The-Slight-Edge

20 The Slight Edge
for two at the fine hotel where his brother’s suite had been humming with action
for two weeks.
Now, a few days into the third week, the purse’s contents had grown a bit
more: he now had a sum of $655 (“and thirty-six cents,” he proudly pointed
out)—easily enough to sustain him on the road for a full week.
“But you poor sap!” his brother cried on hearing his story. “I can’t believe
you went for the penny! It’s not too late—visit our father, see if he will relent and
give you your own million. Or if he insists in prorating the amount, then even
just half the million—it’s better than scrabbling by on a few paltry hundred! And
if he refuses, you’ve got to let me help ... I can’t stand the idea of you venturing
out into the world with scarcely enough to feed yourself for a week!”
But the brother seemed unperturbed and wouldn’t hear of it.
Later that week, the wealthy man called his sons to him one more time and
spent several hours with them, sharing memories and telling stories. They both
left him in good spirits (though the second boy was secretly very worried about
his brother’s prospects).
That night, the old man died peacefully in his sleep.
Toward the end of week four, the second boy’s top advisors brought him
some worrisome news. The markets, it seemed, had gone a bit soft. Taken a bit of
a tumble, actually. The team had acted quickly and salvaged what they could, but
their earlier rosy projections would most certainly need to be revised downward.
The boy thanked them for their vigilance, and waited, fretting and anxious.
At the close of the week, the team brought mixed news. Some investments
had performed quite well, others had suffered. All in all, the boy had made a
modest gain: starting with his one million in cash, his team had succeeded in
parleying that into nearly one and a half million. Unfortunately, his expenses,
including their commissions, tax, bills for the hotel suite, broker fees and the
rest, came to just over half a million.
The boy had ended the month with just a bit less than he started!
In a panic, he rushed to see his brother, to see how he had fared with his
$655 (and thirty-six cents)—only to receive yet another shock. On day 28, his
brother’s purse of pennies had passed the million-dollar mark. On day 29, the
two-and-a-half million mark. Yesterday, on day 30, it had doubled to more than
five million!
The boy who chose the penny had discovered the extraordinary power that
some have called “the eighth wonder of the world”—the remarkable creative
force of compound interest.