During our 10-minute free write session on Wednesday, I was able to come up with three ideas of what I would do with 10 million dollars to help make the world a better place.
Idea #1 - Starting a camp/school that teaches underprivileged people how to invest in stocks safely. Nowadays, almost anyone has access to an online brokerage. I would love to go to a foreign country that doesn't have much education on investing, and use my 10 million to create my own investing camp. I would use my finance education from Marshall and my own personal investing skills to teach people how to invest in stocks safely for the long term. I started trading stocks back when I was 14, and by the age of 18, I was making complex hedges with options, futures, and forwards. Also, I took a financial derivative class at USC where I learned how to safely hedge even if the market crashes. I think if people from underprivileged countries learned how to do this, it could really change their lives and create new opportunities for them and their families. Also, I have a passion for trading and a passion for helping people so this is definitely something I would never get tired of.
Idea #2 - Invest 10 million (honestly I probably need more than this) in subsidies for organic food in America. My goal is to lower the price of all organic food so that it is the same or even less expensive than non-organic food. I know how important it is for humans to eat healthy, and I don't want money to be the reason why some people can eat healthy and some people can't. To be honest I almost feel like our government does this on purpose. Like they don't want every person living their lives as long as possible, they want some people to develop diseases and die at a younger age to control overpopulation and our food/water shortage. The problem I have with this is that usually, only "wealthier" people can afford the higher price foods which means the "poorer" people are stuck with the unhealthier foods that gives them a higher chance of dying sooner. And I just don't think that is fair and want to use my extra money to make the playing ground even.
Idea #3 - Use 10 million to go to a 3rd world country and start my own farm - Schmeddy's Farm. I would have hundreds of free-range cows, chickens, pigs, lambs, etc and all fresh veggies and fruit. And twice a week I would throw a huge BBQ where everyone from the local community can come and eat for free. At the end of the BBQ each person there will receive a large basket that is full of food that will last them until the next BBQ party! Also, these events will be fun. They will be full of alcohol and dancing!
Hi Matt,
ReplyDeleteI love all of your ideas! The idea about teaching people how to invest is such a new take on a charity. I have no clue how to invest, and I'm sure many people could benefit from your cause.
I really love your second idea, because it relates to mine. People do not have enough access to healthy food, and nutrition is such a problem in this world. It's interesting that you talk about conspiracy within the government holding back on healthy foods. I believe the main reason access to these healthy foods is so limited is because growing and importing these healthy foods is more costly than fast food that is made with ingredients you can find anywhere. But I do think that nutrition is a serious problem. Would your money just go straight to healthy food until it was eaten up? Or would you create a company that lowers the cost of expensive foods while producing more of them so they are more accessible? I would love to see where you take this idea. Thanks for the food for thought!
-KT Francel
Hey Matt,
ReplyDeleteI think your first idea has a lot of promise and would even be useful here in the US. People don't fully understand the economy or markets and they can get easily scared. But when it's broken down it is relatively straight forward and is a very powerful tool which everyone should use. Idea 2 really appeals to me also and its an issue I am trying to tackle as well but more from the farmer's side. A lot of big corporations are really screwing over both the farmers and the consumers and making it hard for the average person to access organic food. Idea 3 sounds like a great time, but would it help educate the community and empower them or just be a nice party every once in a while? Looking forward to your pitch!
Brendan
Hi Matt,
ReplyDeleteYour post is full of interesting ideas. Let's start from the one I think would have the least impact - the second one. Even though I agree with your opinion thta people should eat more healthy food, I don't know if giving 10 million dollars (or even more) in subsidies for organic food would be a sustainable way to solve this problem in the future. And I'm not sure whether the government does it on purpose or not. The first idea is very interesting and sustainable and would actually be a breakthrough especially in less developed countries. What's more, since trading is your passion, I feel that the chances of that idea being successful are much higher. However, I would just like you to think if this is feasible in the short term or, given the low level of education in such countries, it would be better to start from a basic program teaching financial skills. For the last idea, I have nothing to say, I would come to every BBQ party, they sound super fun. Just let me know if you will ever organize such a thing and I will come immediately!
Your first idea was something that definitely resonated with me. I personally don't like school at all, and prefer to work, and a big part of this was that I never really learned much that I'd ever use in the future. Knowledge of investing, doing taxes, etc., is a great starting point to make education practical. We don't want to send people out in the world not knowing how to support themselves or do basic things like taxes. You'd probably have to start by offering tutoring sessions in investing and then hopefully move to after school classes in local middle and high schools and then eventually a full fledged integrated class on investing.
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