He did this by investing in what he knew. That is how he built his fortune.
You can do the same to build yours.
I listen to what people have to say, but I always make my own decisions.
I research any industry I want to know and then focus on investing in what I know. I try to put my money where my values are.
I prefer consumer staples such as food, beverage, toothpaste, cleaning supplies, tissue, and other household items.
Companies like Proctor & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Kimberly-Clark. Clorox, and PepsiCo.
You can find many of these companies included in many mutual funds such as any 500 index fund like the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500 index), the Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares (VFINX), the Fidelity Spartan 500 Index Investor Shares (FUSEX), the Schwab S&P 500 Index Fund (SWPPX) or the T. Rowe Price Equity Index 500 Fund (PREIX).
I figured a good way to start my wealth journey was to learn about those that became wealthy.
Benjamin Franklin also created a list of 13 virtues to develop his character. This lets me know that your character is your destiny.
Here I provide you with his checklist. See which ones you can try to emulate to help you on your road to wealth accumulation.
THE 13 VIRTUES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
In 1758, Benjamin Franklin published his essay The Way to Wealth.
Although, it was written 260 years ago, the advice still is holds up, even to this day.
Below is a copy of his checklist.
SPOTLIGHT ON FRUGALITY
My personal favorite is frugality because it includes all the other virtues.
Frugality is basically the will to spend money on what is important and avoiding spending on what is not.
Frugal is not being merely cheap or miserly like Ebenezer Scrooge. See my post on Money Lessons I Learned from Scrooge McDuck. It is about saving money on things you do not really need.
Saving money allows you to put that money to work for you.
Imagine every dollar is a little soldier. What do soldiers do? They fight.
You have to fight for your money because everyone is trying to part it from you. Don’t let them.
Invest that money and each dollar (soldier) fights for you everyday 365/24/7. Even while you sleep.
FOCUS ON FRUGALITY
In this world, you’re on your own. Benjamin Franklin knew that. So, he set out to start a business in a field he knew. He was a printing apprentice and started a printing shop. He became an expert at that one thing and did it so well that people paid him for it.
He then reinvested the profits back into his business.
That is how he grew rich.
He knew to become wealthy, he had to ignore the charlatans or hype. He had to focus on himself and his spending habits.
And that is what you must do. Ignore the hype. Forget what everyone else says or thinks. Trust your gut.
FORGET THE FANCY SET OF WHEELS
You do not need a fancy car to make you happy. Ride a bike and get some exercise. Better yet, buy an inexpensive, older Chevy where the bumper looks like it will fall off any second.
Then people will be less likely to ask you for money, if they see you riding around in a clunker because they will think your broke, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
It’s not that you do not like nice cars or can’t necessarily afford one. It’s that you choose not to spend your money on it. Sounds pretty good right?
And watch out for the hangers on. They tend to come around when your last name is followed by an M.D. or Esquire.
FORGET THE BIG HOUSE
You do not need a mansion to live in. You know what that does? It just causes you to spend more money to heat, cool, maintain, and furnish it.
You fill the home up with stuff. No one likes an empty corner. Every inch is piled high with stuff.
How is that stuff paid for? Usually with credit.
What happens if you need that money? For instance, homes need maintenance.
Do you know what the repair bill is for a roof on a mansion? Well, you don’t want to know. One thing we do know for sure is that it costs more than what you would spend on a smaller house.
What about PMI? Private mortgage insurance is what you must pay if you put down less than a 20% down payment. And folks, that money is on top of the insurance and a monthly mortgage payment. We aren’t talking chicken feed here. It can be hundreds of dollars per month!
What about property taxes? It can add hundreds or thousands to a monthly mortgage payment. That’s money that’s not working for you in the bank.
You want to be investment rich, not house poor.
Every dollar that goes toward the house, can’t be working for you in an investment account.
I know they say the value of the home will go up and your equity will increase as you are making the house payments. However, let’s not forget the 2008 housing bubble.
