Money talks is anthem for today's young professionals
Money talks is anthem for today's young professionals
JAKARTA (JP): Nobody knows who posted the sticker on the front
of the bus plying the Kampung Rambutan-Grogol route. But its
message -- Better to Be Rich than Poor and Ailing -- may be the
anthem for today's young professionals. It seems the only fate
worse than death today is an empty wallet.
A consensus backed up by the "Quick Route to Get Rich" survey
conducted by Tiara in July. Respondents were not shy about
revealing their yen for wealth.
It is common to hear young professionals waxing on in
unwitting odes to materialism. They seem to ascribe to the motto
of enjoying oneself in youth, getting rich when old and then
heading to a blissful after-life in heaven. And it is get rich at
any cost.
There is now a glut of how-to guides in Indonesian and English
for the materially minded. Most of these books are written by
foreigners, particularly authors from the land of the almighty
dollar, and are not tailored for the particular needs of
Indonesians.
Several years ago, there was a flood of books on multi-level
marketing (MLM) as practitioners of this marketing system touted
quick ways to get rich. It may well have worked, but little is
heard of it today.
Any sure-fire guarantees in fattening one's bank account? Some
say yes, and argue it is just a case of prioritizing one's
desires.
"It is in fact more difficult to determine the size of riches
you wish to grab and how soon you wish to collect these riches,"
entrepreneurial expert Kafi Kurnia said. "The first thing to do
in your pursuit of riches is to determine how rich you wish to be
and then find the way."
Old-fashioned means of getting money -- inheriting or marrying
into it -- are still the most common, he said.
"I mean it. Even now, marriages of convenience are still
widely practiced," said the marketing consultant for several
companies and director of Interbrand Indonesia. He rattled off a
list of several prominent examples of these unions, both legal
and common law.
The Tiara poll seems to validate Kurnia's opinion. Marrying
somebody rich or their offspring is ranked fourth, even though
nobody would own up to marrying for money instead of love. But
Kurnia said few people were so mercenary as to weigh concerns for
wealth over probable incompatibility and heartache in the future.
For those willing to take risks, engaging in real estate
speculation may be the path to riches. The greater the risk, the
more likelihood of hitting a huge jackpot.
"What are your assets worth? Ten million (rupiah)? No
problem," Kurnia said. He recommends buying a house in a real
estate project and waiting for the right opportunity to sell.
"You can offer the house to someone else when it is in the
construction stage. You can be almost certain that someone will
buy the house as long as you are not greedy enough to want a 100
percent profit. Then you purchase another house, and do the same
thing again."
Dabbling with stocks or foreign exchange can also be
beneficial. Someone with capital market expertise may not need
any funds upfront. "Can you image raking in a profit of US$10,000
a day without any capital?" asked Theo F. Toemion, a former
foreign exchange player now turned financial observer.
Number two on preferences for getting rich quick was the
glamorous route: landing a plum job as an actor or TV show host.
Sony Tulung has been lionized as an example of the rags-to-riches
entertainer.
He started out working as a salesman for a radio station, but
today finds himself hosting Famili 100, one of the most popular
quiz shows on TV. He can barely keep up with offers for
commercials, public appearances and MC gigs. Industry sources say
he is paid up to Rp 10 million for a public appearance, but Sony
will only admit that his fee is "much, much more" than he had
ever dreamed of earning.
Not all of the respondents measured success by the money
yardstick. Some valued mastery of their own profession, the time
they took to reach a career position and how long they maintained
it before moving up. These may be more lofty principles, but they
also set the stage for better opportunities and accompanying
material rewards.
Are there shortcuts to success?
Kokaryadi, 36, has taken only seven years to become vice
president/corporate planning head of Bank International Indonesia
(BII). But his neat example for climbing the corporate ladder is
probably not a template for others to copy.
In 1984, he was the holder of a bachelor's degree in
mechanical engineering trying to find employment in the U.S. As
he needed more educational back-up to find work there, he
obtained an MBA. He went to work in a bank, acquiring the
knowledge that allowed him to easily find a prize job in the
booming banking sector at home.
Getting rich may be tough, but it is often more difficult to
hang on to newly acquired wealth. Theo said many stock market
players eventually watched their gains dwindle away.
Even marrying for money may be a losing game, according to
Kurnia. "It turns out that many who get married to a rich person,
legally or otherwise, can not cash in. The problem is whether or
not you can tap the opportunity."
The above is an excerpt from the Tiara lifestyle biweekly
slated to appear on Wednesday. The complete article with sidebars
will be printed in that issue. It is translated here courtesy of
Tiara.
