Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-04-16
THE WIDOW WITH $4,000.
Opinion of Financier Regarding lite
Proper Investment.

Proper Investment.
The question asked of you to-day by II
widow, as to the best way of investing
$4,000, is an appeal for advice of n sort
often made to business mon and iinanciers
by people who. like her. want to get 1t
better return for their money than is al
lowed by the law of security of invest
ments. with little capital, they think
they could get the large relative income
OF which they have need If only men who
nave been successful in making much
money by taking risks that violated that
law would tell them how to do 1T: and
when the only advice they can obtain is
to obey the law these men themselves
have disrcgardcd, they are panied and Of
Tended by what seems to them selfish in
difference to their necessities.
The Mount Vernon widow has had
'tips' to buy stocks, "industrals,' cop
pers' and the rest. If you had printed
her name she would be flooded already
with more tips of the sort sure
things absolutely safe" speculations,
which promise to give her from 10 to 70
to SO per cent income on her money. And
she might get it; but, unfortunately, and
more probably. she might not If she was
sure to do IT.. she wouldn't get the tips
Tor tips, she may safely assume. come
| from people who want to sell the stock
| in other words, from men VINO want her
500" more than they want the stock.
She can proceed on the assumption that
| if the enterprise was the sure thing it
! is represented to be she wouldn't have Il
chance to get into 1t offered to her so
! freely. 1t may turn out better than the
promise, but she wouldn't he solicited to
| come in if it was not a venture, a specu-
latNc tiSk, which she ought not to take.
| If 1t was Il sure thing she would get
no more interest on her money than the
| law of such security allows-not 10 and
! nta Il
rthc 3i4 per cent of the savings bank. She
can set that down as an invariable rule
/ so lar as she is concerned. The greater
percentages are often made, as all
know. and as she is truthfully told by
her friends, but they are made usually
in selling stock rather than in buying it.
New York and this whole country are
I hlI"d with capital seeking profitable in
vostment. and it is capital which never
lets sure things go cheap. Prices are
generally determined by the degree of
security in the Investment. 1t may be
that, for the time being. a stock is selling
lower than its value. as it is known to q
few people fully and accurately informed
as to the property. but is soon elevated
to the price its security makes it worth
and if it goes beyond that price as il
may in booming market. wise holders
/ usually sell it out. in the confidence Of
! buying it in again at its real worth or, fol
the moment. less.
Now, how can any man consciontiousll
advise widow with 5000 To take any
speculative risk in order to get more thar
the low rate Of interest on her money &c
which security i'm tho investment woulC
Iconiinc her. oven if ne has no hesitation
in putting his own money into such a ven
turc, even if he feels morally certain tina
the speculation is safe? He gets rich BY
taking ventures Why cannot he poin
n.e IA