When that bubble burst, so did most folks equity. Foreclosure notices were going out in the mail all over the country. Many lost homes. And many have still not recovered.
FORGET THE DESIGNER CLOTHES
You know those people who say dress to impress. Well, that’s fine and dandy, if you can afford it. However, if you can’t swing it, then walk by the $400 clothing rack and head to the sales rack in the back. Forget sartorial superiority. Who wants to be the best-dressed poor person?
I now see more people walking around with designer purses today than I have seen at any other time I can remember. Who’s paying for it? Mr. credit card, that’s who.
I see people opening up store cards all the time.
They have so many different color credit cards in their wallet it looks like a skittles bag exploded.
Places are handing out applications for credit cards every, single day.
You must resist. Resist the urge to spend. Credit is seductive. The temptation is too great.
So you must decide, what is more important. Buying a designer’s clothing and paying for their summer home or funding your own future.
FORGET THE EXPENSIVE WATCHES AND JEWELRY
I read about an NBA player who had bought dozens of watches. And not just any watches, but Rolexes!
Just because. Well, hey, you know bosses got to be on time.
Do you know what those things retail for? Well, last time I checked, it could be anywhere from $2500 to $40,000 and up.
The guy could have started a college fund. He could have funded an entire small city of kids $1k college scholarships.
Who needs 30 watches? Someone who wants to know the exact moment they went bankrupt I guess.
FORGET THE EXOTIC VACATIONS
So you want to travel. That’s great. But unless you can afford it or do it on someone else’s dime (like for work).
You may just have to watch the latest episodes of House Hunter or any show on the travel channel.
I once read it is a great thing to go travel and see the world as it is a great education, it will only cost you: $25,000.
I think I’ll just read a good book on world travels instead and invest that money until it earns enough interest that I can pay for the trip with cash.
Here are some of my suggestions on traveling when your travel budget is on life support.
You want to see the northern lights in Iceland? See it on a YouTube video.
You want to go skiing in Switzerland, Aspen, France or Vail? Watch a travel show until you can afford it.
You want shopping sprees in Milan, Paris, Rome, New York’s Fifth Ave, or Rodeo Drive? Focus on buying things that will appreciate in value. Clothes, once purchased, is money that’s burnt.
I know you watch the television shows and see all the families going to Disneyland or Hawaii. However, what they don’t tell you is how much it costs to go to these places. Lots of times the studio or the network is picking up the tab.
They do it for ratings. Because who wants to watch a show about people sitting on couches all day. They want to see the lifestyles of the rich not the broke and unknown. I say just stop watching those shows.
Focus your attention on earning and working. If your head is down working, you never can look up and notice what everyone else around you are doing.
FORGET FOMO (fear of missing out). It’s a myth.
I know plenty of people that go out, spend money, buy nice cars, big homes, fly to the islands, and go to lots of parties.
However, they are not the boss. They work a 9-to-5 just like everybody else. One missed check could cause havoc on their already precarious finances.
Many people are one paycheck away from being on the sidewalk.
Don’t be like them.
Practice the 13 virtues. Be frugal. Then you can live like no one else because you will actually be rich instead of acting like you are.
FORGET PRETENDING TO HAVE MONEY
Forget pretending to be rich. The only time bluffing works when it comes to money is at the poker table.
And you know what happens when the hand is over, the bluffing stops there.
So leave the bluffing at the table and check it at the door.
Remember that scene in the comedy movie Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield. He was a wealthy guy named Thornton Melon, but always said to his son: A man without an education is nothing.
There was one scene in the film where he was talking in class about being in business and all the things a businessman is doing to make it in the real-world.
The teacher disagrees with his assessment, even though he was coming from a place of information.
When the professor asks where to build the business after scolding Melon he replies, “How about fantasyland.”
When it comes to your money you cannot afford to live in a fantasy. You have to keep your feet planted firmly on the ground and your actions based in reality.
Earn money, save it, invest it, and get rich slow.
