Long ago I read a book "Self help" written in 1850 by Samuel Smiles. I remember something from that book which I'll never forget. His advice: if you want to see your descendants turn into beggars, leave your children a fixed income. I've observed this so many times. I know that those who inherited huge properties from their fathers became useless in a few years. Among my near relatives were some who lived on rented income for years before dying. Their children are quite poor, not having the skills necessary to earn a decent life.
I used to have a friend who inherited three small shops. He had studied in St. Paul's High School but had barely managed to pass matric (tenth grade). He used to sit in one shop, and earning rent from the two warehouses. This was enough to last him a lifetime, as he didn't provide an expensive education to his only son. I'm convinced he'd have become wealthier than most people if he'd concentrated on his shops. I don't know what made him sell the shops. He invested the money in the stock exchange, despite my earnest advice to stay away from that market.
Slowly he got into the habit of borrowing money. He never returned any of it to those who had been stupid enough to help him (that included my brother as well). Yesterday I heard that his wife has again appealed to her relatives and friends for money to survive. I'm convinced that he got into this mess because he wanted to get rich quick and thought that he would become a millionaire in a short time.
Post a Comment