JAKARTA (JP): Nobody knows who posted the sticker on the front
of the bus plying the Kampung Rambutan-Grogol route. But its
message -- Better to Be Rich than Poor and Ailing -- may be the
anthem for today's young professionals. It seems the only fate
worse than death today is an empty wallet.
A consensus backed up by the "Quick Route to Get Rich" survey
conducted by Tiara in July. Respondents were not shy about
revealing their yen for wealth.
It is common to hear young professionals waxing on in
unwitting odes to materialism. They seem to ascribe to the motto
of enjoying oneself in youth, getting rich when old and then
heading to a blissful after-life in heaven. And it is get rich at
any cost.
There is now a glut of how-to guides in Indonesian and English
for the materially minded. Most of these books are written by
foreigners, particularly authors from the land of the almighty
dollar, and are not tailored for the particular needs of
Indonesians.
Several years ago, there was a flood of books on multi-level
marketing (MLM) as practitioners of this marketing system touted
quick ways to get rich. It may well have worked, but little is
heard of it today.
Any sure-fire guarantees in fattening one's bank account? Some
say yes, and argue it is just a case of prioritizing one's
desires.
"It is in fact more difficult to determine the size of riches
you wish to grab and how soon you wish to collect these riches,"
entrepreneurial expert Kafi Kurnia said. "The first thing to do
in your pursuit of riches is to determine how rich you wish to be
and then find the way."
Old-fashioned means of getting money -- inheriting or marrying
into it -- are still the most common, he said.
"I mean it. Even now, marriages of convenience are still
widely practiced," said the marketing consultant for several
companies and director of Interbrand Indonesia. He rattled off a
list of several prominent examples of these unions, both legal
and common law.
The Tiara poll seems to validate Kurnia's opinion. Marrying
somebody rich or their offspring is ranked fourth, even though
nobody would own up to marrying for money instead of love. But
Kurnia said few people were so mercenary as to weigh concerns for
wealth over probable incompatibility and heartache in the future.
For those willing to take risks, engaging in real estate
speculation may be the path to riches. The greater the risk, the
more likelihood of hitting a huge jackpot.
"What are your assets worth? Ten million (rupiah)? No
problem," Kurnia said. He recommends buying a house in a real
estate project and waiting for the right opportunity to sell.
"You can offer the house to someone else when it is in the
construction stage. You can be almost certain that someone will
buy the house as long as you are not greedy enough to want a 100
percent profit. Then you purchase another house, and do the same
thing again."
Dabbling with stocks or foreign exchange can also be
beneficial. Someone with capital market expertise may not need
any funds upfront. "Can you image raking in a profit of US$10,000
a day without any capital?" asked Theo F. Toemion, a former
foreign exchange player now turned financial observer.
Number two on preferences for getting rich quick was the
glamorous route: landing a plum job as an actor or TV show host.
Sony Tulung has been lionized as an example of the rags-to-riches
entertainer.
He started out working as a salesman for a radio station, but
today finds himself hosting Famili 100, one of the most popular
quiz shows on TV. He can barely keep up with offers for
commercials, public appearances and MC gigs. Industry sources say
he is paid up to Rp 10 million for a public appearance, but Sony
will only admit that his fee is "much, much more" than he had
ever dreamed of earning.
Not all of the respondents measured success by the money
yardstick. Some valued mastery of their own profession, the time
they took to reach a career position and how long they maintained
it before moving up. These may be more lofty principles, but they
also set the stage for better opportunities and accompanying
material rewards.
Are there shortcuts to success?
Kokaryadi, 36, has taken only seven years to become vice
president/corporate planning head of Bank International Indonesia
(BII). But his neat example for climbing the corporate ladder is
probably not a template for others to copy.
In 1984, he was the holder of a bachelor's degree in
mechanical engineering trying to find employment in the U.S. As
he needed more educational back-up to find work there, he
obtained an MBA. He went to work in a bank, acquiring the
knowledge that allowed him to easily find a prize job in the
booming banking sector at home.
Getting rich may be tough, but it is often more difficult to
hang on to newly acquired wealth. Theo said many stock market
players eventually watched their gains dwindle away.
Even marrying for money may be a losing game, according to
Kurnia. "It turns out that many who get married to a rich person,
legally or otherwise, can not cash in. The problem is whether or
not you can tap the opportunity."
The above is an excerpt from the Tiara lifestyle biweekly
slated to appear on Wednesday. The complete article with sidebars
will be printed in that issue. It is translated here courtesy of
Tiara.