Unless you have not been reading headline making news lately, then you have heard of the man who ran up a tab of over a million dollars to become an orthodontist. It was featured in the Wall Street Journal and has attracted a lot of attention. His name is Dr. Mike Meru. He owes approximately $1,060,945.42 as of the reporting of the article in May 2018. There are only 101 people with $1 million in student loan debt. He is one of those people. Here is how this went down.
HOW TO GO FROM DEBT FREE TO OWING $1M IN 13 YEARS
Mr. Meru grew up in California. He has two brothers and is the eldest of the three. His parents said they would help pay for college. He got through undergrad with the help of his parents and by working through school. He graduated in 2005 from Brigham Young debt-free.
From there he decided to go to dental school.
Before we go any further in this story, I want you readers to know that becoming a doctor is incredibly expensive. It is not uncommon to have medical students be in debt for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Anywhere from $200,000-300,000 in medical school debt is their reality. Dental school is also one of the most expensive programs and can cost upwards of $70,000 or more per year.
Getting back to Mr. Meru, he was informed that going to dental school would cost anywhere from a price tag of $400,000-$450,000 in student loans plus interest.
For me, this is a red flag. Even if you can earn a six-figure salary as a doctor, I am risk-averse and would be turned away by this eye-popping amount. However, if your goal is to be a doctor and be of help and in service to others, then this is what the cost will be.
FROM $0 IN STUDENT LOANS TO $340,000 IN FOUR YEARS
He then chooses one of the most prestigious institutions for dentistry: University of Southern California. This is what he paid for four years of school from 2005-2009:
Year one at end he owed: $43,000
Year two at end he owed: $115,000
Year three at end he owed: $230,000
Year four at end he owed: $340,000
Dr. Meru has now finished dental school. He owes over a quarter of a million dollars in debt within four years of graduating from college debt-free.
Keep in mind that college tuition goes up every year around the country. USC is no exception. In addition, interest rates have gone up on student loans as well. In the WSJ article, his loans were at various interest rates throughout his time at school. Also, tuition increases at USC would go for about 6%. This is a huge amount of money. For instance, a 6% increase over 3 years would be the equivalent of an 18% increase in tuition by overall from start to finish.
The cost of college is going up faster than the cost of inflation. Generally, inflation goes up by about 3% annually increasing the costs of goods and services. Therefore, if it cost a dollar ($1.00) last year it will now cost $1.03 this year. Imagine paying 6% on $50,000 and then 6% on 53,000 and so on, all the while you are also accruing interest on this borrowed amount.
You are getting hit with a two combo even worse than Mike Tyson could ever do.
First, you get hit with tuition increases of 6% in this case. Second, you pay interest on the loans you take out of approximately $50,000 per year. The compound interest is brutal.
In the article, it states that Dr. Meru found his calling as orthodontics changed his life as a teenager. However, the one caveat he did not take into consideration: inflation. If you want to learn more about inflation, read my article Money Lessons I learned from Scrooge McDuck. The cost of becoming a doctor 20-25 years ago was cheaper then as it is way more expensive now.
This is not the first time I have seen people take bets like this on their education.
If you were to do some research, you will find that 50 plus years ago education was pretty reasonable and in many cases more affordable. I will provide one such case below.
In the book, Generation Debt by Anya Kamenetz, a Yallie that was born toward the end of the 1970’s, stated in her book that her parents old college professors were in shock at the sticker price of Yale over a seven year time period which had risen- from $30,000 to almost $39,000. Her own father, who attended Yale on a scholarship, had appropriately asked the justification of the tuition increases. This considering when he went there the price was…wait for it…$3,000. That means within one generation tuition has increased $1,000% or to roughly 10 times the cost.
The absolute saddest and funniest part of the book, in my opinion, was at the high school graduation brunch of her younger sister. Her parents also wanted her sister to go to Yale, but cited cost concerns and rightly so. The speaker said of the 180 graduates they would divide $18 million in scholarships- that’ll just about get them to Thanksgiving. That was putting it mildly.
