Episode 393: Engineering Financial Outcomes
The Rational Reminder Podcast · 2026-01-22 · 1h 15m
Episode notes
What if financial planning were approached the same way engineers design aircraft, medical treatments, or complex systems - with clearly defined objectives, constraints, and rigorous trade-off analysis? In this episode, Benjamin Felix is joined by Braden Warwick for a deep dive into what it means to engineer financial outcomes. Drawing on Braden's background as a PhD-trained mechanical engineer and his work building financial planning software at PWL Capital, the conversation reframes financial planning as a design problem rather than a speculative exercise. They explore the critical distinction between a financial plan and a financial projection, why uncertainty does not invalidate good planning, and how professional communication under uncertainty can build trust with clients - especially those from technical backgrounds. The discussion highlights the importance of goals-based planning, sensitivity analysis, and explicitly quantifying trade-offs when clients have multiple competing objectives.