ACT PARTY LEADER

Dear 2001 David,

If people say Auckland house prices can go even higher, and you should buy as soon as humanly possible, they may be on to something.

On that theme, don’t be afraid to be a capitalist. Leftie teachers and lecturers will tell you nothing about investment, or that making money by owning capital is bad.

They’re wrong. Start saving early. Remember the rule of seventy. Seventy divided by the annual interest rate is the number of years required for an investment to double.

There’ll be setbacks but the S&P 500 will double in value by the time you’re 35 and you’ll be happy if you saved and invested.

Don’t get hung up on particular qualifications. People say you have to study politics to be a politician and one day you’ll find out this isn’t true.

Your teachers say there’s a shortage of science, tech, engineering and maths graduates.

They’re right, but it doesn’t mean everyone has to join the cause. Choose the qualifications you enjoy because you’ll be better at them.

Synthesising multiple and abstract ideas into a succinct coherent narrative, for example, is a useful skill.

If you want to learn that writing philosophy and history essays, that’s fine. Get the grades though. Cs may get degrees, but As get jobs.

On the other hand, don’t avoid industries because do-gooders tell you they are bad. Those who lecture you not to go into oil, gas, and mining probably won’t know their iPad (look out for these, they will be seriously cool) works because of rare earth elements that have to be mined, and their reusable shopping bags are made from oil that has to be drilled. Nevertheless, they will pay you handsomely for them all the same.

Finally; most things will turn out just fine.

There will always be threats, uncertainty, and the possibility of failure.

Once you get used to that you can relax and not only enjoy life more, but succeed more, too.

Good luck,

2019 David