Since the inception of Thoughts On Money, the objective has been the same - to help translate the complex world of personal finance into something more palatable and to address common questions that investors have. If you've been a long-time reader of TOM, you know that most investment questions don't have a one-size-fits-all answer; this is why I commonly encourage readers to address these particular issues we discuss with their advisor.

The problem with often concluding, "best to discuss with your advisor," is that you, the reader, don't get the opportunity to peek behind the curtain and see how an advisor would think through one of these financial solutions.

Today I am going to invite you to one of those problem-solving exercises. We are going to address a common financial issue/question, and I really want you to focus your attention on the process of how one would go about deriving a solution. These financial problem-solving skills are the key takeaway or learning opportunity, not the actual conclusion.

This lesson should not be too dissimilar to a high school math course that you've taken in the past. The textbook provides most of the answers in the back of the book because the teacher is less worried about you getting the right answer as much as your ability to structure the steps needed to come to that answer.

Just as the proverb goes, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Today I will teach you to fish.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• http://thoughtsonmoney.com