The importance of being EARNEST - a mnemonic for anchors

When building anchors on rock or snow, keep in mind that the ideal anchor is EARNEST.  You won’t be able to do this all the time, but it’s what you are striving for.  (This is a slightly more encompassing “anchor” mnemonic than RENE or SRENE, which you may have also heard.)

Equalized. Through actual equalization (sliding X) or static equalization (cordelette), all anchor components share the load more or less equally.
Angles Appropriate. To minimize forces placed on gear, ideally all angles between placements are 60 degrees or less.
Redundant. If any one component of the anchor were to fail, the entire anchor will not fail.
No Extension. If an anchor component were to fail, the anchor will not extend too far, possibly shock loading the remaining components.
Strong. The individual placements are as good as can be, given available gear and rock features or snow quality.  (After you build the anchor, give it a good shake to be sure the pieces hold.)
Timely. A rock solid anchor can be a bad choice if it takes too long or too much gear to build. Better to go for a slightly lower quality anchor if it takes a lot less time to construct.  Note - “too long” can vary widely depending on team skill, route difficulty, and how many hours to nightfall!