The Wisdom of Carroll

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don’t much care where…" said Alice.

"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.

—Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

There’s nothing like a brilliant literary illustration to bring a common sense point into full focus. When it comes to investing, you simply must know where you want to go. If you don’t, then any path will do. To put it another way, you have to have a plan in place designed to help you achieve your specific goals. Of course, if you don’t know where you want to go, then you’ll never need a plan.