Sudden money
One of the ways in which I find the Internet and W3 fascinating is that no matter where you are, you always run into a hyperlink that takes you somewhere else. As a charter member of the W3 dork community, I enjoy exploring this seemingly endless array of links to see where they may lead. Thus it was that last evening I found the Sudden Money Institute (SMI).
According to SMI, it was founded on the belief that a sudden change in financial position, either a great increase or decrease, is a major life event requiring a very specific form of financial planning. SMI adds that the success rate for life-transition families is not historically impressive, and that neither traditional financial planning nor life planning provide adequate solutions. They insist that there is a serious need for a new financial planning model focused on the overlapping emotional and financial issues of a life transition.
OK. Fine. Let me get this straight. I hit the Florida Lottery, am suddenly burdened with an additional, pesky 14 million dollars, and unless I contact SMI for assistance I will throw myself off a bridge due to the abject fear and horror of having to deal with my financial windfall. My, what a sweet deal SMI has going.
Now I'm certain that there is a small percentage of people out there who will find a way to screw up just about anything. Here's just such a person: "Winning the lottery isn't always what it's cracked up to be," says Evelyn Adams, who won the New Jersey lottery not just once but twice to the tune of $5.4 million. Today the money is all gone and Adams lives in a trailer. Ms. Adams lost her money by giving it away and at the slot machines in Atlantic City. Well duh! Now I know that there are money sharks and greedy people who will do anything to separate you from your money, including the use of scams and lawsuits. But I have a fool-proof method for defeating any scam - just say no. Lawsuits and greedy relatives? Look, even if I was somehow stripped of 90 percent of my winnings (only on a cold day in Hell), I would still be a very happy lad for the rest of my days, investing the remainder and living within my means without any more worries.
I can somewhat understand SMI's pitch if it is applied to losing everything. I have been at rock-bottom twice, living in vehicles (once residing in a heated office hallway), washing up in public buildings, and getting by on whatever handouts I could muster. That said, you can pull yourself up if you persevere. Remember, the worst day of your life wasn't that bad, because if you're reading this that means you are still with us and you overcame it. C'mon, people. Life throws enough grief your way without inventing more for yourselves. If you have no common sense, rely on a true friend who does. And if you do not have at least one true friend, then you really have no wealth anyway, so quit whining. Or relinquish whatever you have left to SMI.