The single most important thing a man can do to get rich and stay rich is to marry the right woman.
This is so important that I’ll repeat it.
The single most important thing a man can do to get wealthy and stay wealthy is to marry the right woman.
Do you believe that statement?
Take 10 seconds to think through it.
What in the world would make a man rich through his wife?
I’ll explain.
What My Science Teacher Taught Me about Money
One day, sitting in my classroom as a JSS1 student of a federal school in Lagos, we stood up to greet a young woman who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She was friendly, jovial and non-threatening. She taught us Integrated Science.
She was also good with the cane. 🙂
For the purpose of this article, I’ll call her Mrs. P.
Two years after she began teaching us, my mum (who also teaches in the same school), was moved from Chemistry department to Integrated Science department.
She and my mum began talking a lot.
Mrs. P at this time was a few years into marriage, and her kids were in nursery and early primary school.
Here’s a summary of her financial journey, as told to me by my mum:
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Mrs. P had a strong mother, who was intelligent with money and taught her well.
When Mrs. P gained admission into the university, her mum instructed her to bring all the money that relatives and family friends were giving her. Mrs. P’s mum opened a special account to save the money. This savings continued till she finished university.
When she graduated, she started teaching kids in private tutoring classes. The same process continued. Her mother would collect the money and put it into the account.
The money was growing gradually.
A few years after she got married, her mother instructed her to tell her husband that a land was available at a good location, and they should get money to buy.
Her husband had the habit of going out to drink with his friends.
He asked her, “Where are we going to get the money?”
She replied, “I have N150,000.” (This was in the 90s)
He stopped drinking.
He became more serious with his wife and his finances.
They eventually bought the land and began building the house.
They are done with the house now. It is a two-storey building with six flats. Using the rent from the flats, they built a row of 6-8 shops (can’t remember the exact number now) close to the bus stop of their area, where they collect rent too.
The best part of this story?
It took them 12 years to complete the house.
Twelve. Whole. Years.
In that time, they lived in a room in the family house of Mrs. P. They moved to the house after they had completed one flat.
It was the idea of Mrs. Ps husband to build a six-flat house, instead of a small bungalow.
They are both civil servants.
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QUESTION:
Is it reasonable to say that Mrs. P’s husband would have eventually gotten rich if he hadn’t married a woman like Mrs. P? What if he had gotten married to a woman who believed the outdated paradigm that a man is entirely responsible for finances in a home?
For any family that starts average (financially) and ends wealthy, the woman plays a vital part.
The Problem with Men
Most of a man’s money (usually) goes into the family.
It is the wisdom and discretion of the woman that helps the family manage this money.
Some men are frivolous in their spending. I know men (and you probably do too) who have the appearance of riches, but aren’t cash rich. They seem to have a lot of money because they have bought 5 cars in 4 years.
Check their account balance. Check their savings.
You’ll find nothing tangible.
Every time they come into some money, they blow it on cars, fun and flashy things for their wives.
It looks good, but it isn’t good.
Because 10 years down the line, the man who seemed like a millionaire has no landed property, still lives in an (expensive) rented apartment, still looks flashy, but is now tired.
Many men who have worked in high paying jobs for years sometimes retire into penury for this same reason.
It is a woman’s responsibility as a wife to pull her husband back to his senses, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.
This is probably the best use for a lady’s feminine wiles.
Whatever it takes, make him do it.
I’ve seen the things that can happen when a lady sets her mind to make her man do something.
Impossible to resist. 🙂
After the family becomes financially comfortable, he’ll be happy you did.
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Uchendu E. Uchendu writes at uchendutalks.com. If you like this article, you can find his best articles here and join his email list here