Complexity Is Not a Strategy: Don't Overcomplicate Your Financial Picture, LFG Daily - January 22, 2026

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Complexity Is Not a Strategy: Why Consolidation Matters More Than Ever

One of the biggest mistakes I see in financial planning isn’t bad investments or poor timing—it’s unnecessary complexity.

Somewhere along the way, people were sold the idea that more accounts, more entities, and more paperwork equals better planning. In reality, overcomplication often creates blind spots, inefficiencies, and—believe it or not—lost money.

I’ve seen people with five brokerage accounts holding the same investments. Old 401(k)s scattered across former employers. IRAs opened “just in case.” Trusts created years ago that no longer serve a real purpose. At a certain point, complexity stops being protection and starts becoming risk.

A perfect example: trusts. Trusts can be powerful tools—but they are not always necessary. For many families, properly structured beneficiary forms accomplish the same goals with far less cost, maintenance, and confusion. Yet people are often pushed into trusts before they even have a coordinated account structure or updated beneficiaries. That’s putting the cart before the horse.

Another common issue is account sprawl. Multiple accounts made sense at different times for different reasons—but life changes. Jobs change. Custodians change. Strategies evolve.

When accounts aren’t consolidated, it becomes harder to see the full picture, rebalance properly, manage taxes efficiently, or even remember what you own. I’ve seen people “rediscover” accounts years later simply because the system became too complex to track.

And complexity has a behavioral cost. When finances feel overwhelming, people disengage. They stop reviewing statements. They stop asking questions. They assume everything is being handled—until something breaks. The irony is that the more complicated the structure, the more likely something gets missed.

Good financial planning isn’t about building the most elaborate structure possible. It’s about clarity, control, and coordination. Fewer accounts. Clear ownership. Clean beneficiary designations. A system you can understand at a glance.

If your financial life feels cluttered, that’s not a personal failure—it’s usually the result of bad design. Simplifying and consolidating isn’t “dumbing things down.” It’s smart planning.

Because the best financial strategy is the one you can actually manage, monitor, and stick with.

Sometimes the most powerful move isn’t adding something new—it’s cleaning up what you already have.

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

Colin Symons, CIO Lloyd Financial Group

Pending Home Sales were down 9.3% m/m as mortgage rates rose. That’s the worst since 2020. Note that Trump signed an EO banning institutional home-buying, though I don’t think it was in effect, yet.

At Davos, Trump took military force off the table with Greenland, which somehow some people were worried about, and the market lifted. He also said the stock market could double.

Denmark “rejected Trump’s demand to negotiate takeover Greenland,” causing a stock selloff.

As a happy ending, Trump said tariffs are canceled because of a framework for a future deal.

I, for one, hope we can take a long break on Greenland discussions... That said, the framework seems to involve small pockets of land, mineral rights involvement, infrastructure, and the Golden Dome project. Is that anything new? Probably depends on your political alignment!

Later, Trump also said he wants to keep Hassett where he is, which shouldn’t be a surprise, but still managed to dump stocks a bit at the end of the day.

OpenAI is having meetings to raise $50B or more.

Jobless claims, Final GDP, and Core PCE prices, today.

What does it all mean?

End of the tariff fight is causing a lift but there’s also plenty of economic data coming out, today.

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

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