The Intangibles

I was reading an article written by an economy-expert-cum-friend on where to invest. The article, a pure economic outlook concluded with a food for thought, 'Should we not be investing in relationships, feelings and friendships.' That was truly the takeaway for me from this article.

We all read and listen to umpteen talks on where to invest, where not to invest, and when, how, why, why not, which, whom, whose etc. Now that's a lot of interrogatives (Remember Wren and Martin's English grammar lessons!); but that's what the media is all about. They want to answer all the questions that the nation wants to know. Clearly the tangibles are taken care of by the media.

Now the Intangibles I'm referring to are not investments in tax havens and Swiss accounts. I am talking about intangibles that are truly invaluable like time spent for loved ones,  treasured friendships, kind gestures, humble deeds and social responsibilities, and emotional accomplishments in the form of hobbies. These are invaluable as they have no value tag attached to them, the value lies in the minds of the investor.

A truly rich person is one who leaves an indelible mark in the minds of his fellow beings through his actions. His value multiplies multifold and the value of this person is certainly more than the sum of his individual virtues. Such virtues should not be treated as retirement plans, but as endowments that will fuel life and postpone retirement. The best retirement plan would be to invest in healthy relationships, creative pursuits and long lasting hobbies that will keep us young at heart.

In the balance sheet of life, a larger share of intangibles can offset a rise in what is owed to others because of the appreciation in value attached to intangibles.

Before I get economically spiritual, let me wind up with a thoughtful quote "If you want to know how rich you are, find out how many things you have that money cannot buy."