Who Moved My Cheese?
That’s the title of a simple but powerful book written decades ago by medical doctor Spencer Johnson. Its core message? Life isn’t going to remain exactly the same as it has always been. Life is on the move.
I was reminded of this truth late one night at my local grocery store. I had my short list and knew exactly where everything was located so I could get in, get out, and move on with my day. But they were remodeling. Suddenly, nothing was where it used to be. Brand new cases, some filled, some empty. I found myself pushing my cart up and down the aisles thinking, “Who moved my cheese?”
Earlier that same week, our office received a form letter from a mutual fund company. They had decided to eliminate a particular fund from their lineup. Who moved my cheese? We suddenly had to reach out to clients and explain the change. If not handled correctly, it could trigger significant tax consequences. A decision made by someone else, completely outside your control, was about to impact your investments and your taxes.
It got me thinking about those old mutual fund reporting booklets — the ones which were the size of a small telephone book. I’ve saved some of these since the 1990s. I flipped through one recently and was amazed at how many of the funds that existed back then, no longer even exist today. New hot funds come in, old ones disappear. Who moved my cheese?
Here’s the deeper truth: We often build grandiose plans for our lives — personally, financially, spiritually — assuming things will stay relatively stable. But everything changes. Churches change. Financial products change. Tax laws change. What worked yesterday may no longer work tomorrow. And physically, we all change. None of us are guaranteed perfect health until our final breath. Assisted living or other transitions may come, even if we don’t see them approaching.
You can’t treat life like a rat in a maze expecting the cheese to always stay in the same spot. Life is a psychological experiment where the cheese is constantly being moved. The roadmap from point A to point B is rarely straight and rarely goes exactly as planned.
That’s why it’s so important to be ready to pivot. You need resources. You need a team. You need people who can help you navigate the maze when the cheese moves.
At Financialoscopy®, we help clients see their situation with a viewpoint from above the maze — so you can spot where the cheese might be hidden next and adapt with confidence instead of panic.
We are all in the maze, and it is forever changing. Don’t get lost or trapped. Let us help you along the journey.