Reader:
I am from a humble working class family, staying with my grandmother, parents, and younger brother in a 4 room flat.
My younger brother is very intelligent but doesn't like school.
He ventured into MLM last year and enjoyed some early success.
Now, he wants to buy a car and it has to be a Mercedes Benz or BMW.
I told him to save the money.
He said he must look successful and rich to make more money as he can convince people to join him more easily.
I am just a simple person working in the civil service.
I don't know how the business world works.
I follow your blog because you give down to earth advice about money and life in general.
I am worried about my brother.
What should I do?
Thank you for the generous sharing of your time and knowledge.
AK:
Alamak. I don't know what you should do.
I will say that there are many ways to make money in this world.
Hopefully, we can find something we like, are good at, which makes lots of money and is legal.
I know, that is the dream and not many people get to live the dream. I didn't.
Then, of course, it is about being prudent with money, being pragmatic in life and being patient as we grow wealth.
For my own safety, that's all I will say. :)
Related post:
1. If we are not rich, don't act rich.
2. Prudent, patient and pragmatic.
Hi AK,
ReplyDeleteActually I think it's quite easy to tell if it's for vanity or a front to net more business. Second hand merc and BMW has the wow factor too.
Wise people dun fall for car trick, bei kambing ? Tell them it's a bit old, and he is thinking of changing it as he has been driving for years. More seductive right?
Sigh, all I can say is that if he buys Mercedes, he'll make some of my relatives who are top mgmt in JCCL, JS & JM very happy; as well as their shareholders too.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
ReplyDeleteI also dunno why I changed to a new car after 5 years but I have been mostly lucky when it comes to cars. Got one for free and the ones which I bought were at relatively low prices.
I really don't need a car. For me, it is for convenience. Ah, the price of convenience. To think that I blogged about this before too. Bad AK! Bad AK!
The price of convenience.
Hi Spur,
ReplyDeleteWah! You come from a rich family! That is a good thing. :)
Ehh no lah ... Those are more distant relatives, don't have much contact or relationship with them. They move in different circles. :)
ReplyDeleteAK,
ReplyDeleteYour reader's younger brother may be doing the same thing writing to his mentor or guru that he's worried about his older brother:
1. Lack of ambition...
2. Too risk averse...
3. Does not comprehend the Law of Attraction or Increasing Returns... (Yes, prosperity churches preach this too!)
4. People EARNED their way out of poverty; not SAVED their way out of poverty.
(That's why we have micro-loans to encourage men and women to start their own small businesses to make a better life for themselves and their families in third world countries)
No one knows the future.
The younger brother may fail miserable.
Or he can start his own MLM once he figured out its better he is the one on the very tip of the pyramid, build up his business, get it listed, and then write books and give seminars around the world preaching, "If you think you can, you can!"
How?
And then there's the Singapore dream of buying Toto;)
Hi Spur,
ReplyDeleteOh, I know what you mean. I have relatives like that too.
In my case, they don't know me but I know them.
Their branch of the extended family is famous and mine is not. LOL. ;p
Hi SMOL,
ReplyDeleteAlamak.
I forgot to buy TOTO. Tomorrow's draw.
Thanks for the reminder. ;)
From FB:
ReplyDeleteRyan Lim:
I've got a friend who bought a nice car just to look like he made it in MLM. Needless to say he got into trouble after his downlines left the business one after another...