IMHO: Naughty or Nice?

Editor’s Note:  There’s so much going on in the world of retirement saving and investing that I never feel the need (or feel like I have the opportunity) to recycle old columns – but this one has a certain “evergreen” consistency of message that always seems appropriate – particularly at this time of year.

A few years back—when my kids still believed in the reality of Santa Claus—we discovered an ingenious Web site that purported to offer a real-time assessment of their “naughty or nice” status. 

Now, as Christmas approached, it was not uncommon for us to caution our occasionally misbehaving brood that they had best be attentive to how those actions might be viewed by the big guy at the North Pole.   But nothing ever had the impact of that Web site – if not on their behaviors (they’re kids, after all), then certainly on the level of their concern about the consequences.   In fact, in one of his final years as a “believer,” my son (who, it must be acknowledged, had been PARTICULARLY naughty) was on the verge of tears, worried that he’d find nothing under the Christmas tree but the coal and bundle of switches he surely deserved. 

Naughty Behaviors?  

One might plausibly argue that many participants act as though some kind of benevolent elf will drop down their chimney with a bag full of cold cash from the North Pole.   They behave as though, somehow, their bad savings behaviors throughout the year(s) notwithstanding, they’ll be able to pull the wool over the eyes of a myopic, portly gentleman in a red snow suit.   Not that they actually believe in a retirement version of St. Nick, but that’s essentially how they behave, even though, like my son, a growing number evidence concern about the consequences of their “naughty” behaviors.   Also, like my son, they tend to worry about it too late to influence the outcome—and don’t change their behaviors in any meaningful way.     

Ultimately, the volume of presents under our Christmas tree never really had anything to do with our kids’ behavior, of course.   As parents, we nurtured their belief in Santa Claus as long as we thought we could (without subjecting them to the ridicule of their classmates), not because we expected it to modify their behavior (though we hoped, from time to time), but because, IMHO, kids should have a chance to believe, if only for a little while, in those kinds of possibilities. 

We all live in a world of possibilities, of course.   But as adults we realize—or should realize—that those possibilities are frequently bounded in by the reality of our behaviors.   This is a season of giving, of coming together, of sharing with others.   However, it is also a time of year when we should all be making a list and checking it twice—taking note, and making changes to what is naughty and nice about our savings behaviors. 

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus—but he looks a lot like you, assisted by “helpers” like the employer match, your financial adviser, investment markets, and tax incentives.  

Happy Holidays!  

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The Naughty or Nice site is still online (at http://www.claus.com/naughtyornice/index.php.htm).  An improved site and much better internet connection speeds produce a lightning fast response – more’s the pity.  I used to like the sense that a computer was actually having to crank through the data!