Organize | Witten Financial

CHAPTER ONE
You have been given 2,500 swords to disperse among 500 militia members and place in strategic armories across the city. In your review of the militia, you note that many of the members have dubious backgrounds. Some were homeless and some have reputations as thieves and smugglers. How do you allocate the swords?
- You give each militia member five swords, one to use and four to hold onto for safekeeping. Though some of the people have checkered pasts, you hope they will be trustworthy enough to follow your instruction.
- You create outposts every hundred yards along the town’s edge and divide the swords equally among each outpost. You place senior militia officials in charge of each outpost, asking them to sound the alarm and hand out weapons when they are needed to defend Holden’s Roost.
The militia is ill equipped to handle the next barbarian attack. Though some of the members followed your request, others sold their stockpile of weapons to traders for a meager sum of coins. Heavy losses are sustained and the barbarians get away with fresh food and clean water that was supposed to go to the lawful citizens of Holden’s Roost.
Your preparation and decision to only trust key individuals pays off. When the barbarians next attacked, your senior officials sounded the alarm and delivered weapons just in time. The militia suffered casualties, but the citizens they protected were all kept safe from harm.
CHAPTER TWO
There are 10 elite spellcasters in the militia. Five are skilled in destruction magic, three have skills in restoration magic, and two are expert illusionists. How do you disperse them to best protect the town?
- You spread the five destruction mages equidistant around the edges of town, convert a house near the center of town into a hospital to house the healers, and place the illusionists at the main gates. The illusionists are instructed to hide the town from view when the militia receives reports that bandits or barbarians are in the area.
- You put your spellcasters into a single specialized unit that you designate “Holden’s Bow”. As a mobile, magical attack force, you feel confident that together they will be able to repel any threat from the town.
Divide and conquer works in your favor. When the next wave of bandits strike, they were caught by surprise when a militia appears from a seemingly empty valley (thanks to the efforts of your illusionists). The destruction mages and healers also do their fair share of work in eliminating the enemy and healing the wounded.
Your confidence in Holden’s Bow is short lived. Though powerful, the light of your spellcasters’ magical auras made them a target for the barbarian archers and priestesses. After the destruction magic specialists died, the hand-to-hand combatants pushed toward the remaining mages. By putting all of your eggs in one basket, your magical advantage was rendered fruitless.
CHAPTER THREE
It’s been weeks since the last attack, and maintaining order is becoming difficult. Managing 500 able-bodied men is never easy, but managing those men when they have little to do is another matter all-together. Two of your lieutenants present different ways to focus the men and help keep the rank and file. Which do you choose?
- Delmir, a lifelong resident of Holden’s Roost, wants to ask the bard’s guild to put on shows for the militia three nights a week. The bards would be paid for their services via tips from the attendees, potentially earning more than they do now at the local inn for a night’s work. He tells you that the bard’s have many different shows available, from song and dance numbers to accounts of epic adventure tales like “Horace Pewter and the Tomb of Horrors”. You feel that that giving the militia entertainment may give them something to look forward to and can also use attendance of the performances as a reward system, where particularly disruptive members are no longer allowed to see the shows.
- Hanley, the owner of the local tavern, suggests having something known as a “block party”. His business would provide a feast and unlimited flagons of ale to help the militia blow off steam. Hanley would make a hefty profit in the transaction, but he says that it is the best interest of the militia. Allowing them to relax and cavort amongst one another will be good for morale and build trust among the members.
The bard’s guild is talented, but their repertoire is lacking the longevity needed to entertain the militia for multiple shows. By the end of week two, they start recycling material, leading to loud, audible groans from the audience. Attendance falls, and things soon fall back into the same tenuous routine of monotony and manic energy among the militia. No progress is made, and now militia members are demanding new entertainment.
Despite your hesitations, Hanley’s plan is an unqualified success. The militia members jumped at the opportunity to feast and break bread with their compatriots outside of regular duty. Though the cost was high, you see that it was worth it. The unit works cohesively to repel the next barbarian attack, communicating more effectively than ever before.

Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective

So, you trusted your unpaid staff – the rank-and-file town militia – over your trusted senior leaders.

You probably did this out of thinking about the money it would save. But it ended up costing you much, much more in the end with the mess you were left to clean up by not being able to defend the town.

In business and in life, there are expected and unexpected costs for every decision you make.

Let’s hope that, next time, you calculate the full cost of your actions (or hire an expert to help advise you of these things) before you make a decision.
Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective

Reputation is everything when it comes to trusting someone with your innermost secrets, one of which is your financial condition. Selecting a few trusted associates to handle a task such as this often works out better than a DIY approach or following unqualified advice.

Few individuals will take the same or higher amount of regard for dealing with your money as we do. This is a key area in which our firm surpasses our client’s expectations as you can count on honest advice, every time.
Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective

Spreading out your resources among different areas of the market (or, diversification, in fancy-advisor-talk) often has the most predictable results for growing your wealth while minimizing your risks.

Yes, it might not be as flashy or exciting as putting it all in one place and letting it ride. But, that’s the difference between investing and gambling.

Besides, who would put ALL your mages in that close of proximity of each other? It sounds like a better way to start a fight than to stop one.
Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective

Plans involving “quick hits” or “overwhelming force” often fall apart in real-world practice, as it did in this storyline. Likewise, having an advisor who would have you overconcentrated in any one area of your finances will often lead to failure for your overall plan.

While movies and stories in our industry make epic triumphs seem the norm, choosing the correct investment strategy can sometimes be perceived by our peers as boring.

Having a financial coach can help you from falling prey to a “get rich quick” scheme and keep you focused on a investment strategy tailored to your needs.
Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective

Beware the “no obligation” or “you don’t pay anything” approach to outsourcing. Nothing in life is free and expecting others to pay with their time and resources for your grand plans often is met with deaf ears.

Lots of consultants underprice and give away their services, but you almost always pay for what you get in the end.

If it’s important to you and the lifeblood of your business, why mess around? Call the credentialed professionals from the start and trust them to provide competent advice that benefits you.
Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective

Often times in business, feeling that just because you can do something yourself doesn’t mean you should.

Phrases like “I don’t have the money!” or “I can do that!” can be the downfall of many small entrepreneurs, as they work themselves to death IN the business instead of concentrating their talents with working ON the business.

Projects you decide to take on your plate are often times not as efficiently executed as if you outsourced the management of those to a professional. They could end up costing you more in time and energy than what you thought you could save.

Instead to trying to do it all yourself, hire a credentialed professional who can properly advise in all the things you haven’t yet mastered.
Planning and organizing your resources can be a challenging task. If you want a professional help to organize your financial life, contact Witten Financial. Aaron Witten, our founder, is a game industry veteran and dedicated to helping fellow gamers get the financial advice they need.

Contact Aaron Today
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Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective

Contact Aaron Today