The problem is that education is not an equalizer. Although, there is nothing wrong with getting a good education. And going to a great school with high-quality education is awesome; some people may have to simply understand that it may not be the best option for them individually.
The jury is still out on the value of an education. Sure, they let you know on college brochures and in the media that a college degree can net you more than $1 million more in lifetime income, but in Dr. Meru’s case did it also say that if you flip a coin, it could be the opposite and you could owe $1 million dollars? I don’t think so.
Many employers are paying in wages nowhere near the cost of college.
I have read that some places cannot put a dollar amount on how much to pay their employees for their degree, but colleges have put a price on it as USC cost Dr. Meru over $400k.
FROM $340,000 IN STUDENT LOANS TO $601,506 IN THREE YEARS
You would think by finishing dental school that his education was done and over with. Alas, then there is residency, which is training for doctors. However, for dental specialists this costs too. Many doctors are paid while in residency, but Dr. Meru must continue to pay for training for an additional three years FROM 2009-2012. This would increase his debt to over $600,000.
FROM $601,506 IN STUDENT LOANS TO $1,060,945.42 IN SIX YEARS
Pay close attention here because things move really quickly.
He consolidates after finishing all his education and training. He then owes $724,817 by 2012-2013. This includes in interest and principal as a consolidation not only changes your repayment terms, interest rate, and payment amount but interest can capitalize. Capitalization is what makes student loans such a slippery slope. It makes you owe interest on top of interest making it harder to get it paid off.
From there he continues to accrue interest and owes $882,300 by 2015.
Within 3 years, interest continues and grows the debt to $1,060,945.42 by 2018.
How is this even possible? In 2005, Congress created Grad PLUS loans that removed loan limits and allows student to borrow for every expense from tuition to rent and living expenses. Dangerous.
He is now making monthly payments of $1,589.97. He has two daughters, a wife, a $400,000 mortgage, a $225,000 salary and is accruing $130 per day in interest on his loans, which is $3,900 per month and $47,000 per year.
If not for Income-based repayment, he would have to pay $10,541.91 per month. Instead, he pays about $1,600. This does not pay all the interest that is accruing and does not even touch his principal. Within 20 years he will owe $2 million. If forgiven, he will owe $700,000 in income taxes. Currently, his take-home pay after income taxes is $13,333 per month. That means if he pays the $10k monthly payment, he would have his debt paid off in about 13 years, but bring home less than $3,000 per month.
are in income-driven repayment plans and will have a portion of their balances forgiven. As my story on the orthodontist with $1 million in student debt shows, students at prestigious private schools like NYU, USC are taking out bigger loans to cover high tuition … 2/
Keep in mind that it is mostly graduate students that end up in the most debt. With the cost of graduate school (2-4 years) easily topping $20,000 or more per year, it can dwarf undergraduate costs. Over 20 years ago no undergrad or graduate students owed six-figures of student loan debt. Today, over 2.5 million of graduate students do.
Per @PrestonCooper93 "Between 2008 and 2016, the share of professional students leaving school with six figures in debt rose from 32% to 50%," and that's after inflation. The issue is less whether grad students are defaulting … 4/
After reading about Dr. Meru’s story, I feel that there is a serious problem with the funding of higher education. I want people to be doing the opposite of owing interest on a $1 million and instead be earning interest on this amount of money.
I want people to have the trifecta of retirement funds- pension or 401(k), savings, social security. Over a 30 year career you want to have a paid for home, 25 times your annual income in a retirement account, and be able to get social security or have at least two forms of income to supplement your savings.
In the article, his wife said there are a few things that are OK to go into debt for: a home, an automobile, an education. I have to disagree. I say if you can avoid all debt, then do it. Pay cash for all your purchases. For a car you need one loan. Same goes for a home. However, her husband needed 50 loans to fund his education.
