Neil Frasier, a friend of your family, is a very proficient accountant. He’s 61 and has spent his entire career working at the Sears Holdings Corp. headquarters in Chicago. He just got a call from a high school buddy that still lives in the small town in Wisconsin that they both grew up in. Neil’s buddy tells him that the sole accountant in town is retiring and has his business for sale. Neil has always wanted to return to his home town. He thinks about it for a few minutes and then tells his buddy, “As much as I’d absolutely love to come back home, I don’t have any business experience and I’m 61 years old.

Those are two strikes against me—I’ll have to pass on buying the business.” Is Neil’s thinking sound? What would tell Neil if he asked you for your advice?