It’s not simple to understand the 4-point fine print on the bottom of a mortgage contract.  That boilerplate requires a combination of education and experience.

It’s not simple to understand the kind of complicated derivative investment instruments that went boom, helping to drag the economy into some ugly territory.  You need to be a pro to comprehend the nuts and bolts of those deals.

It’s not simple to run a company.  I know we all harbor some kind of overconfident belief that we’d do better running a big auto company than those yahoos who showed up in Washington, but we’re lying to ourselves.  You need to understand the business and have an assortment of various specialized skills to be a great CEO.

Basically, there are all sorts of complicated things out there.  Those are just a few examples.  The federal tax code isn’t a walk in the park, figuring out the best places to stash your saving in order to maximize investment return while maintaining necessary liquidity might be a head-scratcher, too.

And here’s the good news.  When it comes right down to it, successful personal finance manageent is pretty darn simple.  Seriously.  It’s just not complicated.

Yes, there are particular subjects that are very complicated.  Fortunately, most of us don’t really need to grapple with them.  To the extent that we do need to involve ourselves in more complicated aspects of the personal financial world, we can call on good experts to help us.

This blog ran a post recently that laid out a very simple series of steps anyone could follow in order to become a millionaire.  These were not detailed discussions of where or how to invest.  The steps were very simple things we all know already.

These tips were things like “don’t spend more than you make”, “pay off your debt”.  They were recitations of the core principles underlying sound personal finance.  They were also just about everything someone would really need to become a millionaire.

If you handle the basics properly, you’ll end up out of debt ad very happy with your positioning.  If you take action consistent with the core principles, you’ll soon find yourself accumulating cash.  Follow the basics, become a millionaire.  It’s that simple.

No, really.  It’s that simple.

Personal finance isn’t rocket science.  You don’t need to be an expert on everything.  You don’t need to be a keen financial mind.  You need to follow the basics.  Everything else falls into place when you do.

If you encounter situations that don’t make sense along the way, get in touch with a good professional in the field.  Consult with the people who do need to understand the fine print details of the financial world.  You don’t need to understand the ins and outs of everything.  You just need to follow the basics.  Day after day.

There’s nothing wrong with understanding the details.  You won’t be worse off for developing a richer knowledge of a variety of aspects of personal finance.  In fact, you’ll probably reach your goals more quickly if you do your homework.  That being said, it isn’t a prerequisite for financial success.  The only must-haves are a knowledge of core principles and the willingness to follow them.

You’ll notice that I kept saying this was simple.  Simple.  Not easy.

Personal financial achievement isn’t easy.  It’s easy to understand, but it isn’t easy to do.  The principles are simple, implementing them can be difficult.

Spend less than you make.  Simple.  Easy to do?  Not when you’re trying to buck a lifelong tendency to overconsume.  Set aside sufficient savings.  Simple.  Easy?  Not when you really, really want to spend your cash elsewhere.

You get the idea.  Follow the basics and you’ll come out fine.  Understanding the basics is simple.  Following them, however, isn’t always easy.