SUPER MONDAY

A motivational and informational morning message from Superintendent Willis

Week 10 ~ October 16th, 2023

Super Monday Message

Today I want to tell the story of two wise investors. The first was born in a very small house in Vermont in 1921. His family was an impoverished farming household. His house was 4 miles from the high school and he had to hitch hike or walk to get there each day. His family was proud that he was the first high school graduate in the family. After high school he served in World War II. When he was discharged in 1945 he returned to Vermont to work at the local gas station. He worked the desk and worked on cars there for 25 years making a meager salary. When he retired from that job he took on part-time work as a janitor at the J.C. Penney. He retired from working in 1997.

When this man died in 2014 it was expected to be very quiet and private news. However, national headlines reported the contents of his will. Residents of the small Vermont town were shocked to find that his will listed 8 million dollars in assets. After leaving 2 million to his family, he gave the rest away to charity. He left 4.8 million dollars to the local hospital and 1.2 million to the local library.

The second story is about a man born in 1930 in Nebraska. He was the son of a congressman. They were certainly not poor, but they also were not what most would consider super wealthy. As a boy he still sold chewing gum and Coca-Cola door-to-door for spending money. At 10 years old his father took him to see the New York Stock Exchange. This visit and a book he had read from the local library made him love corporate stocks. Next to his picture in the high school yearbook it said, “Loves math; future stockbroker.”

His application to Harvard was rejected, but he still earned a Master of Science in Economics at Columbia University. He worked a variety of jobs connected to the stock market and at 32 years old his net worth tipped over one million dollars. Despite millions in his portfolio, he lived solely on a $50,000 annual salary for a long time. All his other assets were reinvested in his investment company. At 60 years old his value exceeded one billion dollars. His company continued growing its investments. In 2006 he announced he would give away 85% of his shares in his company to charity. Today he is 93 years old and has given the equivalent of 51.5 billion dollars to charity. Despite giving so much, his assets still make him the 7th wealthiest person on the planet. His current net worth is more than 100 billion. 

The two men are Ronald Read and Warren Buffet. Ron died at 93 and Warren is now 93. The secret to Ron’s success is very simple, he invested part of his small income throughout his life in a simple diversified portfolio. After a long life, that portfolio had gained significant value. While Warren made lots of big business deals along the way, his path was similar. He started very early setting money aside for investments. He let time be his greatest ally. More than 90% of his wealth has been earned after the age to qualify for social security.

Our students have the most amazing asset….time. We have the opportunity to help them use it to the fullest. Small investments over long periods of time pay big dividends. Those small investments are not just money. How many small acts of kindness did Mother Teresa perform before she was seen as a symbol for compassion? We can make little deposits in our life portfolio every day by starting and maintaining simple habits that have the best long term potential for happiness. Have a great week 10.

Super High Fives

Just a couple of the awesome recent accomplishments that need a big thank you. 

• Super high five to our three principals; Shauna Bagley, Heather Fautin, and Russ Lee. They are great leaders and teachers. We appreciate all they do in our schools and classrooms.
• A super high five to our super smart athletes. Our fall sports academic all-state recipients: Kinley Shakespear (Cross Country and Volleyball), Ainsley Talbot (Cross Country), Jaxon Westwood (Baseball and Cross Country), Kole Westwood (Baseball and Cross Country), and Yates Gleave (Baseball).

Other Super Information

• The November ballot will have a question about a bond for a consolidated elementary school in Junction. A public hearing will be held on October 24th at 6:00 PM at Piute High School. Everyone is invited to the meeting. This link is to a community information folder regarding the proposal.
• The voter information pamphlet will be mailed out this week. Link
• Winter Sports Schedule

Super Weekly Schedule