It’s mid-October; the numbing effects of American life are reaching into the stability of souls, every waking hour. Shut-downs; tariff tsunamis; wars in Ukraine and Gaza; Nat’l Guard troops on assignment to bring order: are you feelin’ it yet? Will pro baseball’s end-of-season play offer any relief?
The effects of World War I were still oppressive when the 1919 World Series gave Americans some distraction. It was short-lived: coming out of that competition, the Black Sox Scandal emerged. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the series – against the Cincinnati Reds – in exchange for payment from a gambling syndicate. “Say it ain’t so, Joe!” expressed the disbelief felt by the young and vulnerable who had counted on the reliability of their baseball-card heroes to give them hope and confidence.
Back in 1953 (my birth year!), Harold and LuEsther Mertz and their daughter Joyce started a direct-mail subscription service for magazines. Their concept: in an era when separate periodicals were independently soliciting for subscribers, they would consolidate the appeals for a myriad of publications into a single marketing appeal, allowing the prospects to peruse multiple offerings into a grab-bag of options. Their idea gained traction; Publisher’s Clearing House laid claim to America’s mailboxes.
The big breakthrough came in 1967 when they launched their signature promotion: the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. The television ads told the story: a team would show up on the front porch of homes across America, holding a massive check, payable to the lucky winners who had been chosen to become briefly famous, and forever rich. Their tag line: no purchase necessary…
Winning the sweepstakes was great, but it introduced a new problem for the surprised victors: would they elect to take the payoff in an upfront lump sum? Or, would they elect to accept an annuitized payout that would give them big money for life?
Fast forward: the world has changed. Media has gone digital; printed publications have nearly disappeared. Publisher’s Clearing House posted revenue of $854 million in 2017 to $182 million in 2023. A few months ago, PCH filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
What about those past prize winners who elected to receive their massive pot of gold in installments? Their new status in the post-bankruptcy reality: they are “unsecured creditors” who have little chance of recovering their promised proceeds. A new enterprise – mobile-gaming company ARB Interactive – has acquired PCH’s assets but did not accept their liabilities.
The big fat checks on the front porch are no longer binding. Burt Bacharach and Hal David set the sadness to music back in 1983 in their hit song, written for the musical Promises, Promises. The chorus:
“Oh, promises, their kind of promises, can just destroy a life… take all the joy from life. Oh promises, promised, my kind of promises can lead to joy and hope and love: yes, love…”
I think my pen-pal friend, Paul, offered some great advice for the folks who have won this world’s prize:
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
The promises on the porch can disappear in a downturn. The promise of a future payoff is only as certain as the backer behind the commitment. Here’s the Platinum Promise underscored by Heaven: take the lumpsum today and send as much as possible into your Kingdom Portfolio. The certainty of a rock-solid foundation awaiting you in Eternity is the best course for “the life that is truly life.”
And, my personal guarantee: God’s Kingdom will never file for Chapter 11 insolvency…
Bob Shank
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Bob, Thanks for redefining wealth and net worth as well as new paradigms for managing and repurposing their lives and relationships.
In my 86 years I have learned a great deal in knowing and interviewing wealthy people. Many were in their twilight years and some on their death beds. A dear friend, in his last week of life, got to the issues that mattered to him most after all was said and done. I asked him what were the most important lessons or advice he would like to share with anyone who would listen. Without hesitation he said, “wealth is all about right relationships with spouse, family, people and God. I am a very rich man.”
In contrast, in an interview with the son of another very high profile wealthy person, the question I asked was “what is it like to be the son of such a notorious rich person?” Tragically his answer was. “I never really knew my dad. He never had time for me. His identity was in his work and wealth.”
Most monetarily wealthy people have not discovered affective wealth that can take them to a future that transcends their affluent life style. They pursue every pleasure for peace of mind, but it eludes them. Many have not learned to define what is enough and what really matters most when all is said and done. Their lives often are void of meaning and purpose beyond their wealth driven identity and work.
Not one of us picked our place of birth nor did we bring anything into this world. Neither will we exit with a U-Haul trailer behind the hearse that transports our remains to the grave. Many wealthy people are preoccupied with accumulation, maintenance and management of their assets and often miss the opportunity to redefine riches and what matters most in the end. The good and legitimate can be the enemy of the best and too often is the empty substitute for the best.
A smaller remnant of wealthy people have redefined wealth as right relationships with God, family and others. Wealth and riches to them are no longer ends but the means to restore people, places and planet and with it a future with hope for many to follow. The return on Investment (ROI) is generational creating with it a culture of hope and promise. The glow brightens and brightens long after they are laid to rest. In the process, riches redefined produces a harvest of peace premised on Truth and a life of adventure in doing good while doing well and doing business for a higher purpose.
Deathbed wishes may be one of our best clues to define best what matters most—riches at best are to be found in redemptive relationships. To invest without that as the higher value is to rob ourselves, God and others of the legacy that will not fade, rust or rot. What net gain will our bank accounts, stocks, real estate yield if that is our sole pursuit. Our best investment is in our relationships to assure a net worth that will continue long after we depart.
St. Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for thyself O God and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” Pascal the great French physicist and philosopher said. “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man that only can be filled by God as we know him in Christ. “
This author is nearing the finish line. I have discovered the redefinition of riches in discovering Truth and in right relationships. My true value is not determined by monetary wealth, titles or the number of friends I have at the Club, on facebook or how many followers I have on twitter. I know why I am here, where I came from and where I am going and am most grateful for the riches I have discovered in right relationships and my designed purpose. I am truly a very rich man.
I have already excelled my goal of being zero based in all my assets on my exit from planet earth. Those assets are generating in perpetuity making a difference in the lives of people denied the opportunity to have a future with hope. No U-Haul behind my hearse. I am ahead of schedule in my goal achievement. 😊
Bud – beautifully written…and a beautiful well-planned entry into heaven…..Noel
Thank you very much for sharing instructional stories.