Hello. My name is Kevin and I’m a recovering Analysis Paralysis (AP) sufferer.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve found that I often get stuck or freeze when it comes to making important decisions or taking necessary action when I’m overwhelmed by the choices involved or the potential impacts of the choice.

For any of my fellow AP sufferers out there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You want to know all your options and the implications involved, but the resulting research produces too much data and too many angles to process. In pursuit of trying to do the best thing, you end up doing nothing. Talk about a contradiction.

In my case, I’ve been forced into behavioral rehab by working at a start-up company. In a start-up, standing still guarantees you fail, so decisions must be made and made quickly. Starting a company is certainly an effective way of breaking through the struggles of AP, although I’m not sure I’d recommend it.

At College Aid Pro (CAP), we designed our business model around helping people tackle and avoid Analysis Paralysis in the college decision, specifically as it pertains to finances. While we often say that our biggest obstacle to helping more families is complacency (just trust the system like everyone did before me and we’ll end up ok), I would argue Analysis Paralysis is the worst enemy of many families trying to figure out this college thing. 

And it makes sense why this is the case. An unfamiliar, confusing, opaque process with huge, lifelong financial implications if you screw it up?? Just makes my lips numb to think about it.

It’s only natural for parents to stick their heads in the sand and put off dealing with it until it’s absolutely necessary. You don’t know where to begin or how much will go into it, so let’s think about it some more and revisit next week. Note: this type of behavior is called the “Ostrich Effect” and it’s a first cousin to Analysis Paralysis. This deserves its own separate support group, but I digress.

To help avoid AP, CAP functions as your trusted sherpa through the college planning and application process. We explain the landscape, the major players, the deliverables, and the deadlines. We show you how to avoid costly pitfalls and advise you on where and when to get additional support. Yes, putting a child through college is a stressful endeavor and there’s no way of eliminating it all. But by working with a trusted partner and true advocate, you’ll at least get to the other side in one piece.

So back to me.

An area where Analysis Paralysis has gotten in my way is in seeking general, comprehensive financial advice. For the same reasons families delay the college topic, I have avoided working with a financial advisor. I have so many questions and the options are seemingly endless and needlessly complicated. So I hit pause rather than pursue.

  • What exactly do financial advisors do?
  • What are the different types of advisors and planners?
  • Why are there so many designations? Are they all legitimate?
  • What does it cost to work with an advisor? Is the cost worth it?
  • What are the risks of not working with one?
  • Can I just use technology instead?

Based on the questions we get from our families, I’m not alone in getting paralyzed in this particular decision and the questions above are just the tip of the iceberg.

We regularly get asked by our families to suggest financial advisors for items outside of college planning. This is often in the form of, “Ok so we got our kid through college, now what should we do?” It’s encouraging that families are looking ahead and we’re certainly happy to help them in this regard, but the truth is, just like picking the right college, the answer to this question depends on the individual circumstances and preferences.

This is where our new partner AssetAlign comes in.

AssetAlign was founded with the mission of providing accessible, high-quality financial advice to everyone. With over 60 years of collective experience, AssetAlign has developed a unique vetting and matching process that ensures every family finds an advisor who meets their specific needs, allowing them to focus on what matters most.

Just like with college planning, we believe that every family can benefit from expert help, but we also know that there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Having a trusted advocate to help you understand and navigate the landscape of available resources is paramount. Don’t let Analysis Paralysis hold you back. CAP helped you navigate the college decision and we partnered with AssetAlign because they’re the best at helping you navigate the financial advisor decision.

And the best part…it’s FREE!

Book a free consultation with the great team at AssetAlign to:

  • Learn how the financial advisor world works and understand the options available
  • Receive a customized report and recommendation on the best solution for you
  • Get matched with specific advisors that fit your criteria

We have spent a long time evaluating partners to help our families with this question, and we landed on AssetAlign because in addition to having the experience, knowledge and network required, they are first and foremost true advocates for families. They want to help people find the right solution and help them take action that will benefit their lives. It may sound like an obvious trait in a partner, but it’s more rare than you’d think. The family advocacy culture we have built at CAP is arguably what we are most proud of as a company, and the AssetAlign team more than checks this box. You can trust them like you’ve trusted us.

In short, AssetAlign is the support that Analysis Paralysis sufferers like me need to get out of our own way. It costs nothing and at a minimum you’ll learn a lot. Being overwhelmed is a natural reaction when it comes to your finances and when it comes to doing what’s best for your family. Luckily, you don’t have to tackle this alone.