A story for you…

Today, I feel like telling a story:

One day a young man decided it was time to start saving money for his retirement. He realized that it was important to be prepared for that time in which he would no longer be able to work. However, he was not really sure what was the best way to do this.  After some research, he came to the decision that a bank would be a good place to get advice on this. 

The young man went to the bank and told a banker that he was ready to start saving for retirement and wanted to know how he could do that. The banker said to him that he was making a very good decision and that all he needed to do was open a bank account. The young man was very excited. Was it really that easy? He opened up a bank account with the banker and walked out of the bank with a smile on his face. 

Over the many years that followed, the man would visit the bank. He would walk in the doors and, with a smile on his face, think about how this bank was where he opened an account for his retirement savings. He would even talk to and thank the bankers there for helping him open a bank account. 

Many years later, when the man was very old and no longer able to work, he came into the bank to collect his savings for retirement. He walked up to a banker and asked for his savings. Upon checking the account, the banker informed the man that there was nothing in it. How could this be?!? The old man was told that he needed to open a bank account and then he would be ready for retirement! He asked to speak to the bank manager. 

The old man explained to the bank manager that many, many years ago he came to the bank and opened an account so that he would be ready for retirement but now there was nothing in it. The manager assured him that there must be some mistake and asked the old man what he had put into the account over the years. With a bewildered look on his face, the man informed the manager that he had never put anything into the account. When he had inquired about saving for retirement, he had only been told by the banker that he should open an account. He was never informed that he was required to put anything into it. 

The bank manager's face grew solemn. He explained to the old man that some of the bankers that had worked at the bank over the years were lazy. Many concerned themselves only with how many bank accounts they could get people to open and often forgot to advise those people on how to sow into those bank accounts to grow their savings.  The bank manager wished that there was something he could do for this old man. He wished that the man had sown into his account over the years so that the manager could give him all that he had given back to him along with much more gained in interest.  The manager walked the old man to the door and told him that he was very sorry but there was nothing he could do for him. The old man left very bitter and very disappointed.

Mike