Dear Red Monkey: I heard a financial guru say that you need about R5,000,000 invested to earn an income of something like R16,000 a month income. Is this giving the full side of the story? Please help!
Red Monkey says: Here’s the other side of the story. I would rather be swinging on the roof tops of trees then be asking questions like this. Haven’t you got anything better to think about? I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but do yourself a favour and just look at where information like that is coming from.
Don’t you realise that financial adviser gurus have a vested interest in pleasing their partners. Remarks like these are made at seminars and conferences sponsored by the financial institutions which also advertise on the pages where these self-same financial gurus dish out there pearls of wisdom. You see, they would say things like that. I’m not saying the pension fund income is not important. It’s the vehicle that the majority of people have to give them an income when they retire when they are no longer the companies “most important assets”. I’m not one for numbers but whatever monthly income you say comes from R5,000,000 is okay with me. It’s a lot less than you could earn on your own because the financial institutions have dug their grubby hands in there and scooped up as much as they can in upfront and other fees.
Living in the rooftop of tall trees gives me a red monkey’s perspective from a distance. From this view I see things differently. What those financial gurus are telling you is not the whole story. Don’t cave in and lose your human head when you hear such depressing news. Some people – admittedly a small minority – have come up with ideas to supplement their income. For instance, one retired couple invested less than R500,000 in a holiday cottage alongside the property. Do you want to know how much income they get from their tiny investment? It’s a lot more than you think. At this coastal village where the retired couple have their holiday cottage they can make R16,000 in half a month. Imagine that.
Yes, you may say that not everyone lives at the seaside village and has the opportunity to make income like this. But I say everything is relative. If you search for the right idea, you could generate your own source of income from an income-producing asset. But first you have to pare down your “consuming assets” that don’t produce income – I’m sure you know what these are. That makes me think about the definition of an idea. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary says an idea is a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action, a mental impression or a belief. I would rather say that it is any thought, notion or concept that helps you make a smart decision to better your life.
That reminds me before I go back to the treetops that the guy who runs this website has come out with a special report on income-producing assets. Get your copy of the report now. You can’t be like me jumping from branch to branch, stopping to grab whatever fruit and berries come into sight; you need to be single minded and learn the valuable lessons that the special report makes available for the intelligent and passionate.
You can write to The Red Monkey. The Red Monkey answers questions about income-producing assets, new business ideas and even those dealing with Red Monkey mythology. All correspondence is treated in complete confidence. Red Monkey is unable to enter into personal correspondence or pass information to other parties. The Red Monkey welcomes comments and ideas but cannot offer specific financial advice. The Red Monkey reads all your emails but cannot answer them all personally.
PS By the way, in Chinese law the monkey is portrayed initially as foolish, vain and mischievous. Yet the monkey learns valuable lessons along the way, makes changes and eventually gains redemption.
