The Young and the Not So Restless

September 14th, 2007 • Related • Filed Under

As a child, I remember being asked countless times what my ambition was. Being the typical Barbie- and TV-minded child, my answer would always defer at the repeat of the same question. Doctor? I had once absent-mindedly replied to an inquisitive grown-up, who broke into a wide grin upon my  answer “Good. You’ll earn lots of money.”

And so it was planted, the seed of wealth and riches, nurtured constantly by the adults in telling the young to save, study hard, do well in school, all for the greater good of your bank account later in life. All that nurturing has become hugely successful as more and more young adults reflect on how much their future jobs will bring them in returns before pursuing them.


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In fact, that seed has grown into a massive tree, in that the returns are checking into bank accounts earlier than scheduled. It is nothing new to hear of the young making it big in the business world, earning salaries well into six to seven figures a month, if not more uncommon.

While the term ??young’ may be subjective, it’s safe to say that it certainly reflects an age before one starts to grey from the constant worry of raising grandchildren and of course, after one is able to read and reason.

There are two types of young, wealthy folk in today’s world of ever-growing strangeness: the ones who inherit their wealth from innovative or royal ancestors , and proceed to wander off in life in search of something to define their very existence, most commonly ending up in confusion, or otherwise trying their hand in the family trade.

And then there are the ones who possess enough spunk, charisma and entrepreneurship to realize a dream, all at an early stage in life; a dream lucid enough to be materialized despite shortcomings and limited resources. Clearly, these understand what makes the world go round, hence our intrigue toward them.

Earning money and making money are indeed two different things, and who better to know that than the young. From close observation toward parents trying desperately to make ends meet, one can easily infer that life is not so simple, and that money doesn’t grow on trees. Thus begins the intent to make life easy.

Sabeer Bhatia, founder of Hotmail


Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google founders
The tech world sees a wide range of multi-million dollar earning, 30-something computer geeks with bright ideas and even better foresight. Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith’s brilliance in Hotmail and Sergey Brin and Larry Page’s Google leave us wondering how the world would be without them and how they deserve their hard-earned paychecks.

In true Hollywood style, twin sisters Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen have become business moguls since their pre-teen years, venturing into the TV business as well as the fashion industry. The sisters have enough funds to last them a lifetime, while only just entering their 20s, and have earned the top spot as Hollywood’s highest earning young ones .


David Hashim, Veritas Group
Closer to home, David Hashim, cited in 2001 as one of 25 Asians who are young, wired and rich , is an entrepreneur and architect all in one. Cleverly using the advancement of computers to create a semi-virtual reality for his clients, his company, Veritas Group managed to sway the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, into selecting Veritas to design a telecommunications campus in Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, he owns a few luxury cars of his own.

There doesn’t really have to be an awe-inspiring idea to start making money. There should be, however, a goal or vision to strive in the direction of making it possible to avoid sudden stagnant burn-outs. Financial consultants offer prudent advice in steering everyday joes, such as you and I, on track to make it big, in our own capacity.

The quest can be as simple as investing a small sum of money monthly and watching it grow, following the ways of Early Shirley rather than Late Nate, where one slowly but surely becomes rich.

Multi Level Marketing (MLM) may be a term feared by many due to its reputed scams, but is very much prospering since its days of con, now new and improved, of course. With the world getting smaller and smaller due to, ironically, the World Wide Web, global partners in MLM are easier to come by, provided they can be trusted. With the marvels of multiplication, one can easily afford a sports car by the ripe young age of 23.

With the help of financial advisers and young, talented computer geeks to inspire the world with their genius and motivating stories, the trend of the young making more money, enough to retire in half the time their parents took, seems more and more viable. A retired community of 40-somethings or younger is imminent, I trust.

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