Original oil painting by: Grandfather’s wife
Grandfather gets unhinged when the subject of his net worth comes up, because it bears no relation to his values and enjoyment of life.
Is he a millionaire? He says that depends on the price of local real estate next week, which is of no interest to him.
His interest is in the value of his real estate and that’s priceless. He uses it to produce fuel (firewood), food, his water supply (a cistern full of soft water with primary filtration by the atmosphere) and some marketable stuff, like timber, hay and cattle (some of which go into the family larder).
He does invest in his version of futures. They mature about nine months after his cows are bred when the calves arrive.
Here’s something else that’s priceless:
The view looking west from Grandfather’s House.
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is an octogenarian from West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
That is a beautiful view!
Thank you, Jason
The views in the other three directions are also beautiful, but shorter.
Quality of life is not very much about money, is it?
It certainly isn’t. Money can’t buy you the happiness and peace of mind that you have with a comfortable, productive, paid for home. Money can’t buy you the freedom to live the way you want. Money can’t buy you happiness. Of course, neither can poverty.
Truth!
Aristotle’s philosophy encompassed the idea of a “golden mean”: all things in moderation.
When one looks at governance as I have for many years now, I sometimes wonder if Aristotle’s concept of rule by philosopher kings might not be so far fetched.
If so, China’s reversion to its historical rule by a monarch might be seen in a less panicked light than is currently fashionable in our “democracies”.
On the other hand: “Democracy is the worst form of governance on earth – except for any other” – Winston Churchill.
Truer words were never spoken. This becomes evident to most people as they get older. Those who realize this early in life are truly blessed.
Bill, you’ve pointed out a very important truth, I think: If one starts early to become as independent as possible, one is blessed, because not only is old age well provided for, but life along the way is more satisfying than it might be otherwise.
Yep…..money in the bank, or in stocks/bonds is not wealth…..but could be if converted to real things. Like RD, I’ve converted a lot of our earnings over the years into a small homestead that produces much of our food, fuel, energy (solar), water, and so on. Doing for yourself is hard work (I spent the day at my sawmill producing lumber for my uses), but so far, it isn’t taxed, and lessens your dependence on other folks getting up and going to work in order for you to live.
Liberty and independence. Can’t beat them, Andy
RD – I have my own little homestead. I worked for the fedgov (mostly GS 5) for 30+ yrs. My own desire to be as self sufficient as possible comes from seeing decades of bad management and stupid spending at the small facility I worked at. I figure that it only gets exponentially worse as you go up the chain. We’re you influenced by those things as well?
Deb, congratulations on your independence!
I was a Patent Examiner and our product was more useful than most, I suppose, but our procedures were stacked against ordinary folks who weren’t represented by attorneys. Generally speaking, I felt I had better things to do and retired as early as I could.
There are some details in a previous “Grandfather Says” article: “A Big Secret of Doing Well in Life”.