Freedom and happiness

In personal finance, specific problems are always much easier to tackle than general ones. If someone asks me to recommend some mutual funds suitable for investing for five to 10 years, not only is the answer straightforward, but the process by which the answer is reached is almost self-evident. However, larger, more conceptual problems are not so simple to reason about. For example, think of a question like "What should my overall financial strategy be?" The answer needs to incorporate long-term goals, spending habits, income levels, and family situations into a comprehensive plan that evolves with time. While specific investment picks can be plug-and-play, big-picture finances need customisation and frequent reassessment. Basically, such a question can be paraphrased as "Please plan my entire life's finances." It's more of a topic for consultation than a question as such, but people do ask it. And yet, there's an even more co