Kevin Schaefer coaches clients to plan for the worst, and to be content. An obsession with money distorts smiley faces into ones with dollar-sign eyes and a squiggly mouth because it often leads to aggressive investing that's like being on a roller coaster. A smoother ride, he says, keeps "a simple smile on your face."

Schaefer, a CFP and founder at Spirit West Certified Planning, LLC in Scottsdale, Arizona, says, "There aren't enough contrarians" paying attention to risks embedded in passive index-linked investments. "I'm hoping that trend (toward passive) will break and people will get back to basics."