by Aurelio Peña
OCCASIONALLY, a businessman with lots of idle cash lying around (when it should be earning money for him,) can face something we call “business block” because he can’t think of something to do with that cash this year.
Shall he invest it in a franchise business, invest in a mutual fund, shares of a company, or just let his bank pay 1.5% per year interest on his idle cash?
There’s this parable in the Bible by our Lord Jesus Christ who told a story of a man who was going away on a long trip to be crowned king. He had ten servants with whom he gave an equivalent of $10,000, telling them to take good care of the money.
“PUT THIS MONEY TO WORK until I come back,” he told his servants.
The first servant used the money ($1,000) by investing it in a business and increased his holdings TEN TIMES or $10,000. The second servant used the money in another type of business and increased the money FIVE TIMES or $5,000. The other servants hid the money, wrapped in cloth, under their bed because they were so afraid to take any risks and lose it.
When the new king came back, he called his servants to find out what happened to the money he gave them— whether or not they earned anything on it.
“Sir, here’s your money. I’ve kept it safe inside this cloth. I was afraid of you because you are hard man,” one servant told the king who was so mad he called all his servants in an emergency meeting.
“You knew, did you, that I am a hard man. Why then didn’t you put my money on ( bank) deposit , so that when I came back I could have collected it with interest ?”
The angry king then ordered the other servants who were afraid of taking risks to give all their money to the servant who took risks by investing the money in a business investment and increase it TEN TIMES.
The servants complained that the servant has already $10,000, why should they give all their money to him ?
The king straightened up and looked at them without batting an eye, “I tell you that to everyone who has, MORE WILL BE GIVEN, but for the one who has NOTHING, even what he has, will be taken away from him!” (Luke 22: 11-26).
Whatever “moral lesson” you get from this Bible verse seems plainly obvious.
So for people with “retirement funds” landing on their laps by the hundreds of thousands (or even millions), consider that a “blessing” and remember this parable of our Lord Jesus Christ who looks kindly to people who aren’t afraid of taking risks to multiply their money in business investments.
Remember, in everything we do, WE ALL TAKE RISKS. Crossing the street. Selecting what college course to take. Choosing which career to take. Deciding which job to take. Deciding where to put your retirement funds. Deciding what kind of business you get into. Deciding what company shares to buy in the stock market. Deciding where to deposit your new-found wealth, etc, etc.
The higher the risks, the bigger the rewards.
( For comments, email: tradingpost_pena@yahoo.com_)
