Most people are not worthy of having money

Yesterday, a classmate asked in the comment section whether Zhang Xuefeng left his daughter assets worth billions, and whether his child might not be able to hold onto that money. Is trust the only way to ensure it stays? The key point is that her daughter was too young, and before she had a chance to learn anything, she passed away.

The conclusion is certain: no matter how much inheritance ultimately ends up in his daughter’s hands—whether it’s as rumored or not—if it’s not in the form of a trust or a similar structure, then whether it’s in her hands, her mother’s, her ex-wife’s, or someone else’s (I don’t like gossiping about these things, just get the point), it won’t be kept. After two generations, these funds are likely to be evenly distributed by society, and the wealth level will become indistinguishable from ordinary people.

The reason is simple: most people are not worthy of having money because holding any amount of wealth requires corresponding wisdom. It’s like leading troops into battle: a foot soldier who has never managed a team or earned any military merit, suddenly given a command token for 100,000 soldiers, is basically sent to his death. I know some readers might disagree—they think just saving in the bank and passively holding is enough; or some believe they’ve been investing for years and understand investment strategies perfectly, thinking that as soon as their principal is in place, they can take off. They might even envy Zhang Xuefeng for having such wealth. But if you truly believe that, one day, if the heavens suddenly give you all the money you could earn in your lifetime at once, you’ll be finished.

Ordinary people who want to live without pressure, just eating and waiting, the best way is to have insurance or a trust, and receive regular payouts—nothing more. The purpose of regular payouts is to serve as a safety net for the often foolish mind of ordinary people—no matter how many mistakes you make, it’s okay. I set a limit on the most severe consequences of each mistake, so they’re manageable. By the beginning of next month, you can start fresh.

This is an infinite safety mechanism. Even the dullest person, after repeatedly losing money dozens of times, will become smarter. Without such a mechanism, every mistake caused by greed, naivety, or love brain will multiply losses dozens of times—how could people not make mistakes? Even Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, with their wisdom, are still making mistakes into their 90s.

So if you truly love someone and want to treat them well, don’t give them more money than they can earn. If it’s your child, this money probably won’t serve as a safety net for him, and over time, he’s unlikely to be grateful. If this money is your retirement fund, be prepared to be kicked out. If it’s your spouse, and they received the same amount of money as you just because you married, and you no longer have the ability to earn more, rest assured—they will likely gradually become someone you dislike because the balance of exchange between you has been broken.

In summary, everyone only deserves money proportional to their current social status and contribution, and it should be given in installments, not all at once. The freedom to control large sums of money should not be equal to your own; otherwise, it’s either a waste or a disaster. The natural law is this: money is something that must be exchanged for an equivalent price. If the price isn’t paid, giving away a large sum of money will inevitably cause society to make it disappear. The way it disappears is by causing the recipient to make mistakes—big mistakes. To outsiders, it looks like the person suddenly becomes very foolish and makes a series of big errors. But that’s not true. They are still themselves; it’s just that, having received something they’re not qualified to have, they suddenly have a bunch of new options, relationships, and lifestyles that didn’t exist before, leading to many more opportunities to make big mistakes.

That’s the natural law. If the child’s mother truly has wisdom and conscience, she should quickly set up an insurance policy worth over a billion yuan for her child, along with a simple trust structure for regular payouts. Being able to manage the corresponding amount of money is wisdom; but knowing your own limitations and willingly handing over control to a mechanism with minimal freedom is another form of wisdom.