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The Finance Action Calculator™: A Clear Tool for Better Choices

Updated: Sep 17

A Simple 6-Action Framework for Smarter Business and Life Decisions


John was stuck. His team had been busy, but results were flat.


Every week felt like a mix of adding new projects, keeping old ones alive, and cutting nothing, just hoping something would work.


What he lacked was not effort. It was clarity.


He needed a way to see each choice for what it really was, to know when to push forward, when to cut back, and when to stop.


That is where the Finance Action Calculator™ comes in.


It works like a decision-making tool. It breaks every choice down into clear, actionable steps:

  • This decision adds something.

  • This decision reduces something.

  • This decision keeps things stable.

  • This decision multiplies what is already working.


It forces you to define what you are trying to achieve before you act. That is where clarity begins.



How the Finance Action Calculator™ Works


The framework has six decision prompts:


  • Plus (+): Add. Bring in more customers, improve pricing, or launch something that increases revenue.


  • Minus (–): Cut. Remove activities or expenses that drain time or cash.


  • Zero (0): Stop. Pause distractions or projects that deliver no value.


  • Equal (=): Hold steady. Maintain what is already producing good results.


  • Multiply (×): Scale. Do more of what is already winning.


  • Divide (÷): Break things down. Analyse performance per customer, product, employee or project to see where returns are strongest.


Each button gives your decision a purpose.


Instead of asking “What do I do next?”, the question becomes, “Which action will deliver the outcome I want?”


A cartoon-style calculator is shown with the word “DECIDE” on its display. The buttons feature plus, minus, multiply, divide, and zero symbols. Above the calculator is the title “Finance Action Calculator™.” Below it, the tagline reads “We make finance seriously fun.” In the bottom right corner, a yellow book titled Once Upon a Balance Sheet by James & C Foo Leong is displayed, with the text “C Foo Says – Visual Finance Made Human” and the handle @visualfinancehuman.
Decisions become clear when you know which button to press.

Warren Buffett’s Decision Wisdom


Warren Buffett once said:

“To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ… What’s needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework.”


The Finance Action Calculator™ provides exactly that kind of framework. It helps you make decisions even when emotions make them difficult.


Often, we avoid the decisions we know are right because they feel uncomfortable. We keep a client who drains energy because we do not want to upset them. We hold onto outdated processes because “that is how it has always been done.” We delay tough calls on costs or headcount because they feel personal.


The six-button tool — add, cut, stop, hold steady, scale, or break down — shows decisions for what they are: actions that either move you forward or hold you back.


By naming the action, you remove hesitation and focus on the result, not the discomfort.



From Business Boards to Everyday Choices


The strength of this framework is its practicality. It works just as well when you are deciding how to use your time and energy.


Should you add more time with your loved ones or to activities that build your health? Should you cut back on hours lost to streaming shows or mindless scrolling?

Should you stop investing time in commitments or relationships that drain you?


The Finance Action Calculator™ is where this starts, but its strength goes beyond finance.


I often simply call it the Action Calculator™ because it helps you see all these choices for what they are. Specific actions that shape your results.



3 Practical Takeaways


1. Define the result first. Before acting, ask: Am I trying to grow, cut back, stabilise, or scale? Which of the six actions fits that outcome?


2. Make fewer but clearer decisions. A small number of well-chosen moves will always beat scattered, reactive choices.


3. Review one decision each week. Pick a single decision on your plate and run it through the six-button tool. It keeps your focus sharp and actions intentional.



Final Thought


Good decisions are not about having more data. They are about seeing each choice for what it truly is.


Plus. Minus. Zero. Equal. Multiply. Divide.


Which one do you need this week to move you forward?


James

The Financial Storyteller


Ready to turn financial confusion into clarity?


👉 If Once Upon a Balance Sheet resonates with you, we can change the way you see numbers.https://www.financialstorytelling.com/onceuponabalancesheet

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