My friends and I got together. As our conversation drifted from one topic to another, someone asked if the rest of us know the most highly priced residence in Singapore? No one did. We could not even begin to guess how much it costs!
Apparently it was a staggering S$ 240,000,000. It was the top floor of a building on Orchard Road. Now who would live in this golden house? The answer is a rich Hong Kong businessman. The richest person present commented that he should have bought a modest property which costs S$40 millions and give away the S$200 millions to the victims of the Tsunami in Sendai.
That sets me thinking: why should he? After all, the money rightfully belongs to him. He probably worked very hard and long to accumulate serious wealth like that. And perhaps he lost his parents to the massacre in the rape of Nanking. So why should he care if the Japanese suffer or are destitute?
It was interesting that this morning I read an article that featured a financial consultant called Ming Wong from Hong Kong who has a high net worth client who inherited her wealth from her father (who was a successful HK real estate tycoon). This lady desires to create a portfolio that would generate both financial returns and achieve social and/or environmental impact. She also determined to establish the best way to give away her wealth rather than just leave it all for her children.
In the same article, I read about a social enterprise in HK called Social Investors' Club. The panel of ten founding members include: 5 bankers and investment managers, three social entrepreneurs, a university professor and a retiring engineer from the government.
The above-mentioned club's first investment of HK$200,000 is in Dr. Grooming Pet Services. The latter is founded by a former drug offender with the aim to improve the recidivism rate for rehabilitated drug offenders by providing job training and empowering them with responsibilities.
We need more people like my rich friend, the rich lady in Hong Kong who cares, and folks who do not just talk but start doing something like the members of the Social Investors' Club. Since I do not have wealth, neither do I have the know how to start social enterprise; I use my writing to convey such inspiring ideas to everyone who reads my blog. Thank you for reading.
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