The 4 Millionaires
Four millionaires are sitting on a park bench. Its a sunny Thursday morning. While many others are working the 9 to 5 routine, George, David, Jonathan and Paul are relaxing in the park.
As you look at George, David, Jonathan and Paul nothing much stands out. 4 standard guys in a park. They don’t flaunt their money.
However, they took four very different routes to get the money.
Paul bought a lottery ticket on a whim about 7 months ago. The ticket won. He became an instant millionaire.
Jonathan had a distant relationship with his parents as a child. He spent his adolescence in boarding schools. His family would gather on Christmas, but the relationships were not deep. 5 months ago his parents passed away. When the will was read, Jonathan discovered that he received a million. Another instant millionaire.
David set up a company 7 years ago. He has worked hard. Over the years the company grew in employees, grew in clients and grew in value. 2 years ago a US company contacted David about working more closely together. This year that US company made an offer to buy-out David’s company. Another millionaire.
George joined a bank after graduation. He suffered through the painful early years giving 120 hour weeks, but he learnt how to work the system. He has moved steadily up through the ranks and this year finally made it into the upper echelons. His bonus this year: about a million.
Who Deserves?
What do you think about Paul, Jonathan, David and George? How do you judge their path to wealth? Is lottery worse than inheritance? Is banker worse than entrepreneur?
