Today I will introduce you to a number. This number
is different for every person out there. But there is a commonality that links
everyone to this number. Simply put, it is called the F-you Number.
Let me go into depth about what that really means.
F-you money is basically the money you have in your bank that allows you option
to say f-you to your boss at a moment’s notice and not worry about what your
next paycheck is going to look like. It represents complete financial independence
and stability from any worries in the world. This is one of the pillars of the
luxury world.
Money is nothing but some metals in your pocket,
some pieces of paper, or a number on a computer screen. It is the ideology of
those metals, papers, and numbers that gives values to it. More importantly is
it the lifestyle that it represents. Here is a story I once heard:
A CEO was vacationing
on a remote tropical island when he came across a small fisherman reeling in
his catch of the day. He asked if he could buy the catch and the fisherman
agrees to sell it to him. When the transaction was done, the fisherman decided to
pack up and head home. The CEO then asked why he wasn’t going to continue
fishing when the day is barely noon. The fisherman replied that he is the best
fisherman on this island and he had already caught enough to feed his family plus
extra to sell to his neighbors. He was just going to go home, spend his leisure
time napping, and play with his children. The CEO quickly replied that since he
is the best fisherman, he should partner up and start a business. The fisherman
asks “why?” The CEO said because he is the best fisherman, he could hire more
people, teach them how to fish, spend his time building up the company, then
take it public, and have more money than ever before. The fisherman then asked, “And what
will I do with all that money?” The CEO replied, “I guess with all that money,
you can retire to a remote tropical island, spend your leisure time napping,
and play with your children.”
That allegory is just used to explain what wealth embodies. If you have enough assets and a fixed income stream that allows you
to the option of work without taking compensation into account, does that mean you are
truly wealthy? The common question “What would you do if you know you cannot
fail?” is merely a derivative of the foundation that wealth provides. That is
why the F-you number is relative from person to person depending on your
lifestyle. Look at multibillionaire, Donald Trump who amassed a fortune in the
real estate market. However, a not so notable fact is that his company has
filed for bankruptcy not once, but four times. There are others who amass the
same fortune and loss just as much. The fickleness of wealth does not pay favor
to any one person. That is why wealth itself is relative and so hard to define.
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