If you are unsure why or how you will pay cash for all purchases, let the advice of these millionaires be your guide.
Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of the Mavericks, says if you use a credit card, then you do not want to be rich.
Kevin O’Leary, shark tank entrepreneur, says all debt is evil.
David Bach, financial advisor and author of the Automatic Millionaire, says all debt is bad debt.
“No man is poor who can do what he likes to do once in a while.” -“Uncle” Scrooge McDuck
I am a huge Disney fan and one of my favorite characters is Scrooge McDuck. He was a Scottish Pekin duck that lived in a huge mansion in a city named Duckburg and had a money bin the size of a skyscraper. For those of you not familiar with this cartoon character I will give some background information.
Scrooge McDuck was created in the 1940’s by Carl Barks for the Walt Disney Company. He was modeled after Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character in Charles Dickens’ 1843 classic, “A Christmas Carol.” Like Ebenezer, McDuck is a tightwad and whose miserly behavior made him a fortune through frugality and hard work. In addition, he has strong similarities to the wealthy American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who was also a Scottish immigrant, that made his fortune through work and ingenuity. Scrooge also shows similar traits of John D. Rockefeller.
Rockefeller was at one point the world’s richest man and first ever American billionaire. Considering he was a billionaire in the early 1900’s he is still considered as the richest person in modern history. When a reporter asked him, “How much money is enough?” He responded, “Just a little bit more.”
Scrooge’s penny-pinching ways are a constant theme throughout his life, but his belief in thrift, square business dealings through honesty and ingenuity are the reasons for his success. He is often criticized for being tight-fisted and cheap, but admired for his values and work ethic. Even though he is immensely wealthy, he does not shy away from an opportunity, no matter how arduous, to earn more. He often laments that the young want to start in at the top instead of working up from the bottom like he did. The lessons Scrooge teaches his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie in the series are always to be smart, have morals, values, good work ethic and to play totally aboveboard meaning fair and square. A short biography is provided below.
Bio
Name: Scrooge McDuck
Birth year: 1867
Nationality: Scottish
Gender: Male
Nickname: Uncle Scrooge
Occupation: Entrepreneur and Business Magnate “Adventure Capitalist”
Education: Informal (school of hard knocks)
Known for: Swimming in his money bin
Amount of wealth: unknown but estimated in the billions
Hobbies: Treasure hunter and adventurer
Relatives: Donald Duck (nephew) Huey, Dewey, and Louie (grandnephews)
Life Lessons from Uncle Scrooge
Humble beginnings. Scrooge truly started from the bottom. He was not born into wealth and started without a dime. He was born to poor farmers and started working as a young boy to earn money. A true Dickensian existence he lived, as he and his family were poor. Regardless, no matter how poor you are, you still have worth. Therefore, know your worth and do not accept anything less. Remember this: “I believe that virtue shows quite as well in rags and patches as she does in purple and fine linen. – Charles Dickens. His first job was as a shoeshine boy in Scotland. This is where he earned his first dime, which he never spent, but would save as a reminder of the importance of hard work. This is the start of his thriftiness and the secret of his wealth.
Scrooge also worked as a cabin boy on a ship to America. He left Glasgow, Scotland as he decided he would be able to make his fortune in America and was inspired to do so after earning his first dime, which was an American coin. He learned from a young age that life is full of tough jobs, but he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He prospected for gold in the Klondike and that is how he made his first million. His past is not so rosy as not all of his business dealings are done legally, but he learns from these experiences and changes his ways to only doing business fairly.
Education. School of hard knocks. McDuck had no formal education because he went to work at an early age, but became a self-taught and lifelong learner by reading. His extensive travels and business dealings to seek out opportunities allowed him to learn numerous languages where he is able to cut out the middleman as he states he has outsmarted the smarties. There is no one job or niche that secured his wealth. He would go on to diversify his mining money into as many opportunities and investments that he could use to grow his money.
