>\n

If this sounds foreign to you, it\u2019s because it doesn\u2019t come naturally. We\u2019re actually prone to quite the opposite of this behavior. You may have heard, for example, of the confirmation bias<\/em>\u2014the idea that we, as humans, tend to subconsciously seek information that will confirm the opinion we already hold, while filtering out that which might challenge our pre-existing positions. <\/p>\n

Why Are We So Afraid Of Being Wrong?<\/h2>\n

We simply don\u2019t like to be wrong. It threatens our credibility and creates a vulnerability within and exposes us to potential embarrassment without. <\/p>\n

It is important to note that most of our apparent human bugs are also, in some way, features. Even confirmation bias. For example, if all we did was go through our days questioning every assumption that has built itself into our worldviews, we\u2019d suffer from analysis paralysis, and rarely do<\/em> anything. So, perhaps the discipline to be applied here is the practice of regularly choosing to test our assumptions.<\/p>\n

Therefore, before we take a glance at four commonly held assumptions in the arena of personal finance that may be worth reconsidering, let\u2019s offer a simple method for safely testing our assumptions that we can use in any area of life or work.<\/p>\n

The 3-Step Assumption Test<\/h2>\n

1. Name It<\/h3>\n

Identify and clearly state the assumption you\u2019re making. \u201cAll Pittsburgh Steelers fans are annoying,\u201d for example, may feel substantiated when you see someone in head-to-toe black and gold long after football season. \ud83d\ude0a <\/p>\n

But unexamined assumptions like this often lead to poor thinking and bad decisions\u2014and maybe even unnecessary arguments. <\/em><\/p>\n