There are several sayings about growing money; people often tell their children or spouses that money does not grow on trees when their financial demands get ridiculous, so to say, and some talk about their money growing like grass. Report by Adolf Chirimuta
In fact, I once saw a young guy spotting a t-shirt that had an inscription which said, “my money grows like grass”. Of course I had seen such a shirt inscription many times before but it was only the other day that I consciously read the inscription and made an effort to comprehend it.
Apparently the saying is popular among rappers who come upon sudden wealth from the music industry that they can’t quite grasp how money could become so randomly available to them in the same manner as uncultivated grass would grow on a meadow.
As I pondered upon the t-shirt caption, I recalled the wise words of Ian Cowie who was named Consumer Affairs Journalist of the Year in the London Press Club Awards 2012 as he wrote in The Telegraph about 10 ways to grow your money and drew parallels with growing asparagus.
Being the proud grandson of a vegetable farmer, I concur with what he says and believe that money can be cultivated as one would any plant or crop and fortunately for some, it does grow like grass.
The first rule in the farming book is that you need to be patient; one can’t plant a seed today and expect a harvest tomorrow. Jack and the Beanstalk is just a British fairy tale, no crop grows overnight except if it is magical beans. Moral of my version of the story is that one has to be patient with the crop.
Bear in mind that depending on your portfolio, time from seed to harvest might vary. If you sow tobacco for instance, you can’t expect to harvest the same time with someone who planted maize; same applies to your investment; know what financial crop you have planted.
Be vigilant, little and often is the best way to water your crop and regularly monitor the progress of your investments.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Investment: Make hay while the sun shines.
Mix and match is the key to a balanced portfolio. No field should be filled with only one type of crop — because that would be too risky, should the wheat fail because of unfavorable weather, one can feed the family from the returns on bountiful tobacco harvest which can thrive under different climatic conditions.
A good farmer knows how to make hay while the sun shines. I have written about the importance of investing early in life — while the sun of your youth yet shines and your ability to get multiple sources of income is at its peak — when financial burdens are still few, so as to reap a harvest when one truly needs it in retirement. Don’t be a fashion victim.
A good farmer knows what crops are best suited to the farming region in which they are, as well as their soil types. Simply because tobacco is paying high returns, one can’t cultivate it in a region were rice is more suitable, do not become a follower of financial fashion.
Many have suffered tremendous financial loss to the point of embarrassment by following the herd and investing in pyramid schemes camouflaged as network marketing initiatives; invest in portfolios that you understand and have some background knowledge or strength in.
Lastly, any farmer, seasoned or amature, knows how to prune. Citrus farmers are more familiar to this practice. There is need for constant clipping and trimming of deadwood, you need to get rid of investments that don’t bring satisfactory return, after a reasonable time and consideration of different fundamentals.