He teaches his nephews the principles of economics, including the history of money, and inflation. Scrooge always does his due diligence and researches any investment before investing because knowledge, discipline, and understanding are the foundation to building a profitable wealth portfolio. Note this witty adage: Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway. – Warren Buffett
Invest in yourself. Scrooge knew that investing in a good education pays the best dividends. He became an avid reader and linguist. This allowed him to do business with people all over the world. Thus, increasing his fortune as there is plenty of money to be made internationally. Scrooge would often say that “knowledge is power.” Due to his research in looking for investment opportunities he built a huge personal library. The secret of wealth is not complicated, but it does require you learn how money works by becoming financially literate. Therefore, your home should look like a Barnes & Noble if you want to build and keep a fortune.
Work ethic. Scrooge believes in hard work and not being a spendthrift are the first steps toward success, he understands that real success comes in working smarter and not harder. Generating multiple streams of passive income, such as ownership of a business or other enterprises are the keys to building lasting wealth. Staying away from get rich quick schemes and knowing that time is your ally not your enemy.
Investments. Scrooge McDuck was shrewd and close-fisted when it came to spending money, but was big on saving. He preferred to have his money work as hard for him as he worked for it through investing in a diversified portfolio of holdings such as art, gold, diamonds, farms, newspapers, rubber, real estate, and other assets. Buy assets that go up in value. Cars and clothes do not. However, rare coins, stamps, books, and art do. He believes in “trickle back economics” in where he gets a piece of the profit from every investment he makes such as from customers buying products from a company he invests in or owns. He limits and cut costs to the bone and only spent when ready or necessary and always would seek to gain a profit.
Inflation. Scrooge teaches his nephews about inflation in the animated short entitled Scrooge McDuck and Money (1967). Basically, as the price of good and services rise the value of currency falls. Meaning that the money in the bank today will be worth less tomorrow. He wanted to teach his nephews that without something solid and secure behind the money, then you get inflation where money becomes worth less and less. A dollar would not be worth the paper it’s printed on. He says “it’s what you can buy with what you have got that counts.”
From worker to owner. Scrooge was bright and not afraid of hard work. He listened to the sound advice of his father and decided he would work smarter not harder. It took him mere months to save enough money to go to overseas to America instead of years through his ingenuity. Businessman was his goal through ownership of numerous commodities. Put money to work for you. Money does not sleep. He even owed the very banks that housed his money! The money is in ownership. He had a simple business motto: Keep it simple so he could run the business himself.
Find your passion. Scrooge always did what he enjoyed which was earning a living and gaining vast sums of money through investing and treasure seeking. Passion means you go the extra mile and continue working even after the clock strikes five. You don’t need vacations or breaks when you’re having fun and doing what you love. When it starts being more work than fun, it’s time do something else.
Treasure hunter. Scrooge likes a challenge. When he learned about the value of artifacts he started to seek out treasures from all over the globe. He works well under pressure and in tight situations that arise from these excursions as he knows pressure makes diamonds; not only in jewelry, but in character.
The infamous Money Bin. Scrooge used to keep his money under his mattress, but when it got too high he decided to build a money bin to keep it more safe and secure, which is why we use banks. It was a three-cubic-acre building and the vault housed the very first coin he ever made called his Number One Dime. He placed it placed on a velvet pillow in glass enclosed case. The Dime’s origins are described in the story called Getting That Heathy, Wealthy Feeling (1964). The bin housed only some of his money that he earned by himself from his personal dealings as he is once heard telling his nephews that the money stored here is “petty cash.” He would often swim in it. It was constantly under attack from his enemies, but he always thwarted them in the end.
Emergency Fund. Scrooge knew that, if something can go wrong it will. He believed in keeping savings and liquid assets just in case. At one point, he hid assets as startup capital should he ever need to start over.
