ThE NINE GOldEN RUlES OF RETIREmENT PlANNING

Chapter 31

thee nIn golDen RUles oF

RetIReMent PlAnnIng

— OR ALL I NEED TO KNOW

ABOUT INVESTING I LEARNED

FROm GOOFUS AND GALLANT

By toD lenhoff

When I was young, my mom got us a monthly subscription to the maga-
zine Highlights. The very same Highlights magazine that has adorned
dentist’s offices for years. In the magazine was a recurring cartoon about
two brothers, called Goofus and Gallant. The tenor of the piece was to
teach children, such as myself, the difference between right and wrong.

Goofus (wrong), and Gallant (right).

The cartoon always started with Goofus handling an everyday situation
the wrong way, and then the identical situation was shown how to be
handled correctly by Gallant. For example, at a birthday party Goofus
might selfishly grab the last piece of cake for himself, whereas Gallant
would be courteous and ask first if anyone else was interested in the last
piece, before taking it for himself.

As silly as this illustration of morals and model of ethical behavior may
seem, these same basic prudent principals, or common sense approach-
es, are a cornerstone of the 9 Golden Rules for investing for a success-
ful retirement.