Hints for Those That Would Be Rich

by Benjamin Franklin 

            The Use of Money is all the Advantage there is in having Money. For ￡6 a Year you may have the Use of ￡100 if you are a Man of known Prudence and Honesty.

       He that spends a Grout a day idly, spends idly above ￡6 a year, which is the Price of using ￡100.

       He that wastes idly a Grout‘s worth of his Time per Day, one Day with another, wastes the Privilege of using ￡100 each day.

       He that idly loses 5 Grouts’worth of time, loses 5 Grouts. and might as prudently throw 5 Grouts. in the River.

       He that loses 5 Grouts. not only loses that Sum, but all the Advantage that might be made by turning it in Dealing, which, by the time that a young Man becomes old, amounts to a comfortable Bag of Money.

       Again, He that sells upon Credit, asks a Price for what he sells equivalent to the Principal and Interest of his Money for the Time he is likely to be kept out of it: therefore He that buys upon Credit, pays Interest for what he buys. And he that pays Ready Money, might let that Money out to Use; so that He that possesses any Thing he has bought, pays Interest the Use of it.

       Consider then when you are tempted to buy any unnecessary Household stuff, or any superfluous thing, Whether you will be willing to pay Interest, and interest upon Interest for it as long as you live; and more if it grows worse by using.

       Yet, in buying goods, it is best to pay Ready Money, because, He that sells upon Credit, expects to lose 5 per Cent by Bad Debts; therefore he charges, on all he sells upon Credit, an Advance that shall make up that deficiency.

       Those who pay for what they buy upon Credit, pay their Share of this Advance.

       He that pays Ready Money, escapes or may escape that Charge.

       A Penny saved is Twopence clear,

       A Pin a Day is a Grout a Year.

【注釋】

might as prudently: 結(jié)構(gòu)與一般常用的 might as well 相同。might as well 含有"反正一樣"、"倒不如"的意思。

to be kept out of it: it代表money, to be kept out of...解作"受到阻礙不能享有......"

advance:通常解作"預(yù)付款"，這里作"漲價(jià)"或"加碼"解。其涵義是，商人賒賣(mài)后很可能有一部分賬款不能收回，因此對(duì)每個(gè)顧客多開(kāi)價(jià)百分之五，以彌補(bǔ)將來(lái)必然會(huì)發(fā)生的倒賬損失。

clear: 十足的，整整的；相當(dāng)于without any deduction。

在商業(yè)上訂立的契約和其他重要法律文件中常把要緊的術(shù)語(yǔ)以大寫(xiě)字母開(kāi)始，或整個(gè)詞中的字母都大寫(xiě)。這篇文章也仿照這個(gè)習(xí)慣做法，主要名詞或詞組都用大寫(xiě)，含有幽默之意。

致富之道

本杰明·富蘭克林

            有錢(qián)的唯一好處就在于用錢(qián)。 如果你是一個(gè)節(jié)儉而誠(chéng)實(shí)的人，一年六英鎊就可以當(dāng)一百英鎊的錢(qián)使用。

       一天消費(fèi)四便士的人，一年就消費(fèi)六個(gè)多英鎊，而六英鎊相當(dāng)于一百英鎊的使用價(jià)值。

       每天虛度值一便士的時(shí)間的人，日復(fù)一日，等于消費(fèi)了每天使用一百英鎊的權(quán)利。

       一個(gè)游手好閑而損失了價(jià)值五先令時(shí)間的人，就是失去了五個(gè)先令，他還不如把五先令扔進(jìn)河里的好。

       一個(gè)失去五先令的人，不僅失去了那筆錢(qián)，還失去了把錢(qián)用于經(jīng)商可能帶來(lái)的好處，而一個(gè)年輕人到年老的時(shí)候這筆錢(qián)就會(huì)等于一筆可觀的財(cái)產(chǎn)。

       還有，一個(gè)賒帳出售物品的人，對(duì)他所售貨物要求的價(jià)格相當(dāng)于貨物的本錢(qián)加上他暫時(shí)不能利用的那筆錢(qián)的利息。因此，一個(gè)賒帳購(gòu)買(mǎi)的人，要為他所買(mǎi)的貨物支付利息。而一個(gè)用現(xiàn)金購(gòu)買(mǎi)的人，如果不買(mǎi)的話，是可以把那筆錢(qián)借給別人使用的。所以，一個(gè)擁有任何買(mǎi)來(lái)的東西的人，都要為使用這東西而支付利息。

       當(dāng)你感到一種引誘，想要買(mǎi)任何并不急需的家用品，或任何不必要的東西的時(shí)候，你就要好好考慮一下，你是否愿意為它支付利息，并且終身為它利上加利；如果這東西是會(huì)用壞的，那末還要付得更多。

       然而，在買(mǎi)東西時(shí)，最好還是付現(xiàn)金，因?yàn)橘d帳售物的人，估計(jì)由于吃倒帳會(huì)損失百分之五，所以把賒售的所有貨物都要加碼，以彌補(bǔ)這筆損失。

       那些賒帳購(gòu)物的人，得支付他們所應(yīng)分擔(dān)的這筆加碼的價(jià)款。

       而用現(xiàn)金購(gòu)物的人，則不需或可能不需支付這筆錢(qián)。

       省下的一便士是不折不扣的兩便士，

        每天節(jié)約一丁點(diǎn)兒一年就是一大筆。