Morality. Scrooge is aggressive when it comes to life and his pursuits, but exhibits strong amounts of self-control. He also has a temper just like his maternal nephew Donald Duck. He does not however use lethal force as he does not want to deal with feelings of guilt, anger, or despair. When helping others, he does not wait or request a thank you. He simply does what he is going to do. He does not believe in burning bridges, but understands that an enemy can be made and is not to be underestimated. He has said that only in fairy tales do bad people turn good, and that he is too old for them and old enough to not believe in fairy tales. “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” – Winston Churchill
He does not believe in cheating and dishonesty as those traits are not prosperous. He also believes in keeping his promises once his word is given. He has once said “Scrooge McDuck’s word is as good as gold.” He practiced what he preached: thrift and integrity. He constantly preached budgeting and being square. If you live your life like you are being followed around all day by a reporter, and everything is on the record, then you may do things differently. Scrooge also believes in the golden rule: treat others as you would want to be treated.
Attitude. Scrooge is very optimistic. There is always another rainbow. Plenty to go around. More than enough for all. The glass is always half-full. Opportunities are always just around the corner.
Resilience. Scrooge is never one to walk away from a challenge or money making opportunity. Regardless of how difficult the terrain or objective may be, Scrooge McDuck can grind it out with the best of them. He has also shown great physical fitness through beating bigger characters, swimming, running and the like. Meaning he still continues to exercise and maintain a stamina that allows him to be mobile and agile well into older age. He has learned to quickly adapt to his surroundings and thrive in any environment and come out on top. He credits his success, which is due to his determination, grit, and will power, on the fact that he is “tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties.” Do not give up so easily. When times get tough, get tougher. Work harder, but also smarter.
Persistence. Scrooge is generous and kind in his older years to his nephews, but in his younger days the slaps of life hardened his character. Failure is not an option. He has learned to endure the difficulties of life with a tough exterior and personality to match. Do not be too soft or you will be taken advantage of by others. A great quote by Churchill: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Charity. When Scrooge left for America his mother asked him to write to them and he promised his mother that he would send money home. There are times when he has donated to the poor or given money to the Salvation Army as well as gifting those who have helped him and have less than him. One of the best lessons in life is that you can help others including family. In life, you can’t get something for nothing. You have to give to get.
Family. Although Scrooge has no family of his own, he does have his nephew Donald and his great-nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. These are his greatest and most prized possessions: his kin. In one episode of the animated television show Ducktales (1987), episode twenty-two entitled Down and Out in Duckburg which aired on October 13, 1987, the family ends up in the poorhouse. They decide to stick together in the tough times even as people mock and mistreat them. They all even end up washing dishes together to eke out a living. In the end, they stick together as a family, tough it out and regain his fortune. The lesson here is to not ever take for granted or underestimate the importance of family.
Value of money. Scrooge always knew the value of a dollar. He would teach his nephews this through his actions and his words. He was a skinflint who only parted with money when absolutely necessary.
In another episode of the show, the boys asked for a raise in their allowance. Their Uncle Scrooge denies their request as he told them if he raised their allowance they would “grow up to have no respect for money, learn to live a wasteful life and end up out in the street begging for a few measly coins.” If the government just creates money, it loses its value. If everybody had lots of money, prices would go up, and then everyone has to have more money which leads to chaos.
This episode entitled “Dough Ray Me” aired on November 3, 1989 and was the 82nd episode of the series. The boys are able to duplicate money and the self-duplicating coins spread through Duckburg. The town is drowned “funny money” and buried in a “cash avalanche” causing sky high inflation. The episode provides a very funny narrative through its series of events that show how inflation works.
The most notable theme is that money’s only value lies in how hard it is to obtain; “easy or funny money” loses value and leads to inflation. In this story, the boys learn a life lesson in everything that glitters is not gold. There is a price to be paid for everything and the bill always comes due. For example, future inflation grows to gargantuan proportions and money becomes worthless in this episode.
During the “cash avalanche” a newspaper is selling for “only” $200.
A lollipop costs a little girl $5,000; she hauls up a wagon full of money, saying in that case, she’ll take two.
