Intelligentguess

Link from : the eminently readable PRD blog - who found it on  www.despair.com

Finds a place here since market professionals can relate to it.

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In his column in the Mint today (free registration required), Ramesh Ramnathan, ex- citibanker and founder of Janaagraha writes

One morning, early in my banking career, a business manager publicly chastised a colleague for what seemed like a fairly minor infraction.

“Man, I wish I didn’t have to take this from him. Wish I had enough money to tell him what he could do with his opinion,” Pablo said.

I asked, “How much would be enough? What would the number be for you?”

This got the conversation going among our group of young associates. Chris, the American, wanted a million, so that he could get a sports car and a summer home. ‘The Number’ was different for each person. Pablo wanted two-and-a-half million, so that he could go back to Ecuador and start his own tennis club—his original passion.

Soon, other senior colleagues got involved and highest value that The Number got to was 10 million, with justifications about children, parents and mortgages. By now, the discussion was loud and lively, with a lot of ribbing and day-dreaming, when the head of the trading floor saw the cluster and walked over.

“What’s going on?” he asked. When told about The Number and what it was at, he said, “Sounds reasonable,” and then added, “I’d say double your numbers, just in case you get divorced,” as he walked away.

Ramesh goes on to expound on the changing relationships that Indians have been having with money, and the financial fever evident everywhere.

The killer lines come at the end of his piece

As hard as it is to get on to the financial treadmill, I guess it is equally hard knowing when to get off it. Knowing The Number. After all, even John Rockefeller, the world’s first billionaire and for long the richest man alive, when asked, “How much is enough?” replied, “Just a little more.”

Well Said!

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