What Are You Going To Buy?
Read Time / 2 Minutes
Theme / Financial Planning
Over a decade ago, I gradated from the local state university in my hometown — San Jose, California. My twenty year old self beamed with pride in anticipation to finally receive my diploma. My field of study? Business finance; I bet you didn’t see that one coming. Although parts of my college journey were hardly tolerable (like the extensive learning of a subject that seemed to have no real life application), I knew the reward waiting on the other side of that degree — a job paying bookoo bucks, or as the French say, beaucoup. The idea of making a lot of money motivated me.
My sisters were motivated by music. Performing in a handful of musicals throughout our childhood, they took pride in making a connection between mundane home activities and a number from their musical library. Whether it was while doing choirs around the house or running errands, they were quick to make a connection and before I knew it, my childhood was yet again another musical.
John Waters, the writer and director of the musical Hairspray, was inspired by Little Richard’s music. As a result, John was motivated to wear a pencil-line mustache to honor his all time hero. Mr. Waters is a colorful character with interesting ideas. One of which speaks wisely to the purpose of wealth and riches:
“Being rich is not about how much money you have or how many homes you own; it’s the freedom to buy any book you want without looking at the price and wondering if you can afford it.”
The pursuit of wisdom seemed to motivate King Solomon. While there are — wait for it — beaucoup verses about wealth and wisdom, Proverbs 23:23 is an intriguing oracle by Solomon:
“Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”
While my sisters love musicals, they both decided to pursue formal training in different careers — one, a paralegal, and the other, business management. Speaking of formal education. Did you know Uncle Sam gives tax incentives to those who save for educational expenses? Yes, through a 529 Plan and/or ESA one may be able to save for their own education or the education of a family member or loved one. Now, there are some nuances to picking the most appropriate account and it’s corresponding investments so it may be wise to speak to a professional like us at Christian Wealth Management — shameless plug — before setting something up. Whether the price tag is personal experience or a tuition payment, we can all agree wisdom and understanding always comes at a cost.
Through my child-and-young-adult-hood, I overvalued making money to buy things and undervalued opportunities to learn. Now, with each passing year since receiving my diploma, I’m reminded of the importance of using hard earned money to acquire wisdom.
Ryan De Amicis
Wealth Advisor
408.758.6413
ryan@christianwm.com