A bus fare costs one poor guy an astounding $10,000 in exact change, which he heaves aboard in a huge sack.
At the dentist’s office, one man is told fillings for his two cavities will cost $40,000 per filling for a total of $80,000. He remarks by saying “Well, at least some prices haven’t gone up…”
Even the nephews complain at one point that it will cost them $30 just to use a gumball machine.
Money is so abundant that the Beagle Boys (series villains) try to rob a bank that has now become a money landfill to the cheers and applause of the bank employees.
In a twist of fate, the “funny money” implodes and everything goes back to normal proving that you really cannot make or get something for nothing and the coins are essentially worthless.
Many revelations are shown throughout the episode. For instance, even the show’s villains think the townspeople are acting unusual and overly generous. The triplets realize spending all their money on the first day of summer was unwise. They start to gain a respect for money in understanding that you need to know more than the price of everything or you will know the value of nothing. Like the Marshmallow experiment or test, that it is often called, of 40 years ago done at Stanford, the boys learn patience is a virtue and delayed gratification and self-control are important characteristics to have in life if one is to be successful.
Profit even in bad times. Profit also can come from unexpected events and misfortune. In one of the comics, a classic tale published in 1951 called “A Financial Fable,” where all of Scrooge’s money is lost in a cyclone blasting all the money to citizens in town is a great example. One day his money bin just explodes and all of his wealth ended up in the hands of the townspeople of Duckburg. He lost all his possessions and wealth, but looked for a way to make it all back. Instead of getting angry or wallowing in despair, Scrooge kept his head down and worked by growing crops on a farm he owned outside the town.
The newly minted rich townspeople stopped working to enjoy their new money and the trappings that go along with wealth. They did not believe in saving for the future, spending wisely, investing or delayed gratification. They spent with reckless and wild abandon. Scrooge’s crops just so happened to reach harvest exactly when the town was running out of food and, since the other farmers had quit growing crops, Scrooge had an effective monopoly on a vital good of commodities. He sold eggs for the price of one million dollars! Of course, Scrooge quickly recouped his fortune from selling his crops to the town at the sky-high prices (millions of dollars) that he was able to set due to the lack of competition. He was able to name his price for his goods and he made them high. This is how fortunes are made.
A monopoly. Like the game with the guy in the top hat, monopoly is all about collecting the most properties, cash, utilities and other holdings to win. A monopoly is a business or industry that is dominated by one corporation, firm or entity. Basically, you cannot buy products or services from virtually anywhere else other than this one place. Monopolies are the extreme result of capitalism. Without any restraints, and absent any regulations, the enterprise becomes so big that it owns all or nearly all of the market (assets, commodities, and supplies).
Anti-Trust laws. Laws were put in place to stop this practice of being a monopoly to ensure the marketplace stays open and competitive. This started in 1890 with the Sherman Anti-Trust Act that was used to break up John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil company. Monopolies are illegal because businesses can become discriminate and hurt the public because customers will be at the businesses mercy. Although Scrooge is the richest duck in the world, he believes in healthy competition and obeying the law.
Budgets and Bargain hunting. Scrooge finds deals galore, sticks to a strict budget, and likes anything for free or at a discount. He even teaches economics and inflation to his nephews in how you must manage the household finances through budgeting which is financial discipline. He says proper budgeting should leave a profit. Then you invest the profit. Money should not be idle and should be put to work. He allows the boys to invest in his company and become shareholders to grow their own money into wealth. After consulting his nephews, he requests a small fee and tells them that good things are never free. Remember this: When your good at something never do it for free. – The Joker, DC Comics
In life you make mistakes, but the key is to learn from them. The key to building wealth is to stay out of debt and pay cash for large purchases like cars and appliance. Credit is no replacement for cash. Cash is king.
Bottom Line. Fictional characters can teach valuable lessons in life, such as morale character and finances. The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary. Working, saving, and investing is the true path to wealth and success.
