You know, there’s nothing wrong with making money slowly. With all the hype surrounding bitcoin and making money fast, there’s virtue in making it over time—you appreciate what you have when you finally get it.
Respect for money was an important lesson I learned, of all places, as an intern at a start-up company while at Babson College.
One morning in the conference room the founder told me, “Always remember, most investors don’t respect money. They don’t appreciate the hard-work it takes to earn it. They’re looking for a quick buck. We’re trying to create something. We’re builders. We need to attract long-term investors.”
As I think about that conversation, I’m reminded of the relationships I have with so many long-term investors like you. It’s the greatest part of my work—the relationships. Clients I work with in Branson, Missouri, Newport Beach, California or any other city or small town in this country—appreciate what it takes to make money slowly. It’s a mindset that connects us.
A client of mine, a cattle rancher in Wyoming, doing it for a living not for fun, appreciates every dollar he’s made. He always seems to be outside, rain or shine, snow or sleet. Yesterday, he was breaking up ice “so the cattle could get a drink,” while moving them to greener pasture for the winter. He had been on his horse most of the day “so far,” he said, and about “five hours” the day before. “You must feel that at the end of day,” I said. “Not as much as nine hours,” he laughed. I guarantee you, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
What’s no laughing matter is the not so small fortune he’s amassed simply putting one foot in front of the other year, after year, after year. His story, and others from clients and investors like you whether in ranching, insurance, real estate, orthodontics or retirement, have a common refrain: You didn’t get rich quick.
You always seemed to know why you were doing what you were doing—it was more about survival than getting rich. You remember, as if it were yesterday (even though it was eons ago), what it felt like to have nothing. And because of that you appreciate what you have, and—you’ve found the key to your success.
